just viewed your imagined dilemma - the jade colour of doors - are they a laminate - if they aren't - yes if you desperately need a change - have white laminate (like the whole neighbourhood). but if the jade cupboards are definitely laminated I would not replace - for the jade is stunning. Furthermore, you would make a good move to extend the black high-gloss laminate to those floor-level cupboard doors which currently have a wood strip (which the previous owner did (I presume)I would suggest you have a single black strip definitely 2inches high inserted as a line in that area. (this job must be done by an experienced laminator - to perfection (this will eliminate the eye-sore strips of wood.( but it must be applied as a continuous band (from a to b) - not bits - Furthermore, the high-gloss black floor-boards will look good so close - meeting each other. I NOTE YOU WOULD DO WELL WITH A LARGISH SLEEK KITCHEN SINK ( YOU SEE BY DOING THESE SMALL CHANGES YOU ARE GETTING A WHOW KITCHEN. Am I imagining the green which seems to extend to the ceiling line is not cupboards up there if that is so do not take the green up to the cornice - the cupboards are the feature not the walls - the cornice in that room should be taken out - having the plastered wall reaching the ceiling without cornice. Your kitchen cupboards are the feature.(it would be good to paint upper walls and ceiling. Just "off white" I am reluctant to tell you the kitchen window should be wider as the kitchen has a message but the window is like a poor relative. If you carry-out these changes - the kitchen should be free of everything else - no utensils on the stove, nothing on benches or on top of other areas - the colour and impact - that is all that is needed (plus it has become modernised) - despite your belief that white is in - maybe in hospitals. Good Luck

What at a fantastic find Rebecca. I also have a cork floor, and have found it faultless....even though it will be replaced. I'm not sure why it is so overlooked, as I'm doing the same despite knowing its benefits firsthand?? it needs to be featured across design, maybe it's just not marketed, designers are doing themselves a dis-service, but perhaps it needs a marketing shake up. I vote yes for cork. ML DESIGN

Email Houzz and ask them to move this post to the Design Dilemma thread. You'll get more responses.

Depends on how flat your concrete subfloor is. Most of the time an old concrete floor is not perfectly flat and you need to add a levelling compound to fill in the low areas. As timber laminate floors are precision engineered then they don't have much tolerance for an uneven substrate, and they start to look gappy and uneven. No point in putting "not cheap" flooring on a substandard surface. A long, steel straight edge laid across the floor on its edge (not flat) should let you know how uneven your floor is. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls