Happy to get suggestions - open to many ideas regarding reconfiguration of existing spaces.

Do you use the dining room as a dining room?

I think do both. Knock that wall down, and change to your red line kitchen layout.

Is that meals room leading to outside? If not, then extend the kitchen all the way to the window

With that walls gone, you have plenty of open space

Yes the meals area leads to an outside entertaining area downstairs and we rarely use the formal dining room.

What is that opening on the bottom of Family room? Is that entry door?

(edited) I would prefer putting kitchen on that far down wall. Then you can have a better connection between Balcony, a bigger dining (meals), and Stairs down

Opening into the family room is into the hallway, that extends to the living area where there is a foyer to the front door. When you say "Far down" wall - do you mean the meals area wall?

Existing kitchen

The meals area windows are all floor to ceiling with glass sliding doors to the external stairs.

what's the size of the balcony, the window in the formal dining room and is there an extra door into the living area next to the fire place? i need extra info to attempt a new floorplan but i'm wondering how the kitchen would feel in the old dining room with an island overlooking a new family dining room using the space now used by the kitchen, family and meals areas? but would be easier to understand the existing spaces with a plan of the whole house or at least all the adjoining rooms

Just a sketch to show the idea

Floorplan of whole house showing driveway etc would be helpful

Depends on your budget. Lots of options.

1. Create entry to balcony from dining and close current kitchen entry creating corner pantry in space
2. Dining is very long. Changing entry and use some space for kitchen/pantry
3. Move kitchen completely .....

OkL plan looks good. Great job OkLouise.
Either way, this traffic flow is important to make indoor outdoor connection.

Would love to see floor plan of the entire house including location of North and driveway etc.

Thank you for al your suggestions:

Our budget is around $30K not sure how realistic that is - haven't had any quotes yet. I'm thinking if I don't need to change windows it might help cut costs a bit.

My inspriation kitchen is a HedgersConstructions HOme that was featured on Grand Designs in Glen Waverly Waimarie..way out of our budget but I love the quirkiness of the design - the coffee nook, the large island bench, ...the colours....love it.

OKLouise : I quite like your idea - although not sure about the seating nook and smaller linen cupboards? The current dining window is floor to ceiling.

Kate - I forgot to mention I love the windows and view in that corner so am trying to avoid taking putting a corner pantry in there but I can see why you've gone that route - it seems obvious to do that. I've thought about making space for a kitchen pantry somehow by using the dining space. As it's a sunken room I would need to consider raising the floor for so that the kitchen/family room would all be on one level. NOt sure?? Yes the current dining room is quite long and has 2 doorways either side so it loses practical usable space.

Siriuskey & CP: Here's the whole house plan. The outside entertaining area is accessed via the steps next to the meals area.

3DA Design Drafting & 3D visuals - does tha plan put the family room where the dining room currently is?

The rumpus room downstairs has evolved over the years as our kids have grown up, left home and returned with partners! Not sure what to do with it long term but it's a big space with lots of potential. At the moment it's been transformed into a bedsitter kind of apartment space for adult children between homes - so any suggestions on how we could transform the space long term there would also be greatly appreciated.

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Before studying your floor plan, I was roughly playing with this layout. keeping the living room separate which could then be used as a media room if wanted

Ok, with your budget changing floor level and removing walls may be a stretch. I would look at moving kitchen to the family area

the measurements on your plan are inconsistent and need checking..please advise the dimensions of the bathroom, toilet and the hall between stairs and bathroom and is the family room 4.75m or 4.65m?

We now have a budget which won't allow for too many major changes, I suggest you remove most of the wall between the kitchen family and the dining having one long step down, this would give you a lovely open plan space. I have shown 3 sinks to show you choices cheers

I like Siriuskeys plan but such a shame to lose the Northerly aspect in meals area

a bit confused about the porch. is there a step up to go onto the kitchen? I think turning this into a window and putting opening from dining makes a lot of sense.

Apologies for any confusion..I remeasured most of the rooms and here are the updated plans....

SiriusKey and OKlouise- Those design programs looks fabulous...do they create 3D walk through as well?

Siriuskey: Whilst I LOVE the idea of a walk-in-pantry the 2nd option blocks our access to the outdoor entertaining area.

CP: There's no step into the kitchen. The step goes down from the family room into the dining room and from the entry into the living room.

the dimensions are still inconsistent, if the bathroom is 2.4 wide then the toilet and hallway needs to add up to 2.4 plus the thickness of the walls between them and the kitchen and meals should add up to the same length as the family and bathroom so i'm unable to make a more precise plan but, regardless of the precise dimensions, you said that you never use the dining room so imo the old dining room with new floor and window would make a much better kitchen and more generous meals and family room and make a new linen cupboard in the hallway next to the toilet and close of the door between old dining and living area for more counter and storage in the new kitchen..and i can produce very basic 3D views with my vintage CAD program with many hours of work but must begin with an accurate floor plan