Hi, if it's any help I went through this recently too. We built our first new home and colour selection was a nightmare for me, I wanted everything white! With so many different shades of white I was concerned we would get a 'stark' look, I can tell you that's not the case. We have Lexicon quarter on our walls, white ceiling, white porcelain floor tiles, white Caesar bench top in kitchen, white Polyurethane kitchen cupboards, white shutters, even a milky white splash back and marble fireplace surround, I thought it was too much at first...but...when you start furnishing and dependent on what style your after, I was going for a hamptons/coastal relaxed but modern style it will all come together...I found neutral colors bright pillows and soft light really make the home 'alive and inviting' and it always seems fresh, I have some of our home pictured on Houzz, just click through to my account and you can get some ideas :) you can never go wrong with white IMHO or have too much because it's always a great canvas to work with and always in style. Like illegally blonde said its the pieces you place with the white that pop and you can always change to what you feel like, I also have had 3 toasters dependent on what mood I'm in, the white always gives me a blank canvas to work with :) I hope this helps, happy to help with anything you might need :)

Keep the brick, please don't paint or render. Both eat into your budget (rendering in particular is not cheap), and will mean more ongoing upkeep (render still needs to be painted on a regular basis and with a two-storey house, that is a lot more work). Our house is rendered and we would never have it again. Whenever the house moves, the render doesn't, so is prone to cracking or, over time, pieces even falling off. Even subtle movement can cause hairline cracks, which means regular patching and painting. Quite frankly, most people render an older house to make it look modern, but when rendering becomes passe (which I think is already starting to happen), then the house will look dated again (and render is almost impossible to remove once its on). Also, if you're in an area prone to termites, termites can get in between the render and the brickwork and you won't see the telltale signs of "mud" at the access points to let you know they're there. As far as the rest of the house goes, I totally agree with what Timandra Design recommended.

Samantha Hammer, very excited for you getting a new kitchen! I waited 14 years to finally get my new kitchen and am in love with it... the kitchen we had before didn’t function at all and was all brown with salmon pink benchtops and very enclosed and depressing! We knocked down a wall and totally redesigned the entire layout. (the first two kitchen places I had out to give me a quote totally mocked my design and told me I had to stick to the layout I had. The third place built the kitchen to exactly the plans and measurement that I drew up myself and I am so glad I stuck to my guns and persisted until I found a kitchen place that listened to me!) Now we have a kitchen that is bright and open and I love! Stick to your guns when it comes to your new kitchen and go with what you want and what you believe works best for you! :)

Hi Heather, whatever the selection - we always recommend to have the cabinetry finish match as closely as possible to your wall finish - as to not look like two contrasting whites, you may just consider repainting after you've made the selection. Dulux Natural white or Lexicon Quarter are both very popular selections - and not on the too cold or too warm side either. We also find that most clients too will mix finishes - for example using a grey for the upper cabinetry, or on the island bench - to create contrast, you may notice that between all white walls, benchtop and sink the white becomes overwhelming! Good luck - we are loving the sounds of how it is all coming together so far!