It could be an idea to ask an Interior Designer who specialises in Colour to give you advice. Some of them just charge by the hour which is also useful. Good luck with your project.

Hi Michelle. Your S/S benchtops are nice looking and in good shape. It looks like you have quite a lot of workspace. Other than changing the colour scheme of cabinets, what do you like and not like about their configuration? Do you want to stay with overhead cabinets or would you like open shelving, or a combination of the two? Do you need more storage? Do you want to change the below bench storage to mostly drawers, and have you decided about size, etc? Have you selected new appliances already, and will you stay with gas cooktop? Do you want two-pack, vinyl wrap, timber or laminate cabinetry? Have you seen any kitchens that appeal to you, and if so, can you describe them or include a photo?

Hello annb1997 - Thank you for your interest. Here are my answers. Our current configuration and storage is great. I do not like open shelving - prefer to hide mess etc. Yes - lower cabinets will be mostly drawers. We will stay with gas cooktop. Choosing appliances and reliable brands is proving a nightmare as reviews are so mixed and inconsistent. We would like polytec ravine laminate on lower cabinets and 2pac for upper cabinets with a simple shaker style to add interest? Am attaching some photos of kitchens I like. The first one in grey and white - love the look but don't know it fits or flows with the rest of my house with wooden furniture,bone paint on walls and quite a bit of red in soft furnishings? I do like the simple shaker style . 2nd photo - more browns - better colour?? I don't mind mixing different finishes. Pendant lights - would like something coppery but not too shiny? Backsplash is doing my head in - would concrete work as backsplash? Thanks for any advice.

Hi. I too like the look of dark lower cabinets and light upper cabs. Looking at your other posts, I see you like the wood grain to run horizontal. Both Oaks look good, but it seems Cafe Oak has slightly warmer tones, which would complement your dining set. In saying that, it's grain looks wider than Char Oak, so the warm tones will be much more noticeable.

As for a concrete splashback, do you mean one poured on-site, or concrete tiles of some type? I will do some research to see what info is available. Alternatively, have you looked at glass splashbacks in a grey colour? Or, mirror? There will be no reflective quality to a concrete finish - is that what you are after?

There are some beautiful copper finish pendant lights. i think there may be some styles with a more matte finish; I'll see what I can find and post photos.

Appliance choice is confusing and exhausting with all of the brands on the market. If you have been happy with your current brands, maybe it's worth sticking with them. The ones I have experience with are Ilve, Qasair, and Miele. A friend of mine loves Smeg and has had them in two homes. I think Fisher & Paykel are worth looking into as well. Cheers!

Concrete splashback photos:

Lots of copper lighting choices, polished or matte:

Thank you . You are being very helpful. I quite like the matt concrete look for a splash back ( no idea how they do that as one solid piece or tiles?) as will have shiny stainless steel bench tops and a satin sheen to the upper cabinets so I thought a matt contrast would be better. In general I do not like shiny surfaces - small amounts OK. Interesting you mentioned Ilve - I was introduced to this brand just yesterday and really liked the look . Also like the look of Smeg appliances but a couple of friends have had issues with theirs? I guess there are lemons in any brand? By the way - what is your background as you have a keen eye for this sort of thing? Regards Michelle

Your choice of materials is going to make for a beautiful kitchen. I hadn't really looked into the use of concrete as splashback before, but it's a real organic look. Does your cabinet maker know of anyone who can do this for you?

if you do choose concrete as splashback, there are some interesting pendant lights that also contain some concrete in their shade design. I think some have both copper and concrete.

The Ilve range I had in last house was a huge freestanding one, and not a single issue after ten years. The rangehood was Qasair, which I selected for its quieter operation.

i do think your current wall paint colour of bone white and trims in bright white will work fine.

thanks for the kind compliment! I guess it's just life experience and lots of trial and error. Usually it happens by accident, haha.

Michelle - have your looked at Carrara Marble for your splashback? A matt finish in a fairly plain tile would give you the concrete look but I think would be more practical. Cleaning would be my main consideration, you want something that is easy to wipe over.

We have just redone our kitchen & ended up getting rid of pine timber cabinets to gloss white with white/grey marble benchtops. It really opens the whole kitchen. It feels so light & airy. Yes I still have some timber bits & pieces around & some timber furniture it all fits in nicely. Still thinking about the splashbacks though. Really keen on the white subway tile with the dark grouting. The white & grey sounds great. You have a great space to work with. I have learnt to always go with your first instinct. You can always add accent colour with appliances. A green plant will always do wonders. Good luck with your plans.

You can hire a Kitchen Designer to help with colours and make practical suggestions then pass on approved plans with detailed dimensions to your cabinet maker. This is what Designers do, they have usually dealt with scores of designs and know what works and what doesn't. Using a designer is often the difference between and OK kitchen and a 'WOW' kitchen.

What an exciting reno project! Whatever you do, stay away from tiles. If you want something that will stand the test of time, you will not want to deal with the cleaning involved in having grout lines. Aluminium has to be the easiest to clean splashback material, and you can get any colour or design you want. It is also available in a satin finish now (ie. not so glossy :)). Have a look at the range of DecoSplash designs or choose your own image:

DecoSplash Colour Range

Good luck Michelle!

Hi Michelle,
There are many independent designers (both kitchen & interior) that would be happy to put together a colour schedule to suit the kitchen design that your cabinet maker has prepared, so a few phone calls in your local area should have this sorted for you.
Alternatively, we offer a cost effective 3D rendering service at The Interior Difference (check out the examples on our Houzz profile) customised to your colour selections to assist you in ensuring that you have made the right selection before you commit to the colours. We find this is really helpful for client's who have a good idea of what they think they want but just need a visual to give them the confidence to proceed.
Feel free to send us a message if you have any queries.
Good luck with your project!!
Rebecca - The Interior Difference

Thank you - will look into that. Is it simple to use?

Incredibly simple because we do it all for you. You just need to send through your joinery design and the colours that you are considering.
For more information take a look at our blog post:

http://theinteriordifference.com/2016/09/01/visualise-with-3d-renders-for-kitchen-design/ 

And there are further examples of some work we have done for other clients on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/theinteriordifference/

Will show my husband and think about this - thanks

Kim did you end up going the Beachwood Kuni in Grey? I really like it too, have you got any photo you would like to share?