Hello melsals, Well firstly you can work around these things... I don't feel that having a dining table on a carpet is too much of a problem.. If you wanted to get a rug to go underneath that area, that too could be nice.. I would suggest picking something that is not too dissimilar in colour to what you have flooring wise, thus you aren't breaking up the floor too much.. I also like the benches idea... Or stools that you could stack.. I have another suggestion... Depending on the size of the breakfast bar you mention... Can you have a fold away extension? which you can then use as a dining area with stools/benches.. When not in use it could be folded back under the existing part of the table and benches stored as casual seating somewhere in the kitchen.. Of course I am only making suggestions and don't know the dimensions of said space or if that could work... but perhaps that could solve the seamless requirement and leave the living room as living room.. : ))

Ikea Kitchens are excellent, the attention to quality is superb. Lots of suppliers only offer doors in particular sizes, which is why when you go to an appointment at Wickes for example and you then take it to Howdens, they often have to swap the cabinets around as they don't all do all the sizes. Factoring in that you may want to change the doors in a few years at this point is in my opinion daft. You buy a kitchen and it should last 10-15 years. Magnet and Howdens offer great kitchens too. However, I have personal experience of fitting an Ikea Kitchen last year and was very impressed. I've used Howdens several times too. There are many companies however, that offer custom sizes when ordering replacements such as Kitchen door workshop and Kitchen Door Outlet to name but two. Saying that you can't replace the doors, just simply isn't accurate.

Thanks everyone for your comments, much appreciated. I do not know what the wardrobes are made of, but they're certainly not wood. There is hardly any gap between the bed and the sides of the wardrobe. The bedroom is quite small, so I can't really move the bed to another part of the room. I think I shall try either painting the doors (maybe such a special paint exists?!) and putting on new handles, or having the actual doors and handles replaced. Yes, they do look very very dated, but I like the fact that lots of stuff can be stored inside (even in the top cupboards, which add to the old fashioned look of the wardrobes). Thanks again.

It may be worth speaking to the electrician if you're not as keen on swagging. I know they can run a "pipe" through the ceiling void with the cabling in to put extra outlets and then just drill a hole from underneath the ceiling for the light but that is dependant on the joist direction etc though. That may not be feasible for what you want to do but may be worth asking the question anyway! If not, choose hooks that blend in with the ceiling? It will be easier to assess position this way too as you can just get the electrician to hold each one up for assessment before fixing! A general rule is that lights should be 1/2 - 2/3 of the tables width and normally hung 30-36 inches above the table. Given the double height I'd probably just start the lowest pendant c40-46 inches but I'm not sure on your total ceiling height and even though it's a feature you want to make sure the table is sufficiently lit! It's probably worth drawing it out on paper