Hi Emily, thanks so much for your suggestion. Both suggestions are great. I like the privacy created in the Urrutia Design photos. However the weather in Ireland tends to be very changeable - perhaps not sunny enough for a permanent dining area. Any other suggestions would be most welcome :-)

I am afraid blur will be limiting. I like the idea of gray, then in bring in the blue with accents. I would remove the lone cabinet on the left. Is it possible for you to build a pantry? A place to store the freezer is my goal with that. Where is your refrigerator? Just trying to get the lay of the land. A pantry would not be any deeper than the cabinet already there and with a sliding door you free up lots of space. Build it the width you need to fit the freezer and then about a 12 -18inch wide shelf space for boxed items, cereal etc. Leave enough room to fit your refrigerator next to it...about 30 -32 inches is needed. It looks like you have nearly 7 feet to play with. I know this pic is a washer/dryer, but just to give you the feel.

removing the door to kitchen would be easiest & cheapest way to open up & brighten the hall area. Next best, but more costly would be replacing door with one with glass panels. Look for used one in 2nd hand or @ your local Habitat for Humanity store. Keep the one you take off just in case other one gets damaged and needs to be replaced. Replacing only two panels would not achieve much I don't think. A mirror should only be placed where it can reflect something of interest & expand the room. If I recall, the staircase is what would be reflected? A photo collage frame? I think more colour is called for here. Your home, your choice. Bottom line is you decide what is right for your space. As you have likely noticed everyone has a different opinion, professional or not. Most important in re-styling a space is what the home owner wants to use the space for & to be their taste.

The builder ought to be ashamed for not cleaning up each night...that is part of what my contractors do...every night. As far as flooring...since the cabinets are on the darker side...use a contrasting flooring in travertine stone. use the largest pieces you can get...usually 18" are good but if you can get 24" that's even better! Put them on the diamond. as far as backsplash use travertine again and bring in the same color as the flooring. Use a touch of contrast in the pattern like a darker liner or a motif of somekind.