I would have your bench top supplier cut a thin batten of timber in the same 40mm thickness, and fix this as a front to a white melamine shelf. For a couple of reasons. Melamine is easiest to keep clean, whereas a varnish or oiled timber will require constant maintenance and resealing if it is used often, it will discolour and even with the sealant it does not like moisture, being natural, all timbers expand and contract in temp changes. Melamine is stable, and won't be seen from the viewpoint, and the timber front will make it look more substantial. Secondly, this thickness will be necessary to avoid shelf deflection, where lengths over 900mm will commonly sag under weight. Reinforcing your shelf with timber battens will avoid this, and the timber edge strip again hides it. If all this seems a little too hard, just invest in solid timber shelves of around 40mm, but have the tops laminated.

Open shelves Dan create visual interest if you use them to store common place everyday objects, ones that will be used enough to avoid collecting dust, or display Like minded items of interest, whether it be all white serving ware, as in country styled kitchens, or a grouping of recipe books. Whichever you choose, make sure the items are not static, and get moved around enough to remain visually interesting and dust free! Open shelves can be vertical shelving units, amongst your tall cabinets to fill awkward left over space, at upper level within easy reach of your, keeping Bench-tops free of clutter. They can merge into an adjoining desk space perfect to pay and store bills, or charge your iPad etc ready for ordering online. Open shelves can be further utilized to introduce colour or texture into a single palette kitchen, for example having timber open shelves or a colour can tie in accessories, appliances or even splash back colours. As a kitchen designer, I often include them into a design, and make sure they are a usable size, and flexible enough that if you tire of them, you could order a door to enclose them at some point. If you like the option of that, the shelves would be need to be recessed 20mm back from the adjoining door fronts so if one was added, they would all be seamless. This can be design feature by also adding a 20mm shadow line around the unit. To get an idea, take a look at the Formica colour palette brochure with a timber feature open unit, the feature colour here was yellow, and was designed by me. Good luck.

Hi Jenni, Looks like your project is coming along great. I would recommend a large woven rug, make sure your sofa's and coffee table fits comfortable on it. Armadillo and co do beautiful natural woven rugs and they would suit your 'scandi' style perfectly. http://armadillo-co.com/

i would also omit the clerestory windows as the focus should be from the inside looking out, keeping the fireplace central allows for symmetrical joinery and the couches can then be placed to allow for a walkway and cabinets/shelves along the bathroom wall and keeps through traffic from obstructing a view of the fire, TV and the pool....keeping in mind that the only time we ever look directly at the external wall so carefully is on the plans... in the real world we see the wall looking close up from ground level in the side yard or from across the street from an angle but a simple faux chimney added to the external wall could be enough interest and/or if there's space for attractive landscaping a tall window matching the main house and a glass door could add cross ventilation, late afternoon sun and interest viewed from inside and out but consider a wider landing, steps and perhaps a porch roof if the side door will be used regularly