Hi Richard - the final kitchen layout looks amazing!! Congratulations. Any chance you could tell me what program you're using to design the kitchen / layout? I'm starting some minor renovation works on my house soon and would love to use something similar.

the answer should be available in writing direct from the designers not the person who answers the phone and can't explain their own safety regulations ...why not choose the brand that allows the oven to be installed to suit you...my built in 45cm tall microwave and 60cm tall wall oven are stacked to suit my height and allow space below for a 40cm tall pot drawer (over the 15cm kick space) and above for a 40cm tall wall cabinet with verticall shelves... expecting to have satisfactory cooking results regardless of the brand i chose the product that offered the neatest looking built in wall oven and matching microwave in my preferred colour, size and installation and Miele was able to do this as i expected and received lots of help from the company to identify exactly how their product could be installed to suit me..good luck with your choice...

There are never right and wrong answers to this Cath....it can also become actually more confusing when you're not 100% and you get various/conflicting additional advice/opinions and then have to filter/distill the choices/options/opinions down to a final decision........when all else fails, trust your instinct/heart...you should "know" when it feels right....people sometimes ask why/how have I made a particular decision or move one way or the other, and sometimes my answer is simply "because it feels better that way than the other" - when it comes to design sometimes your "technical head" is your enemy ;)....sure the bench top material could look awesome as a splashback, but for you specifically the blue tile may be the better option, where it started and what you are drawn to......have you considered options such as a grey/earthy bench top? I've seen that done recently on a job (not mine btw) that combined with blue splashback tiles that you wouldn't expect to work on their own, but for what they were going for it was a perfect complimentary match.......when you get stuck with the decisions/palette resolution, sometimes freeing up and considering a lateral option is the answer to moving forward getting the balance and breathing space required

So, what color did you eventually choose? I am really interested because the house we have just bought has similar color ceilings. I was also wondering about the color of the light fittings. I think that I will get some color changing LED light bulbs and have them installed all around the house. I like them more because you can both use them as a regular bulb or change the color to any you would like. It is also possible to control them using an app on my phone, making it so easy to control them. Now I think that it would be the most reasonable decision if I installed white bulb fittings so they look good with all the colors the bulb can make.