I would suggest you take out the cabinet that is to the right of the stove and use it elsewhere in the house -- perhaps in the bathroom or dining room with a hutch above it. Then, I would suggest you have someone install a lazy susan cabinet in the corner between the sink counter and the stove, meaning you would move the stove down a bit and have a small cabinet/counter top to the right of the stove. I would suggest you have the cabinets refinished in white and then paint the walls a pastel you like. If you would prefer white walls, then add white-painted crown molding and paint the ceiling a light neutral blue, such as Sherwin Williams Niagara Falls Blue. Then, I would suggest you choose a favorite accent color and use this sparingly in accessories like towels, pot holders, small vases or floral arrangements, and a valence above the triple windows. For a genuine 1940s look, you might have white ceramic square tiles with a rectangular red border installed as a back splash behind and above the stove. If you are replacing counter tops, I would suggest a light color such as white with a beige or light grey vein or striation for some sort of pattern. You might be able to find the same color and design in floor tile OR opt for a wood floor as another poster suggested.

Hi eclipse 66 I'm sorry to hear about your break in. This is quite tricky to picture as I wasn't certain which walls related to which, but I will give this a go. I wonder if your ceilings are around the 2.4mtr mark, as your doors suggest. Although you have many windows that are probably floor to ceiling, each room is sectioned off by this central corridor, so no real natural light gets down there, is that right? The little natural light that might filter through would be absorbed by the walls, and the colour you have on these walls would not be easily seen. Without. Sounding too mainstream here, I would absolutely paint an offwhite wall the entire corridor and each adjoining living area off that, with exception to your kitchen. All ceilings purest ceiling white along with the window frames and all internal doors. The walls in a satin finish to help the light reflect a little, and move around the wall without being too shiny. You haven't mentioned your floor? Try to keep it consistent in all the living areas including your hallway, and only carpet the bedrooms as these doors would be closed often. With the door filled hallway being a white gloss finish, and a white ceiling in a flat white, the walls will feel a little warmer in comparison, although still a white, perhaps something like a hog bristle 1/4 strength by dulux. In your main living room, and kitchen, paint the hog bristle in full strength, so it feels warmer, as these spaces flow onto each other, feeling larger as a whole. With your doors being so tall, (or the ceiling being comparably low), hang your window rods if any right at ceiling level, use a sheer curtain that even when partly closed let's light filter through, they dress the window but won't block light, for that install roller blinds that will roll right up exposing as much daylight as possible, and if privacy is a factor, the sheer will provide a buffer and still seem light filled. Even if these are never used, framing the window will place an emphasis on the window frame, and more importantly the light they provide, swell as an illusion of vertical space even without it. Aother suggestion for that hall is to use this principle to heighten the ceiling, visually, is to use lining boards vertically, or a wallpaper with a strip or vertical print. Drawing you eye upward toward the end, with a wallpaper, I'm thinking of one I've seen many times over, it's a white or cream background, with an image of birch trunks, the base or top of the trees arent revealed in the picture so it doesn't make the space feel from a low or high perspective. This would provide a creative distraction to the corridor, evoke a feeling as you have walking through a beautiful place, and is graphic but still very neutral. You can even paper you doors so when they're closed, the hallway won't feel so busy. I would remove carpet in the hall if you have any, because a warm closed in space without proper airflow, or light feels stuffy, and carpet absorbs sound and lint, where floorboards or hard surface atleasts has a sound walking down it, which amplifies noise and feels bigger again by comparison. Against this neutral, cohesive space, your furniture andpersonality pieces can really stand out, particularly the red. I would also use this in the kitchen somewhere, maybe a gingham check fabric on the kitchen window or just your accessories. The less is more theory also extends to colour, particularly in smaller busy spaces, minimize these elements, like the repeat of doors and architraves on your walls, by tying them in with single colour, and keep your decorations either in a theme or single colour hue. Scatter your colour around so visually you have somewhere your eye is drawn to around the space. If you get pictures I will know if I'm way off track, but if any of them resonate with you, then great. Good luck. Ml design

My ex-husband and I had an issue with a large window that looked out over a sidewalk where people were constantly walking by and looking directly into our living room. We solved the problem by using window film that was one-way so we could see out but it was like a mirror if anyone tried to look in. There are other varieties as well. We still got all the sunshine and light but didn't need to worry about whether or not the neighbors could see me watching tv in my nightie on a sick day...It also meant the door to door salesmen couldn't look in and see that I was home when I didn't answer the door. http://www.gilafilms.com/en/privacy-window-film.aspx#.VOuUBS5vksQ

I would look at this room from 2 angles, in this order: convenience (as you have young kids and need everyone to be able to fully use it) and aesthetics. Equipment and accessories: #1 - first look at what is necessary to have in this bathroom: a place where to keep soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste -- all within easy reach for all users (including not-tall-enough kids) #2 - a cosmetic mirror ? #3 - a towel rail #4 - a small cabinet for storage Ideally, #1 should be stored directly on the sink, as it's lower, within easy reach for the kids (see below photo from one of our baths): You can do this also witha smaller sink, like the one we use in the half-bath: If you'd like to keep the one you have (which is really nice), you'll have then to use a shelf (as also suggested by someone else above), and I'd propose one of white porcelain and not one of glass, as it's a lot less reliable with children around. Below, an example of what I mean. The shelf should be installed as low as possible to be reachable by the kids, but also the mirror should be much lower, so that they can use it (much more interesting for them) without having it too low so the adults can't see themselves anymore. For #2 look on the left of the mirror in this photo (if you need it): A towel rail (#3) is absolutely necessary and make sure it's one where you can stretch the towel for faster drying (like the one in the 2nd photo). The cabinet storage (#4) could be placed on the wall from the right of the mirror, as you can see we have in our half-bath (also 2nd photo): Aesthetics: I agree that blinds on the window make no sense, light should be let to flow in as it's much needed in a bathroom. If you don't have time or disposition to paint the walls (and maybe they should remain white anyway, or a light color, because this is a small space), you might use decorations from your DYI center and stick them on the walls (see an example below from my daughter's bedroom, but there are other smaller ones for any kind of space): This way, the room becomes more attractive, more welcoming and more colorful (with very low cost). I hope this helps :-)