Consider a glass mosaic tile in white. It will keep your all white but adds a touch of bling to liven the kitchen up. Some also have barely there colour in them if you don't want all white but don't actually want a specific colour. Sorry the photo attachment no longer works for me https://www.google.com.au/search?q=photos+of+white+glass+mosaic+tiles&espv=2&biw=1242&bih=585&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCEQsARqFQoTCNjQgIvSucgCFYIrpgodw6cNVQ

HI Lyn Depends on where you live, but here in Auckland, Winstone Glass will give you a glass splashback in ANY Resene colour, which would mean you could get exactly what you want. Personally I have a white kitchen with white speckled granite tops, and all walls white, so I went with a black glass splashback that has an ever so slight sparkle at night, doesn't sparkle in daytime. Looks stunning. You can get cheap pre made splashbacks at Mitre 10, Bunnings etc, but they don't use the glasskote technology, so you can see in behind them, whereas Winstones ones, you can have white and not see the wall at all. Good luck Julie

Hello again, thank you for the input. I've taken it all on board. Regarding the island, we will be sticking with Knights Grey but if we choose a very dark floorboard, we will then switch to Timeless Grey (which happened to be one of the swatches I'd picked up anyway!) to avoid that sinking effect. Thanks for the tip. I won't be able to get back out this week to check the Dulux Raku colour, did I mention that I'm getting around with a 1 month old and 2 year old? They are totally dictating my schedule! Ann I'm not sure exactly how they get half strength. I just have the understanding that paint looks darker on a wall than it does on the sample card so to always opt for a lighter shade to counter that effect. So to avoid the Snowy Mountains colour looking too dark, I will go for a half strength. Worst case, I figure, is that it will just be a touch lighter than what I'd expected. There wasn't consistency between the three separate Snowy Mountains cards that I ended up with so I guess it's to be expected anyway. Thanks for sharing your experience Antonia, it's good to know it works. Today I went out to Beaumont Tiles to try and find a tile like the one I attached to my original post. This was surprisingly difficult to match and I've borrowed a sample of the closest match from the store to mull it over. The colour seems to work quite well against all my samples but I'm worried about the wavy edge and how it will appear on the wall when grouted. On the one hand I'm worried it will look too busy or untidy, on the other hand I think it could be a winner because it could add some depth or interest to an otherwise boring subway tile splash back. I've attached the tile against my samples and also Tranquil Retreat (half strength) wall with Vivid White trim. Please tell me what you think :)

I think the layout is a great use of the space. It flows, there's room to move and everything is accessible. Think about replacing the cupboard next to the dishwasher with drawers. Drawers give a lot more usable storage area that is easily accessible. You could put in a blind corner cupboard as well (Bunnings have them). Pull out bins under the sink eliminate the need to have a bin in a corner somewhere (Bunnings have those too). Some open shelving on the wall to the right of the sink near the arch would be handy and would look lovely. It doesn't need to cost a fortune either. Don't be scared to get quotes. We've just recently had 15 quotes for the kitchen we're renovating and the price varied by $15K. Totally worth the run around to get extra quotes. We also picked up some great tips and advice along the way. We are paying a builder who does renovations and extensions to do it for us. He can get things so much cheaper at trade price than we could. He is also managing the tiler and painter as he uses guys that work with him all the time. We have decided to get a flat packed kitchen that is pre-cut. The builder is putting it together and making the timber counter tops for us at less than half the price of the kitchen places. We chose the tiles and he ordered them at a better price. Same for the sink, taps, handles etc. We have saved thousands of dollars doing it this way and he manages the entire thing for us. Added: I rang the builder. He said that if your budget is really tight, consider getting a Kaboodle kitchen and have a builder install it for you. He recommended not to order the Kaboodle hardware (hinges, drawer runners etc) as it's not the best quality and a builder can order others. The handles would be fine though. It would make it way cheaper for you and you would still get a decent quality kitchen.