Do you see what I mean about my imagination my skills. My drawing look oh so like yours (not). I really love your idea of the island bench. Connie I've had Others warn me off a sink on the island, but to be honest I don't mind if there is a dish in the sink (not dumped everywhere - I'm a stickler) the house is to be lived in I guess. With the suggestion of the border that mldesign gave I think the problem is solved. Still leaves me with two metres give or take for plating up etc. I did consider the sink on the other wall but just didn't feel the flow. As my pantry door and the window wall are are right angles - ie not stepped behind I was still thinking I would have a tall cupboard as per my sophisticated drawing above for small appliances and keep coffee cups etc in there. In saying that I was thinking I might swap the fridge from left to the right so the tal cupboards, pantry door and second tall cupboard are all grouped. Love your idea re the mirrored kickers. A big thank you for taking the time to draw these up. I will most definitely be using most of your ideas!

Whatever you do never plant a gum! They have no place in suburban areas! The sooner the council realises that these trees kill people the better! We have had two gum trees fall on the back of our house now, one in 2012 and one in 2014. We are so lucky that myself, my husband, three children, three dogs, five Guinea pigs, two parrots and one bearded dragon were not injured. It's just a miracle not once but twice! I still don't know how we escaped unharmed. The gums do not have a stable root system and they grow very shallow, they get to the point where they just fall over. And the scary thing is they fall silently. They are not called 'Widow Makers' in the bush for no reason. I like the Tuckeroo tree, not sure of scientific name. They grow with a straight trunk and keep their foliage in a straight and symmetrical line along the bottom and grow hiding their branches. Essentially they look like a large mushroom. They are green all year too. I think they get to about 6 metre or ten if they have to reach for the sun.

Hi Jen and everyone else who has made a comment. You always need to consider your personal use in a space, if there is a lot of water involved tiles a definitely the best choice. Timber look alike tiles just like the Hampton style is a bit fashionable at present like many things were before. What is really important is to really love what you select or what someone may select for you. If you love the selections then they will work for you for many years to come and if they are proportionately correct and balanced and not clashing with other choices; suiting your climatic and general environment and effectively in harmony with there surrounds then these choices will work for others too down the track. Poor choices and poor design which is not well thought through is really the true reason for why things seem date or they just do not work. So all in all Jen timber tiles may be the best choice based on what you have told us about your space.

Stanislas Piechaczek A wood heater with a fan built into a chimney breast is a great addition to a room and makes a great focal point. Work out the m2 of the space you need to heat to make sure you choose the right one for the job. Some options have a zero clearance firebox meaning you can frame up next to the heater. Check the specs to see what the options are flues. Here are a couple of options http://www.pivotstove.com.au/catalogue/wood/inbuilt-zero-clearance-wood depending on floorplan and budget, there are double sided wood burners from Axis You can plan to have built in joinery as part of the fireplace area to complete the feature. Best wishes