yep, stunning. I been drawing something similar for a while and it's awesome to see your ab fab results after your OP. I got interested in some ikea solid timber benchtops, not nearly as nice as yours, and thought I'd combo them with black cabinets, white stone and white walls (just a "what if" design). so I totally love your kitchen. it's great how well the tiles look now compared to when you first posted, they really excite me! and the lightshades against the black wall. and what's that dining area I see? that smoked glass table top with timber trestles and black chairs and that black and white rug? where you get those?! I want to see more! congratulations, it's hard not to gush! big ups to Mldesign too.

Hi everyone, so... 3 years later and after many back and forth we have decided to knock down the house and rebuild. The cost of renovating was just too prohibitive and not to mention the unexpected surprises that surely would come with it. We should start the building of the new home in a month or less. Just wanted to thank everyone who helped in this thread, your opinions were very important and helped us decide. We are not doing a custom build, instead we chose one of those pre-designed homes (Dennis Family) but we are very happy and excited. Cant wait for it to be done. Will post photos when ready.

Hi Barry, I personally don't think the large blank space lends itself to a piece of art. It's up too high and contrary to your thoughts, it wouldn't be the feature you'd hope for it to be. Besides, the money you spend on a piece large enough, would be better spent on a smaller, higher quality piece mounted at the correct height (eye-level) that would compliment another part of your home. Getting back to the blank space, have you considered using a timber veneer for the wall cabinets? Something that would work with your bench, and then you could use the same veneer as wall panels to continue above the blank space over the cupboards. Perhaps you could even incorporate led strip lighting to give it a little more wow factor. Timber is great because it adds a layer of warmth to the polished concrete and dark cabinets. Good luck, and keep us posted! Would love to see which way you go. Cheers, and have a great weekend. Steve

Hi , I did a major repaint of my kitchen when I moved in last year (this is the second time I've done this in a home). From salmon pink doors and tiles with plastic pink handles, it has transformed into quite a lovely kitchen with crisp white benchtops and doors, retro aqua blue splashback tiles and chrome hardware. I didn't paint the floor tiles because it is not a good idea, it won't last. And I think in your case, the kitchen floor will not look as bad when you take care of the cabinetry and countertops (and appliances - don't forget the sink, this made a huge difference to my kitchen which had a horrible stained "white" fibreglass sink and plain tap). The only regret I have is that I was convinced instore by a staff member to use water-based enamel on the countertops and this was not a good idea as it marks and stains at a feather's touch and I am always scrubbing it with magic erasers to bring it back to white. Just use oil-based enamel, preferably gloss, and it will clean up beautifully. It will just yellow in about 5 years' time, which isn't an issue if you're not using crisp white like me. Step 1: remove all handles etc. and sand back the melamine/formica surfaces and vacuum up all dust. Wipe down all surfaces with methylated spirits to remove any other dirt and - especially - oils. Step 2: Undercoat all surfaces with White Knight Grip Lock Primer (keep this stuff on hand, it is magic and can be used for a million things). Give it two coats preferably. Step 3: Paint doors and cabinetry with a good quality high gloss acryclic. You can use oil-based enamel too, but it's easier to work with acrylic. It doesn't really scratch unless the cat tries to jump up above the cabinets and claw its way back down when it misses - in other words, don't run knives or screwdrivers down the doors and they'll be good. If it scratches, get a small artists brush and touch up with your leftover paint in the tins. It takes two seconds and is as easy as to do. Step 4: paint the countertops with an oil-based enamel. Clean up with turps. Do two coats and use a good quality brush. Give it a good few days to dry, a week is good if you have the time as it hardens in this time and becomes very strong - so put your camping gear and laundry sink to good use during this time! Step 5: put on new handles and hardware, install new sink and appliances and enjoy the makeover. For the tile splashback, follow the same steps, making sure you give them a good sand. You can use gloss acrylic here too. It will scratch if you knock it with a sharp object, but again, keep the touch up paints and a small artists brush handy. In your case, because the splashback doesn't go all the way up, I'd also consider chiselling the tiles out out and using a panelled splashback from somewhere like Ikea or Bunnings or a store that orders Laminex panels. They can be pretty cheap, and although not perfectly beautiful are a lot more attractive than those tiles. If you can save the tiles (the tile glue is probably old and brittle) and sell them, someone will love them on ebay! And even re-tiling with some cheap/chuck out tiles isn't difficult or expensive in that space if you are at all handy. Splashbacks in burnt orange or red would blend with the cream and floors. Other alternatives for the countertop (particularly if you don't want to patch up the gaps from the older, larger stovetops and sink) is to put in an Ikea or Bunnings (or similar) cheaper benchtop. I have also tiled a benchtop before and this worked really well with the added benefit of being able to put hot pots straight onto the benchtop. Don't use low end wall tiles. Use a stronger tile so they don't crack. Again, with your oh so brown floors, if you stick to lighter colours for the cabinetry (eg. antique white or cream) and a more sandstone-ish colour for the benchtops (or match the cabinet colour to the benchtop so you don't have to paint it and set off with the coloured splashback), the floors won't look as bad. Also, you can put a floor runner along the length of the kitchen hallway (in front of the oven/fridge area) if everyone in the house is generally steady on their feet and don't tend to trip over everything and this will break up the brown beautifully and you will barely notice the tiles. All in all, it cost me about $200 for the paint and equipment plus handles, sink and big shower tap, but it has meant that I am delaying my kitchen reno for a number of years, as I really like the kitchen now and everyone comments on how great it looks. None of this is hard to do. As a female, I have no problems doing all this myself as long as I have the time from work. But my father was a painter for 40 years, so that's why I can get the scoop on the best paints etc. to use on these projects. Good luck! PS: Don't let anyone tell you to whack some fancy paint on the doors and it will be done in a jiffy - it will peel off. Sand and grip lock prime - this is essential if you want it to look good longer than a couple of months.