Hi, I had a Spotted Gum Timber Floor ( 10mm Real Solid Timber Single Planks ) in a penthouse apartment for 8 years . It was pre-coated in high gloss clear from the factory . When it was laid it was necessary to have a noise reduction 3mm foam under layer ( apartments underneath building noise requirement) . This method of installation actually made the floor very quiet and it also made it a little softer to walk over . When it got any scuff marks, they just easily wiped off with a damp cloth. When I sold the penthouse, the floor was in exactly the same condition as the day it was first laid - first class. It was only ever cleaned with a steam cleaner , no chemicals whatsoever . I would certainly recommend the pre-coated polyurethane gloss finish on the real timber planks to anyone, it was great ! You can just see a glimpse of the kitchen floor in the attached two images. Good luck with your specifying . High quality surface finishes normally stand the test of time . I have added a couple of extra images of the penthouse for interest. We did the interior design fit out after buying the shell from the developer. It was a stunning sky home . Cheers LAADP

How funny. I just renovated (on a budget) my small kitchen and added exactly the slate look in tiles you have, though they are in fact porcelain. And I placed them throughout the house for continuity. The tiler asked if I was after a retro hippy look but it doesn't look like that at all. My cupboards were the same colour as yours and I utilised the bones of the kitchen and had the doors and Benchtops changed only. I also have plenty of light in the kitchen but chose white doors and as I was on a budget I chose granite look Benchtops, they are very serviceable and it looks great. The blue backsplash was the colour lift and here you could choose any colour to your liking. Basically the kitchen ended up with white cupboards and appliances other than cooktop, with the stainless cooktop and coloured splash back being the focal point. The paint colour are: whisper white walls, integra splashback, white ceiling and for increased contrast I used the same white above the splashback on the rear wall. I would consider painting out the brick but leaving the texture.

Hi Kirsty, could you please advise the colour of your vanity and whether it is a custom made one and if not, could you let me know its name and where you bought it. Also, what is the colour of your floors tiles and where did you get them from. (I have come to the conclusion that charcoal/dark grey tile plus a much lighter grey tile plus white on some walls plus a timber vanity or timber accessories in bathroom , plus white (or close to it) below sink counter top is the way to go for a beautiful bathroom. The trick is figuring out exactly what proportion of each colour to use and where to put them for each particular layout.

Oh, forgot to add...........If you painted / wallpapered then put clear glass on top, if adhered/glued, there is no guarantee the glass will come off in one piece. However I have a friend who wallpapered, then put clear glass that was fixed on the corners with bolts (can't think of the word), so that it was removable. You can probably get a tiled look paper. Each to their own. I'd stick with a painted glass splashback.