Dilemma #2 Here's an elevation of the powder room which has a 120mm drop down in the stone then a 180mm laminate panel... The idea is for it to look a bit (although not exactly) like this... Our floor tiles are similar (if not the same) as the above photo and go up the wall to below the vanity, the 180mm panel (which photo doesn't have - incidentally, what do you think of the shelf underneath the vanity?) is a black laminate and the feature tile between the vanity and the mirror (incidentally, should we take the mirror to the ceiling?) is Jewels Preto: So which colour should we go for the stone top, Lagoon or Blanco Zeus??... I'm swaying towards Lagoon as it's a bit more of a feature than just plain white, but I'm unsure :/

I have timber on island and laminate on rest and am happy with that. Would need to tonal,y match so it is your choice of timber or stain.

Hi Steph, we have Caesarstone Fresh Concrete which is a similar product with a matt (but not rough?) finish. We love it in our kitchen and it does show marks at a certain angle more readily than our previous polished stone finish. When we first had it installed, we used the recommended products supplied by Caesarstone, they worked somewhat but we found we had to scrub the whole bench with the cream cleanser, wipe with fresh water to remove residue then buff to remove all water rings etc. We also tried windex, spray n wipe and magic erasers- all ok but not fantastic. We finally asked our Enjo rep to come over to see what she could do and that worked a treat- all surfaces are wiped over with the cleaning cloth and then buffed dry with the other. I use the marble paste to get rid of the grey marks on the edges caused by metal on belts, probably once a fortnight. I know I sound like a salesperson but I honestly don't work for Enjo! I have just found that this has been the clear winner. Even with slightly the extra work, we love the feel and look of the Fresh Concrete so absolutely no regrets. Hope this helps.

We have had composite stone bench tops for many years. First was Askilan (not even sure this is around anymore), then caesarstone which we had for over 15 years. It had one tiny chip at the edge of the under mount sink. It had a gloss finish in a white fleck and never showed a mark or stain. Replaced with a new caesarstone when we renovated the kitchen, this one has a Matt finish and shows more marks but us just as easy to clean - I love it.