@turner3477 YIKES! You already had the "aged look" and a very unique timber cabinet. wherever did you get it? I still think this trend of "paint it black or paint it black and white or paint it white is a psychological dilemma where people don't know how to use colour or are scared of it...or are afraid that they will not be "en trend" and keep up with the "Joneses". Don't mean to insult anyone's sensibilities but its how it looks and feels to me...everything old and genuine and beautiful being veneered to look trendy and plasticky. I'd be delighted to find a timber cabinet like that one as opposed to the the painted white version....and if I was at all tempted to investigate the white one to see what it was made of, my first instinct would be to have a feel and a scratch of that lovely decorative carved frieze above the benchtop....to see if it were made of a plastic mould and just stuck on. Sad to say this but what you have made of this cabinet is "what I call " fashionable fake". One redeeming feature though, whether it has any significance for you at this point in time is that at least under the paint, you know you have a genuine, solid timber cabinet that would have been worth something one day and maybe still will be when somebody, 30 yrs from now, recognises it for what it is and lovingly restores its genuine identity rather than mistaking it for junk and throwing it out to be replaced by the next lot of stage scenery. Wonder what the next "fashionable fake" will be made of when people have forgotten what solid timber and craftsmanship is? Don't know where you live....but would you like to sell me that cabinet at all ? I'd give it the life it deserves and I am sure you could find another one that would look every bit what you want to achieve in your space..(.In fact I could knock up a pretty good imitation replacement myself...not that I'd want it). I like watching` those antique shows in Britian where people bring old wares to be appraised and where antique dealers enter people's homes to buy collectables. It is on these programs that one learns the true value of the timeless pieces...some of which seem like old junk...but what surprises when what looks like junk turns out to be worth investing in! Apart from the above...enjoy your pristine French Provencale dream!

Thanks Ladies! There are four down lights on either side of those light already (LED bright white - so at night it is fine I am more after helping to lighten up the whole place during the day). We chose those lights so that the natural light from outside is not obstructed. We had a big round light before that and it blocked it out. We have solar tubes in our kitchen already and love them - this is but just one area of the house where we have these coloured doors there are 7 others in the open space leading to different parts of the house - I chose this angle as it shows the two types of doors I have to deal with. Can't change the table - it is really expensive and hubby did not like any of the lighter ones when we were looking. Our old table blended in to the floor so table had to be lighter or darker. The rug under the table and chairs help to break it all up. Am considering more small solar tubes for that particular area too.

Thanks to nickybaruch I am now considering doing the floor (which is now sanded back ready for finishing off) with white liming with a slight tint colour in it. Some say you have to be very careful when liming. Is this a problem? I would have thought it would be just like putting on a stain? Anyway doing it that way we would still see the grain of the timber floor which would be lighter than the dark cedar it was before and keeping the pine lined ceiling with the cedar coloured beams will blend in well I think with the lighter timber floor and the white walls we now have. What do you think?

Have you been to visit some kitchen showrooms? You can customise the photo search here on Houzz quite a bit. For example, you can simply select [dark wood[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/kitchen-design-ideas-with-dark-wood-cabinets-phbr1-bp~t_10444~a_17-103) cabinet finish in the filter options. Then add more filters like floor colour, kitchen layout, cabinet style, wall colour etc if you wish. Leave the benchtop and splashback options open and see what results you get. You can then save any photos that appeal to your ideabook.