Are you thinking of laminate, engineered stone or any other material? Start saving photos that you like to a 'Kitchen' idea book for reference & to find what appeals to you most. This one is Caesarstone Nougat...The rest are quartz or engineered stone bench tops...

Im thinking white is too stark with the bench top material. exploring the pale grey palette seems a good choice to me. is there any suitability to do any colour blocking with grey and white… a different colour on either side? .. or would the space appear too busy or smaller than it is? What colour are the appliances? stainless steel? white? or are they going to be faced with the laminate and then be hidden? I still think white is not right with the floor and bench top. Too stark . I prefer grey to beige. Softer.

The outdoor office: Over the years we have been asked to design within our garden rooms the addition of an outdoor office. It is becoming more and more common for the self-employed and company employees to work from home as appose to that mandatory 1 + hour drive to the office. Rather than locking up a room that really isn’t a practical office space within your homes current structure, think about your garden and the ability of designing an office within the folds of the garden. If you consider all the elements associated with a garden office there is absolutely no reason for not creating this practical area. I mention ‘considering the elements’ and note a few obvious and not so obvious aspects below to be thrown into the design mix to see if they are of relevance or not. For the obvious elements think about : o power supply and the safety of o internet access o natural light and air o workable spaces for desks/worktops, meeting facilities (formal or informal), o usable kitchen facilities o sanatory facilities for both sexes o storage of materials For the items that may not seemingly be thought as obvious: o ease of persons coming for meetings etc and thinking about the pathway needed to get to you outside of walking through your home o doorbell / intercom facilities o parking o waiting area o ability of having an office pet as always a great ice breaker and helping soften those serious moments o house plants to soften the inside and outside Always consider if there are any conditions placed upon this form of structure and by contacting your local council, they will be able to point you in the right direction. Me personally the beauty of such a working space is the ability to grab a coffee and wonder out of the office into the abutting garden rooms just to let meu think laterally about a project I may be working on. If this is something you would like to investigate further do not hesitate to contact myself at chris@scenicbluedesign.com.auor give me a call on my direct number 0405 663222 www.scenicbluedesign.com.au

This isn't a personal recommendation as I have not yet purchased anything from this company, but I've been admiring the timber floating shelves on their website. https://shelvingshop.com.au/product-category/floating-shelves/wood-effect-finish/ Or you can buy the brackets and have the shelf custom made in whatever material and size you want. https://shelvingshop.com.au/product-category/brackets-2/floating-shelving-brackets/  I think hardware stores also sell brackets by themselves. I was thinking of going the custom route because that means I can ensure the brackets will be attached to the studs. I believe you can paint melamine after proper preparation of the surface, but I doubt if you can stain it.