I'd go with his choice, because even if it wasn't 'my' style, I'd rather feel like he's taking an interest and equally invested in our home together. Plus, if I'm being completely honest, I think his taste is probably better than mine. ;) He rarely has an opinion on anything house-related, so when he puts his foot down, I go along with it: and on each occasion, it's been exactly the right decision. Example: I wanted the whole house painted out in ecru and antique white because it looks awesome with oak floors and I'm kind of a minimalist. Hubby insisted on painting the lounge room in yellow. YELLOW. I thought he'd lost his mind... but I went with it, because I get my way 99.9% of the time, so why quibble about the 0.1%? He insisted that 'in Winter, you'll be glad we have this warm, cozy colour'. And you know what? Every Winter, I love that room. It's an odd duck compared to the rest of the house, but damned if it doesn't actually work surprisingly well. It'd definitely be too much to take as a house-wide theme - but contained as it is, it's pretty great.

my MIL is one one those that won't fetch anything for herself ..she expects you to get up when she gets up 5-6am and fetch her breakfast..and it's no good offering would you like some toast as she'd be like oh no I'm fine.. you need to cook breakfast and plop it in front of her.. she wouldn't let me wash her clothes so showed her how to use the machine..she hand washes them and pop them on the line right on top of my rack of dried clothes..she took my clothes down so she had room to hang hers out..and of course her dripped on mine ..?? and if she dries the dishes she must do it intentionally to annoy me as it takes me ages to find bits and pieces to my rice cooker..?? amongst other things that happened .. my MIL is hated by all of his family..because she's the second wife..his biological mum is the best MIL you can have she's kind and loving not like this one..calculating ..stabs you behind your back and the list goes on.. my husband must takes after his mum..he's kind and caring.. thank goodness she's overseas now..only lose him to get twice a year for 10 days each..

Thanks to everyone who has helped me with their comments. I’m attaching some more photos in the hope that one of you who can use creative technology will be able to help me visualise where I’m headed. I have taken on board the comments about not creating a hazard but would still like to see what this would look like: A narrow gap between the pantry wall and the end of the bench (about 400 - 500mm) big enough to create the island look but not big enough to tempt walking through. The ‘step’ built up to cover the plumbing and then covered with dark concrete tile. Then this tile to come out through the living area incorporating the support post up to the sliding doors as a feature contrast to the timber. Can anyone create that image? I haven’t bought my tiles yet, or I would just lay them down and look at it. But I have a picture of them that I could upload. Also, as you can see, I pulled out an old fashioned room divider so I’m fairly sure I have the depth to lay the tile so that it will be flush with the existing flooring. Thanks in anticipation. Jane

I'm not sure why you'd want to try and make things personal , but I simply ignore or offer my ideas as a counter if someone else has differing colour choices . Anyway , I don't like glass splashbacks , so the resale of a brightly coloured one doesn't have any relevance to me . I have bought and sold quite a few houses and commercial properties over the years , I have always done bright and breezy kitchens , gotten good resale and generally good comments . I favour a kitchen feature wall in a strong colour , with white tiles ( square or subway ) ; or a more subtle colour with bright tiles ; or some sort of feature . My kitchen in my current house has a well-worn white brick wall with red tones and very faded red mortar ( all built 1922 ! ) that had been covered over with framing and plasterboard -- so that was an easy choice . I try and steer away from the boring shades of grey , beige , brown , mid blue , and even white walls -- people who favour them aren't colour-blind , just blind to colour ( and interest and excitement ) IMO .