Beige/ivory and porcelain/light blue tones work well with light grey as they are neutral. Lighter, neutral tones can create an impression of a larger space. Since you have a small space, you would want to make the space appear bigger than it actually is, and not smaller. You can use accent pieces with standout or brighter colours like cushions, lamp shades/bases to liven up the space against these neutral backdrops. Pottery Barn has some really nice neutral light blue/ivory rugs, you might want to check that out, for example: http://www.potterybarn.com.au/hayden-zig-zag-rug-porcelain-blue http://www.potterybarn.com.au/desa-rug-blue All the best.

Ok here is a photo i just found...This is Queensland Spotted Gum, which is more varient than the NSW Spotted Gum. Friends that have seen it say how gorgeous and different it is...and so so glad we didn't end up going with blackbutt :)

I was hoping you would say that! great minds... A navy blue would look great accompanied with your colour scheme, and would add a focal point and some character to your fairly neutral kitchen! Navy is always trendy, and never really goes out of style - timeless. More importantly it's a wonderful colour! I have outlined some darker navy tones that I think would work well with your pallet. I re-painted my bathroom incorporating a blue accent colour - I also chose a bright white for the panelling. (for reference - similar colour choices to yours) - that's the tricky thing with paint, it looks so different in each environment and will react differently when next to other colours. Not sure what your lighting situation is, how much sun comes through etc.. I found it incredibly useful when doing this project to paint a large piece of cardboard or thick paper - cardboard worked best in my experience(just cut a square out of a box or something) Tape it on the island - I found doing two colours at a time works best - having a variety will get overwhelming. Keep an eye on the colour during different lighting scenarios through out the day; morning sun, afternoon daylight, dusk, artificial lighting, etc.. Anyway! Here are the navy's - the colour on my feature wall is Cobalt blue - very dark, but in my bathroom appears much lighter than you'd expect! I would highly recommend doing this exercise if you haven't already - gives you a great feel of the colour before you commit :) http://www.resene.co.nz/swatches/search.php?colour_palette=Blue&type=palette 

Hi, we are looking to repaint our place which is a Hog Bristle as well. What did you end up going with? we are thinking Natural white as well! Thanks