Neryl, like you I'm trying to decide should I replace my kitchen (total redesign) renovate (new bench, stove etc) or larger renovation (bench, doors, stove, etc). My dilemma with the Renos are there is always a little bit more to do; the stove won't fit into the existing space or the new sink is now in metric and won't fit and of course what about the taps??? As with your kitchen I have a breakfast bar that I'm thinking of removing (swinging back 90 deg to the wall running down from the sink, but what do I do then will the floor. The whole area would have to be done. As soon as you start one job there are four or five that will follow. So do I want to spend big dollars on a new kitchen, really I think that is the question. I would say to you don't pending anything at all until you have really thought through exactly what you want and what you can spend, don't through money away on a patch up that you will find in the long term unsatisfactory. About the design though, if you are renovating your house, what is behind that wall the stove is on and what space is there in front of the breakfast bar, where you stood to take the photo? Perhaps you could take a wall out and like me open up your space.. If you can put in a skylight for both light and aesthetics. But the only thing I would say though about the previous comments is unless you want to spend hours cleaning don't go for shelves and open displays unless you cook outside. I have a 'Chinese' kitchen and it tends to be very greasy but friends who have regular cooking and open shelves say they have to not just wipe the shelves over but clean all the display item really very often. I'm sorry all for having so much to say, I've never contributed before to something like this but I do really enjoy reading all the posts. Cheryl

I use a magnetic strip and love that it keeps the bench clear. I don't like knife blocks very much as they are hard to keep clean. I use quite a few knives frequently and I don't find they get dusty at all – and the ones I use less frequently, like the fish filleting knife, I just wipe with a damp cloth before using but, as I usually touch it up with the sharpener before tackling a fish, I would wipe it after sharpening anyway. I have mine near the stove but in a reasonably discreet spot so I don't feel that they are out on display.

Thanks for the comments, we met with our kitchen guy tonight and decided to go with scottevie's idea and go for skirting on the outside of the island, but kick board on the working side and rest of the wall cabinets to allow closet working and to give a more spacious feel as also mentioned. Cheers!

The flies you are complaining about are probably not fruit flies at all but vinegar or ferment flies (attracted to vinegar, yeast and acidic rotting fruit etc) – of the genus Drosophila. They do not actually eat fruit although they will hang around a fruit bowl full of ripe to over-ripe fruit (as well as your scrap bucket) attracted by the yeasty, vinegary smell. The first thing I would say is don't keep the scraps on the bench for long enough to allow your biology experiment to run and produce several generations of flies (Drosophila are one of the most commonly studied organisms in labs around the world because of the speed with which they reproduce makes genetic variations from generation to generation really easy to study). If the container has a lid that fits snugly you should be able to leave the scraps for a couple of days but why wait until they are actually rotting – take the bucket outside and add the contents to your compost heap regularly! Genuine fruit flies are also attracted to ripe fruit (they lay their eggs in them and the resulting maggots rot the inside of the piece of fruit) but they are disticntly larger than vinegar flies (rarely do you have a 'cloud' of fruit flies) and you are required by law to keep them controlled as if you start breeding them they will disperse and attack fruit in your and your neighbours' gardens and could even infect orchards etc making the crop of fruit inedible. So – first check and identify your flies (Google photos of both vinegar/ferment flies and Queensland and Mediterranean fruit flies). If they are the small vinegar flies just be more on the ball and take the scrap bucket outside well before the contents start to rot. If they are genuine fruit flies you have a real problem on your hands and need to start educating yourself on garden hygiene and management. Whole different ball game!