I wish I could post links to pics of others' houses that are already on HOUZZ. Does anyone know how? I've been inspired by a project called "San Francisco Mid-Century Mix" on here.

Yes, measurements would help. Thank you aldrea1 for other explanation, though. That helps too. It sounds like you are going into a total gut-job! I love this! Great opportunity for your creativity. Also, it looks like you have a petite sized stove. With total remodel you can upgrade to a standard size range. Is this part of your plan? Are you going to replace any appliances? It would be good for you to keep sink and stove in original locations. It is complicated to move the stove's exhaust fan and the sink's plumbing. Not impossible, but probably $$$$$$$ and a lot of hassle…. So, I would start planning with those items--stove and sink on current walls. Wherever you put your refrigerator, it would be best to be sure side view is hidden. If refrigerator stays in current position, you could make peninsula a little smaller, so wall on the right of kitchen entrance could extend further and hide refrigerator edge----Or, move refrigerator to another location… Not too far from sink and counters, though. That would cause you inconvenience. You want a work triangle with not that many steps in-between. Do you currently have a dishwasher? Or are you planning to add one? Not much creativity in placement of a dishwasher---needs to be near water source and drain.. Are you doing the work yourselves or hiring a contractor?

Personally , I wouldn't use that wallpaper -- it doesn't suit the apartment style IMO . I assume she wanted to add some focus and colour , but to me it doesn't work . To make it work ( or at least not 'jar' ) if she does insist on the wallpaper , pick out the burgundy or red of the wattle flower ( or whatever it is ) , and do a wall opposite it in that exact same shade , or maybe the kitchen area if you have good masking skills . The animal skin rugs look great , but the couch is 'lost' -- add cushions in the same red or burgundy as the wall , or go even brighter red or burgundy . Rest of the walls can be left as they are ( depending on wall condition ) or any similar neutral ( aka bland ) grey or cream , or possibly even a light steel blue .

Before jumping into the design of your new kitchen, there are a few important points that you should carefully consider and get expert advice on. Viran has compiled a list of 5 things to avoid when designing your new kitchen and has lots of ideas to help you out of any tricky design situations. 1. FOCUSING ON THE LOOK OF YOUR NEW KITCHEN BEFORE YOU CONSIDER ITS FUNCTION We see a lot of people focus on having the right style of bench top, thinking about what splash back to have or even having their minds fixed on a handle-less look without first getting the functional design and layout of their kitchen confirmed. I understand why people do this as this is the most exciting part of the kitchen renovation process and it's what can set your kitchen apart from others. But this can ultimately cost you more in the long term if energy and thought isn't put towards a good functional design for the way you and your family use the kitchen. You can't change the design of the kitchen once it's installed, but you can change the bench top, splash back or even handles in the future at a fraction of the cost of redoing a whole new kitchen. This is where your design consultant is invaluable as they work with you to gain an understanding of your current pain points and then they work to achieve the best possible design within your allocated budget. 2. INCORPORATING A LARGER PANTRY AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OVERALL KITCHEN DESIGN Just because you may have a large corner pantry or built in internal pantry currently doesn't mean you need to, or should incorporate another one in your new kitchen. There are now smarter storage solutions on the market such as the Blum Space Tower or base drawer units which allows you to maximise storage but achieve more benchtop space or incorporate larger appliances into your new design. 3. PURCHASING YOUR APPLIANCES BEFORE YOU HAVE MET WITH YOUR DESIGN CONSULTANT By doing this, you could be limiting the design possibilities of getting a much more functional kitchen based on your current pain points and how you and your family like to use the kitchen. It is always best to have an idea of what size appliances you would like to incorporate and discuss this with your designer but I suggest you wait to buy any appliances until you have seen and discussed a potential design concept. Kitchen Mania works closely with Harvey Norman Commercial division for appliances and in many cases can achieve a great result for their clients when it comes to cost savings on appliances. 4. NOT ALLOWING ENOUGH WALK-ABLE/WORKABLE SPACE By not allowing enough circulation space, you can make your kitchen feel cramped and not workable. You need to allow enough space for 2 people to work comfortably in the kitchen and for appliances such as the fridge and dishwasher to open without any obstruction. To allow enough circulation space it is recommended that you have between 1200-1300mm minimum of space between benchtops, in smaller kitchens I wouldn't go less than 1000mm of space between benchtops. 5. HAVING A KITCHEN ISLAND WHEN THERE JUST ISN'T ROOM A kitchen island is a great feature and very functional, but if your space is too small it is best to forget about this option rather than try and squeeze an island in and realise that it affects the flow of your kitchen and its functionality. In most cases it is best to incorporate a kitchen island when your room allows for at least 1000mm of space on either side of your island for traffic flow.