DIY can be rewarding, for you can save money and have the satisfaction of creating something yourself - as far as you are skilled enough for that job. Somehow it also depends on how big the project is. At the end of the day, the kitchen is an important task, if you consider the price of appliances, the fact that it is likely the center of the house and an area where you work, and how the final result will influence your property's value. For all the above reasons, a professional kitchen designer can be a good idea, also because each kitchen project is quite unique. Still, you could do the installation by yourself if you like (even though the assistance of a professional is always recommended), as many Australian made and most of European made cabinets are assembled by the factory and their warranty works anyway.

You can if the kitchen joinery is a dark enough black, the walnut is stunning. Presuming your timber floor is if any would also be mid toned, the black joinery would simply be a personal accent, and would work best if it's included in small furnishing details elsewhere. I think this would be the same as people with timber floorboards wanting to have black or iron furnishings, including sofas and coffee tables, that wouldn't be dismissed at all, so I think this has merit. I would however keep colour to a minimum to avoid a confused cohesiveness. There's quite a lot of black and beige being done in modern design, because it's organic and can striking and warm at the same time. It's quite architectural and high end. Go for it. I would love a black walnut kitchen!

We have raked ceilings in our new split level extension that follows the fall of the land (and in the rooms that were part of the skillion sections of the old cottage) and I love the sense of space they give and also the fact that the inside reflects what is happening on the outside of the house. We have used ceiling boards (painted white – I didn't want to feel like I was living in a cigar box) both in the old cottage and in the new section and they certainly add an enormous amount of visual interest to the rooms as well. However, I endorse the comments about the added trickiness of light fittings. Pendants with rods are out and pay particular attention to the little rose/canopy thingies that connect pendants to the ceiling – make sure that they sit flush with the ceiling and don't have weird unsightly bits that you can suddenly see because of the angled ceiling. We have successfully used LED downlights with a recessed diffuser and dimmer switches to make sure there is no glare but if the raked angle isn't too extreme they are a definite possibility.

We had a house with a timber ceiling - it is a tricky decision. If it is a cheap display home build perhaps cover it, but if the quality is good it is a much harder decision. I think it looks good now and could be made very interesting. Also that look is "back". Make sure your lighting is very good and the heaviness will dissappear somewhat. The floor is lovely.