Depends on the house but the Western Europe one is more aesthetically pleasing. Functionality, nice clean lines and clever balance of materials especially with the timber beams giving a touch of warmth and individuality :))

I love our glass splash back. We choose an electric blue as the rest of our kitchen has a lot of timber, white and windows. Easy to keep clean, withstands the heat of the stove and you can choose any colour you like. you can even match it with an existing wall colour if you wanted to. The aluminium one sounds good, but I think that in our climate with salty air and a lot of moisture it would show corrosion spots very quickly. macymacmaples, I agree that there are a lot of choices for tile, but the 'easy to replace' comment doesn't really make sense to me. Then again, I have no idea how easy it would be to replace our splash back, which is wedged between the overhead cupboards and the benchtop - I still love it though, even after 10 years!!!

In my early twenties I designed kitchens for my mother and two aunts (Uncle built them and they worked), but when it came to designing my own - had to fit a constrained space and no possibility of extension - I chewed my lips for ages - like Nicole, I drew and measured ad infinitum, and used graph book walls, views etc. I did one extra thing - which I think worked - I listed all that I wanted to store, and tried to analyse how I liked working in the kitchen. Some things I had to settle for because of space (such as a smaller dishwasher) but most of it has worked. We have a corner pantry, which I (and the cat, husband a bit larger) can walk into, but have not put small appliances in there - they sit in a large drawer beneath the main working bench, which also works well. It all looks good to me Nicole and thinking carefully about needs and how things work in advance usually results in something you'll be happy with. Good luck!

Also, don't underestimate the good advice that you professionals give to people's posts on this site. I know that there have been a few professionals on here that I would not otherwise have known about or considered for future renos, if I hadn't seen the consistently good advice that they give on Houzz.....there are several but Dr Retro always comes to mind. (unfortunately i have bought a house now that is more log cabin look now and I am trying to change it to a industrial-modern farmhouse-modern ranchstyle-more contemporary style...(just not colonial country, ...just simplicity...which is what appeals to me in the modern midcentury look....)..sometimes the house dictates the style.....I digress as usual...