Thanks everyone for the very helpful comments and supporting pictures indeed! Some really great suggestions, thank you. The design is from Howdens joinery so it is pretty standard, and very basic and yes they've just basically ticked boxes! I will explore Kulman's kitchens at Costcos (I'm based in north east London so relatively close to one). Cost for the proposed kitchen is coming around to more than £2k, I'm not sure if this is good value (I'm told it is - I'm a first time buyer so lack experience here!) I like the idea of using dummy drawer fronts and will ask if these are available for below the sink. Space wise the room is 4.8m wide and 3.8m depth. They've done all the electrics and stuff so it looks like the kitchen will be best placed on the left. But I don't know if it is the best use of the space. I think having a peninsular run coming off the main wall (between the window and French doors) is something I will consider. Unfortunately budget is rather limited, so I wish I had asked sooner before getting my windows. I've been given a (new) washing machine and a (new) fridge as gifts and unfortunately neither are the right sizes to be properly integrated, so this isn't possible which is a big shame as they really do look out of place. However, I am glad I can at least change the colours of the worktops - I like the idea of using a light grey colour, and think this will improve the overall look. Thanks all again, I'm going to have to ponder further!

Hello Celia Reis, Lots to think about... It does not matter what you have but where you place it to make it work. And what is there that make the room become one (sounds very yoda ) :) How about putting the sofa by the window. The box where the sofa was. See what that looks like? The side table in between the sofa and the chair. Add some shelving to the alcoves. Re: photos There are lots of photo places that will make photos much larger for a portrait. Group pictures together on the shelf or on the side table. You do not need to space everything out. Some questions: 1.What colour are the walls ? 2.What colours do you like ? Is there a favourite material you like that can be made into a paint colour or made into some cushions. Then use the colour throughout as accents. 3. What items did you want to repurpose? What colour ? 4. Can the cabinet fit in the alcove? 5. Does the fireplace work? 6. Do you have any larger pictures, photos ? 7. Are both lamps the same size ? What are they to be the same colour ? 8. Will there be a TV in the room ? Some pics to help. Are there any elements in these pics that help? So change the placement of furniture like in the pictures. Put everything you want in the room and play around with them. Have fun:

Thank you, Naturally Allard. I like the idea of putting some unique storage options under the stairs to make use of the space. Perfect for a busy house! Thank you, Jonathan. Here's the plan for the upstairs. Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

Hi Yasemin, I have added a very basic templated 3D model to give you the gist of how I’d lay out the space. Please take no notice of the styling, the templates are just what I had to hand on the computer. So I would use bench seating along the back wall for your dining table seating. This would allow you to push the table back further than you can with conventional chairs and thus keep traffic flow unrestricted through the space. There are a wide range of benches available these days from basic and beautiful wooden constructions (just add cushions if you wish), to sumptuous fully upholstered luxury pieces. There is also room for a sideboard for your tableware, you could create a beautiful sightline out of this by adorning it with table lamps and/or decorative accessories. Some wall art would be great here too. I wasn’t sure what the space was at the other end of the room (with glazed door), is this your main entrance? If it is you will need an outerwear storage facility of some sort. If its not a main traffic route then it could be a lovely space for a desk and study area. Good luck with your new apartment. L :)