Catherine the panel blinds could be your solution. They are available in sheers, patterned, mixed etc and operate on a track system. It's an update of the verticals that a lot of homes have. If you have Ikea in NZ you could sus them out there.

Hello Marcelle, I am an interior designer . I can tell you a simple inexpensive way to change the look of your kitchen. Looking at the photo you sent the different cabinet heights , and all the objects on the stove wall are very busy . Your modern house is wanting a cleaner , simple look. I would lower the small cabinets so that the top is at the same height as the others in the room. And put doors on , that will hide the clutter. Next I would do a tile backsplash above the stove , up to the same height. The whole kitchen will be pulled together by the continuous top line. There is a small light wood cabinet with baskets in the foreground . I would paint it white , or the same dark accent color of the cabinets you have. I don't think you would need to change the beams then , they would add interest and drama once everything else was subdued. Lisa

Thanks for the replies! My wife suggested we talk to a local real estate agent, so i think that is a good idea... just that Im not sure how helpful they are likely to be if we arent selling yet :) As for saving for our dream house, I dont disagree, however if doing this up nicely over the next ~5 years or so while we live here nets us some extra in the eventual sale, then that of course will help us as well. Interesting thing happened today actually. I got a knock on the door and one of the older neighbours asked if he could take some lemons from the tree. I of course said yes. Anyway he was telling me he had lived in the street for 40 years. I asked him if the house had always looked like this, and he said no that ~30 years ago the old old owner did a massive renovation and pulled off the timber and put up the bricks and gutted the inside of the house. Interesting stuff!

This two stage renovation included opening up the back of the villa for a large new living areas, and renovating the front of the house for a garage and more formal landscaping to the street. The villa needed some TLC, so bedrooms and other existing villa spaces were refurbished using traditional villa details. A pavilion style extension was added to the rear of the villa, to house a new kitchen, dining and living area, media room and study. A large deck flows out from the living areas and connects the house with a generous, private outdoor play area. A separate laundry/scullery and new bathroom were inserted into the villa where it meets the addition, and an ensuite/walk-in wardrobe was added to the master bedroom. BEFORE AFTER!