@turner3477 YIKES! You already had the "aged look" and a very unique timber cabinet. wherever did you get it? I still think this trend of "paint it black or paint it black and white or paint it white is a psychological dilemma where people don't know how to use colour or are scared of it...or are afraid that they will not be "en trend" and keep up with the "Joneses". Don't mean to insult anyone's sensibilities but its how it looks and feels to me...everything old and genuine and beautiful being veneered to look trendy and plasticky. I'd be delighted to find a timber cabinet like that one as opposed to the the painted white version....and if I was at all tempted to investigate the white one to see what it was made of, my first instinct would be to have a feel and a scratch of that lovely decorative carved frieze above the benchtop....to see if it were made of a plastic mould and just stuck on. Sad to say this but what you have made of this cabinet is "what I call " fashionable fake". One redeeming feature though, whether it has any significance for you at this point in time is that at least under the paint, you know you have a genuine, solid timber cabinet that would have been worth something one day and maybe still will be when somebody, 30 yrs from now, recognises it for what it is and lovingly restores its genuine identity rather than mistaking it for junk and throwing it out to be replaced by the next lot of stage scenery. Wonder what the next "fashionable fake" will be made of when people have forgotten what solid timber and craftsmanship is? Don't know where you live....but would you like to sell me that cabinet at all ? I'd give it the life it deserves and I am sure you could find another one that would look every bit what you want to achieve in your space..(.In fact I could knock up a pretty good imitation replacement myself...not that I'd want it). I like watching` those antique shows in Britian where people bring old wares to be appraised and where antique dealers enter people's homes to buy collectables. It is on these programs that one learns the true value of the timeless pieces...some of which seem like old junk...but what surprises when what looks like junk turns out to be worth investing in! Apart from the above...enjoy your pristine French Provencale dream!

Thanks everyone! We will live it with now. @ cloudpants and suzineedsahouse - The ideas about putting something on the bench to distract the eye is a good idea. Maybe a nice plant? @ Elements at Home - That's an awesome idea. One big door on heavy duty hinges. We'll use the drawers mostly, so we won't be opening and closing them often. I'll definitely investigate that option further. @ dohraine - Only one drawing out of the 60 or so drawings showed the position of the taps in correlation to the doors. But, on paper the difference really wasn't that noticeable. The bench is Caesarstone. The pictures are a week or two old so the filing is all complete now (or it should be, I haven't seen photos of the interior in a while). I'm not sure just replacing the Caesarstone and sinks is a viable option.

OK, no wonder the photo looked weird. The kitchen supplier would be able to do the whole thing for you, so you don't have to try to match anything and the hole for the basin could be cut into the bench top anywhere you want it. The only problem is the plumbing, the cheapest way to relocate that is by extending any pipes and that takes internal space from your vanity. Glad you have lived with the semi-recessed sink, I've heard many others complain. Have you checked out basins though - there is a good range of sizes and shapes now. I bought an off the shelf-vanity-for my main bathroom, but it was still made up fresh for me so I had the option of the colour, bench top colour, size and style of the basin and where I wanted it for no extra charge - have you double checked on that? Check out Laminex's range online and phone them for samples - they are very happy to do this. I went back to Laminex to save money on my kitchen reno and used the Diamond Gloss Polar White. It always looks stunning and I really love it now. Have you also checked the existing vanity will come out ok without damage to the wall tiles? Also is the floor tiled under the vanity - that will present problems for you if it has not been done. Theoretically it should be, just depends on whether corners may have been cut. Good luck with it all - oh to not have to think about budgets!!

Hi Paul, I hear your collective frustration! my comment about light bouncing into your eyes was in response to your question about bouncing light onto your faces from a light placed behind the vanity (from memory). Have you seen Dr Renos comment here - still the most logical response to me. https://www.houzz.com.au/discussions/5148857/where-to-place-power-points-and-lights#n=5 So I'm going to go for side lights next to the vanity cabinet. Trouble is, my vanity is off-centre to the cabinet mirror, so I still have to sort that one out. Time spent really considering this is well worth it. I think LED downlights may very well cast shadows, sorry to say :-) and the next consideration is what colour temperature - warm white or daylight? For relaxing ambience (75% bathroom function) it will def be 3000 warm white for me, however for the vanity functions it will be 4000K (daylight) so I will probably get the vanity lights switched separately to the main room light, maybe put that on a dimmer... I know there are some LED bulbs available that enable the colour temp to be changed within the same bulb...