Hi, would love to get some comments/advice on the colour palette to use through out the rooms. What is the best way to work this? So you pick one colour as the dominant colour for the house? Thank you :-)

I think the safety issue is that with this style, the contents are right at a child's eye-level. They'd be much more tempted to play with this draw. I think you'd have to invest in a good child lock. With a regular drawer style, you could have it a slim profile be the top drawer. Less likely for them to easily see the contents. They might not even know what's kept in there. You could even have push release instead of a handle so it appears there is not even a drawer there. Same could be done for the vertical unit. I'd still want to use a child lock though, if I had a kid around. The knife blocks vary in price A LOT. Just saw 7 pce sets online for $69 on sale, $199, $274, $549... I would hope they include knives! You might be better off grabbing a bunch of the RETRATT blocks from Ikea.

In the interest of keeping your kitchen friendly to as many users as possible, may I suggest you avoid knobs of any description. Older people and those with disabilities/reduced function of the hand/arm/shoulder often struggle to grasp and pull on a knob. 'Push' closers and D (or U) shaped handles with a min of 50mm height from surface are much friendlier in this regard. We are building our retirement home and - although we are both well and dextrous at present - it is so easy (and much cheaper) to think ahead, we're discovering. Setting up the place to be comfortable for as many users as possible is also pretty satisfying. Personally I'd like brush satin steel long D handles with an elegant line. Black on black might be hard to see for some and in low light.

It would not be unusual to have black knobs, handles etc and different hinges. It is personal preference though.