Do you see what I mean about my imagination my skills. My drawing look oh so like yours (not). I really love your idea of the island bench. Connie I've had Others warn me off a sink on the island, but to be honest I don't mind if there is a dish in the sink (not dumped everywhere - I'm a stickler) the house is to be lived in I guess. With the suggestion of the border that mldesign gave I think the problem is solved. Still leaves me with two metres give or take for plating up etc. I did consider the sink on the other wall but just didn't feel the flow. As my pantry door and the window wall are are right angles - ie not stepped behind I was still thinking I would have a tall cupboard as per my sophisticated drawing above for small appliances and keep coffee cups etc in there. In saying that I was thinking I might swap the fridge from left to the right so the tal cupboards, pantry door and second tall cupboard are all grouped. Love your idea re the mirrored kickers. A big thank you for taking the time to draw these up. I will most definitely be using most of your ideas!

We are also building a mid century beach house. We have chosen concrete tiles upstairs including the bedroom and timber look tiles downstairs. Tiles Expo, absolutely realistic tiles. We are tiling the bedrooms and adding rugs.

Not sure how it comes up in vinyl planks but i chose spotted gum ( Quickstep Readyflor) and am thrilled with the look. The large range of colours through the floors means it suits a range of timbers and furnishing colours. Good luck with your choosing

Hi Kate, Lip pulls are quite small to grab. I agree with Paul's comments and that the finger marks, drips, food splashes, etc are going to happen anyway no matter what type of handle you have, especially on underbench doors/drawers. I had the same concern about the look of too many handles, and opted for a concealed fingerpull (or you could go for a concealed push mechanism) on overhead cupboards & handles on the under bench ones as in the photo below. I went for the long handles as they are easy to grab & open. It's nice to have some hardware as it's like an 'accessory' for your kitchen - gives a bit of 'bling' or contrast whether you go for traditional polished chrome, black, rose gold, etc. Best of luck for your renovation