Hi Melanie, The timber look floor tiles being produced at the moment are absolutely amazing. Our range of technical porcelain timber tiles are called PAR-KER and are produced by Porcelanosa in Spain. These floor tiles are incredibly durable, and once installed, require no maintenance whatsoever. They are scratch and stain resistant, require no sealing, have a high acid and chemical resistance - and look beautiful! I will attach some images of our PAR-KER tile ranges of darker shades, please let us know if you require more information.

If you have not already made this kitchen I would like to help, it lacks adequate storage for good pantry space. If you need a lot of fridge space I am not sure that is the best method as it takes up a lot of space. The idea of adding the bench for the kids is a good concept but the high back means the kids can't see you all the time and they will end up on your side of the bench so they can see you. Incorporating space for the kids at the end of the island bench would be more functional for both you in the kitchen and the kids would be able to see you move around and feel a part of things. Also how will they use this space kids don't just sit still they will want a bench or something they can use to draw do homework etc. Colour contract of light and dark always looks good. If you need help call I have a kitchen company called www.louisdivine.com.au. My kitchens are more traditional styles but I can do whatever is required and given the detail used in my kitchens my prices are competitive. P.S white bench tops are not hard to keep clean and they don't date, the nature of the stone itself is easy to clean.

White kitchens are neutral, they go with everything, so I don't think they'll ever be out of fashion. The "dark recycled black plastic sinks" sound horrible, and this is the first I've heard of that trend.

If you are after a durable and stable timber floor then Spotted Gum is superior to an engineered floor. But there are many others like Turpentine, Blackbutt, Brush Box, Mahogany to name a few. Having said that the installation process for both are completely different. The longest lasting timber flooring system is Australian Hardwoods installed over Hardwood Battens. Having been in timber flooring in Sydney for over 57 years our experience with trying different products always brings us back to Australian Hardwoods. Selecting a grade of timber does not translate into colours it is merely the quality of the timber board ie in the imperfections of nature - Select Grade has less gum vein and grub marks than say Standard Grade - however if you choose a commercial named grade then you get whatever the suppliers offers in their own grading. Oh and by the way be aware that many imported products are products with Formaldehyde which is toxic. But I agree with Paul if you are after uniformity then you need to go with an engineered product, the beauty of hardwoods lies in the variation so that no two timber floors will be exactly the same. Hope this helps a little more - being a tradesman we do not necessarily base our choices on colours but rather performance of the timbers which varies from species to species.