roo, I'm so happy for Miss 6! That's the thing about kids, we worry like mad and they heal so quickly. She'll be the best in her gymnastics class, you'll see. I will have to pass on that walking bridge, or you go first, ok? judy! A mosquito! Too funny. How did you presentation go? Did they LOVE the wallpaper? MP, great job on the midget's walls! Who cut all the wood? It does look really good, has boo mappin seen it yet? I'll bet she loves it. Olldtrazz, sorry, I know nothing about sisal rugs. But I know about flokati rugs and I want one! I can't imagine how one would vacuum a flokati and I do know the dog would eat it so I don't think they're practical.

Ok, so I received the other handle I was looking at from Sydney. The smaller one , does come in a larger size if required, it is however satin chrome and would match the octagonal knobs. The new one is brushed Nickel , the same as my pendant lights. I had not even noticed this until the new handle arrived as I did not hold them up against the lights. If I chose the nickel ones I would need to also choose a new knob for the cabinets. Thoughts appreciated :)

I would suggest replacing the counter tops with a stone not overlapping too much for a modern look. Neutral white or light grey tones or if you want to go overboard a gorgeous Carerra marble. Keep your cabinets white too, white kitchens are great for re-sale, easy to live with and you can bring in colour with accent pieces such as a decorative bowl on the kitchen island and some coloured appliances. I would personally paint the window white. With a white kitchen you can virtually paint your walls whatever colour you want. I think a pale grey/blue would be lovely for a Hamptons feel which would suit the style of your kitchen but remember if you paint the architrave around your window white then you may have to follow through to the adjacent room. You could also replace the hardware on the cabinets, black knobs and D handles on the drawers would be nice, I used black in my beach house kitchen. See the image below. The blue on the ceiling of this kitchen below is a lovely colour, if you definitely want blue I would choose a blue/grey. Make sure it doesn't throw any mauve as blue's can do this, use a test pot first and ask them if it has a lot of red in the base as you don't want this. I can't advise a paint colour unless you live in New Zealand as I am not familiar with US paint colours. Remember the colour you paint the kitchen walls will also depend on the colour in the adjoining room, you should try to choose something that will work with your adjoining spaces. Putting two new suspension lights over one of your islands would also give a new look to the kitchen. I don't know what the rest of your house is like with regards to style so can't make a suggestion but your kitchen definitely could be Hamptons style by the look of the cabinets. I just noticed that you have stained wood architrave around the other adjoining room so if you paint the kitchen window you may have to do the entrance to the other room etc. White will make the spaces feel bigger, they won't seem broken up by the wood colour. Good luck, would love to see your finished project.

Yes- that is a very good question!!! I've been trawling Australian suppliers for months for something different. I also need Appliance Pulls (for integrated DW and Fridge), which there is very limited choice of here. Everything here is same-same China made mass imports. I literally ordered my hardware last night from: www.knobbrands.com They do ship to Australia. At least I hope so!! I've ordered them and paid! Without knowing your budget, you could check out www.englishtapware.com.au They stock some high-end UK brands. I did go and view them in store and they are beautiful handles/knobs and fabulous quality. I couldn't justify the $500/each for appliance pulls when I need 4!. It was a real dilemma, I hate it when I see something I love and absolutely can't have it!! I tried some on-line vendors in the UK, and had no luck with them either. I can update you when my handles arrive.