Juliefrontera is right - this floor plan needs a lot of work to bring it up to modern standards and you really should seek the help of a professional. I agree that there is a lot of space being wasted with hallways, and there is only one bathroom in the house. Also, you have a back bedroom that can only be accessed from the "lounge", which I assume is the living room? Usually, the living room is at the front of the house and the kitchen flows from that space, so my first change would be to knock out the walls between the front bedroom, lounge and back bedroom and re-create that whole space. Of course, then you are asking about moving o,imbuing, must consider whether there are load-bearing walls, etc. so, definitely hire someone who can help you with this. And good luck!

That's a fabulous idea. I don't like that front board but it's lacquered to coordinate with the cupboards, so ot couldn't be painted . I could keep the stools and improve the hated kickboard. That would be a double win. Although a lower back would be nice. I kind of like those white lattice designer ones, would they be too busy?

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?

squeakerd - it is really hard to get a perspective on the whole area but if this is part of a much larger area then I feel you need to first decide just what you want as the end result. Do you just want your entire area to be one open plan or do you want to break it down into visually defined areas within the open plan. As you have the area now, I don't feel any cohesiveness between your table and the sideboard, I think I would move the sideboard to the end wall, it looks more like it would belong there, even just by the shape of the room. Definitely a larger rug will define the space better - just be careful of any trip hazard with the door nearby - but before you decide on the rug, consider window dressings and whether you want things plain or introduce some bold patterns and what colours look best in the area. Artwork can go where your sideboard is now, but again think colours and impact of design on the whole area. It is all very well to build a room around one piece, but you need to look at the impact that piece will have on other items and what limitations it could cause. I would suggest you set aside some serious time to look through photos on Houzz, especially if you can find areas similar to yours, till you find what appeals to you, put the photos into your ideas book and use that to build your room. I have found this invaluable in the past and it has saved me many an expensive mistake.