Can't tell what the ceiling is like, you might need at least one post at the corner if even you open the walls up.

We have an open floor plan between our kitchen and living room and I could not dislike it more. If it's the only place to watch TV, forget it while people are cooking as you can't hear anything! Maybe a cute little window between the two which could be closed when needed. Just a thought, what do I know...lol

I think that an open floor plan would make your kitchen look a lot larger. I agree that you need to make sure that those aren't support beams, but I would knock all those walls down if I were you. Also, if you did that it might be ideal to have the same tile or flooring throughout that area to keep it from looking "boxy".

Thankyou for your comment, thats what I was concerned about as well, the noise factor.

My ceiling in the lounge area is all wood beams and timber and in the kitchen is a plain white ceiling. Not sure yet if they are support beams, we will ask a qualified builder soon.

I had my builder put in a large arched window over my snack bar, it is really nice and open. As someone else has suggested though, you will need to see if that wall or the columns are weight bearing, my instinct is that the columns will be. Good luck!