I like industrial but the domination of concrete and timber needs to be balanced For one the bench is too blocky almost looking like an open tomb. Balance with a natural stone (granite ?) bench top. Then the timber choice is gorgeous but there is too much Consider adding warmth and softness with Porters liquid copper and patina green as a feature wall decorated with tallish leafy plants The timber ceiling is good. Lightly coloured clear glass pendants over the kitchen bench will create an inviting atmosphere and finally brightly coloured stools to accent the space colours of red green etc With compliments Pat 4 Interior Design Canberra

We did pressed metal splashbacks on a display in a kitchen showroom I used to manage, and as such many of our clients opted for the same look. Powder Coated is definitely the way to go. It stands up really well for durability and is in fact relatively easy to clean compared to many splashbacks. Often people think that glass or stainless steel are the easiest for cleaning, but due to being such a flat reflective surface they show up every splash and if you're going to clean them you really have to clean the full length of splashback. The textured surface of the pressed metal means that it doesn't reflect the same amount of light so you are able to get away with cleaning it less often, and you can also get away with just cleaning the dirty area rather than the full length. The biggest difficulty we found was getting the splashbacks installed as there aren't really any tradesmen who specialize in fitting pressed metal, and those that were willing to cut & fit it were concerned about what would happen if they damaged the paintwork. We had the panels cut to size first before they were powder coated to minimize the risk of chipping the surface.

Thanks @philippawright. Our concrete will be full exposure of the aggregate, so lots of movement and interest. We would definitely use a rug in this room if we did not have carpet. No messy hobbies in here. The room will be used as a study for my husband and I and will double up as a small sitting room (library and TV) with two armchairs. We have four bedrooms in our house so don't anticipate using this room as a bedroom. But you never know. Our style is modern, not industrial, but a touch of luxe with hand blown glass feature pendants, and timber accents. It was always going to be carpet. But the levels have left me confused. If the concrete polishers can grind the concrete down so that is is recessed, and there will be minimal step up from hallway to carpet, then I'll probably stick with carpet. Do you think this is a good plan?

The cracks are in our walls though I note our old tiles in our bathroom floor have lifted slightly so I suspect cracking may be an issue for us?? But I will explore the polished concrete/terrazzo option if you think it can be overcome as this is certainly our preference. We moved into our home recently and have basically lived downstairs so have not used the bathroom upstairs at all. A guest showered in it one time and it leaked through to our bedroom ceiling!! So we suspect there is an issue with the waterproofing and there are cracked tiles however we won't really know what the issue is until we pull it all out to see what is happening under the tiles. Thanks for your comments Ann I've appreciated your insights - good to talk with someone who has actually lived with these floorings rather than just going on what you read or are told by a salesperson.