All stone in the home is a sign of quality. Stone surfaces are very "forgiving" and best of all, can be restored, polished or repaired. Consider the durability of natural and engineered stone in the home. The Marble Man specialise in stone polishing, repairs and sealing. www.themarbleman.com.au 1300 627 626 will always recommend stone!

A lot of the time they build a core filled concrete block wall then construct another stone wall against it. The concrete block wall takes the job of retaining while the stone is for looks only. It does depend on what purpose the wall is performing. For example a retaining wall higher than 600mm (usually) needs engineering by a structural engineer which is easier to achieve with core filled concrete block on footings rather than just solid stone. You never mentioned the purpose of the wall which is a vital detail as there can be numerous ways to achieve similar outcomes.

Personally I'd be very careful adding stacked stone next to the dark bricks. I think stacked stone can work next to rendered areas to provide contrast/add another element but next to dark bricks it could easily look too busy/too much. It's your home though so do what will make you happy when you drive up to it! If you're dead set on the stacked stone then find the brick manufacturers location and ask to speak to one of their designers for an opinion/options. If they can't help then ask brick manufacturer for the addresses of some properties in your city that have used your particular brick and check a few out. They will usually give you some addresses if you explain what you're trying to do. I'm sorry to have not answered your question as to what colour stacked stone to use. Good luck, exciting times for you.

I hate to say this, but I really think it depends on what you like and there are pros and cons to each. First, gloss will show marks, such as fingerprints or smudges easier, so that is something to think about, depending on who uses your benchtop and how it is used. I have had clients use both, but personally, the gloss makes me a little crazy keeping up with the smudges, but that is more of an issue to me, in a darker colour. Gloss also gives a bit more of a luxe feeling and reflects more light, which can be a good or a bad thing, depending what you are after, and the amount of light your kitchen gets. I am assuming you have gotten a sample of both to look at in your kitchen and play with a bit. If not, definitely do that and see what you find. Let me know if I can help more.