Hi there Nick, looking at your photos you look like a modern hamptons family which is lovely, do you live in a warm climate. I did like the photo you posted of the open plan living and think that you are on the right track with interior colours I have marked out how I would like the first floor, I have moved the kitchen to the end wall to line up with BBQ outdoor kitchen, plumbing for this would have easy access via the garage below. The white tiles look lovely and hard wearing for the entrance foyer and Rumpus room, the stairs in timber due to the amount of traffic even continuing in up stairs foyer kitchen dining living, Carpet in bedrooms and downstairs theater. Kitchen in white but possibly Shaker style white doors these are very popular. Using existing sliding exterior doors if possible from kitchen.Dining to verandah, I think this ceiling would be best kept white to help reflect light back indoors, the tiles appear to be in good order but you might consider changing these along with new upstairs flooring Some where for a laundry shute would be handy, actually a Dumb Waiter so you could move the laundry with ease both up and down! The roof painted a soft colour, grey/white or off white, the verandah railing could be the same colour or you could do glass. The builder had a very different style of house to what I think you are wanting. Your photo

Hi All, It sounds like tumeric and grease are the worst culprits for staining. We are looking to put the Cloudburst in our kitchen as our island and backsplash, but I'm very nervous. I love to cook and host. I also LOVE the look of this stone and would like to make it work if we can. Are there any bakers on this thread that have experience with these countertops? If you are rolling out dough or baking with greasy dough, how has that experience been? What if you get butter/oil on it? Any tips? Do you cover the counter before doing your baking etc.? I imagine beet juice would also be a nightmare?

As you know I love your kitchen, so I would use the kitchen cabinet colour in all the back wall of the shelves. Change the granite tops to also match the kitchen. On one of my previous houses I found that the bar wall was too high tho paint a solid colour so I got a curved laser cut art work to make it more of a feature. Took a photo from the internet to show you because I think if you fid something similar it would work. In your case I would get the 4 panels done and paint the little one against the wall. This way you will introduce the kitchen colours but also keep your timber. You would need to have the bar top overhanging slightly because the front would now be slightly wider. Also I think you could get away with leaving the black granite at the back.

Just do a Google image search for "Voxtorp" and "Ekestad". They are very different kitchens, with the Voxtorp being very neutral with a slightly contemporary feel - so you will need to be sure that it works with your white stone benchtop as there are lots of different whites. With the "Ekestad" you will need to be sure that it works with other timber elements in your home, such as polished timber floorboards, and your timber staircase. You don't want too many different types of timber species and colours in close proximity to each other. In this image you can see how the grain of the Ekestad drawers is mismatched and not continuous over adjacent drawers. This drives some people crazy with distraction, and other people don't even notice it. Had you considered combining both "Voxtorp" and "Ekestad" into the same kitchen as in this photo? Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls