Hi Woodjay, Stat is quite a traditional look for cabinetry. Have you considered pressed metal? It's a very traditional look, but new designs and finishes have modernised it. It looks great in silver (matte or shiny), but also comes in some very funky colours and finishes. Check out this website so you can see the look. http://pressedtinpanels.com/ With regard to the colour, we went to an art supplies shop and bought all different colours of A4 art paper, and stuck it on the splashback area (one at a time). Left them there for a while, and it soon became clear what colours we could live with, and what we didn't like. Good to see in different light too. That will narrow it down.... good luck!

Once again, thanks everyone for your thoughts. The idea of a skylight is definitely on the cards - the glass doors are something that we just like on all the other doors, with the toilet just being the question. Also, a skylight might be a bit beyond our DIY (sky-tube maybe less so?) and trade work down here takes time (I'm not just in Snowy Mountains rural, but then down a country road 25km, plus another 2km of uphill dirt driveway, and the trades don't always show willing) - things we can't do ourselves take time and frustration. What Maguire Architects says about heat loss is important to us though (thus the double-glazing, storage heaters, etc.), so I've particularly taken that on-board. As for IKEA (jajlynn, Belinda)... jajlynn, that kitchen looks fantastic. I love those overhead lights - they really suit the style. Brisbane IKEA did delivery to Sunshine Coast, but the cost was pretty exorbitant, and they wanted to charge that each time more of the ordered stock came in. It got so frustrating having an incomplete kitchen, waiting for stock, we eventually brow-beat them into sending the stuff from a Sydney store (something they were very unwilling to do, even transfers between stores). They sent whole cupboards by Australia Post, slathered in standard stamps - it was weird. But it got done, and it got put together. Before and afters below Belinda, I'll be honest with you: as much as the IKEA kitchen is better than the Mitre10 kitchen, instruction-wise, you're gonna swear. You're gonna have to paint over the blue when you're done. ;) Just remember, when you're swearing, and probably at each other (assuming there's an other here - otherwise, at yourself and everything else), but it's just a kitchen - you'll get it done, it'll look great, you'll be justly proud and you'll want to do your next one (maybe not straight away though ;) ). That's why we're doing stuff here straight away in the new house - it gave us confidence to do it or learn trying. Now if you'll all excuse me I've got to get back to swearing at pantry wall cabinets, at my partner, at Mitre10, at the government, at that thing over there whatever it is, and at cursed fate that placed these suddenly-discovered slightly-wonky walls between me and happiness. ;)

Mirror splash backs would look lovely in a show home. Mirrors are only stunning when there sparkling clean. They would annoy me if they were constantly needing to be cleaned. I think you would be creating an on going chore for yourself, like Karen Mc, they would drive me crazy. Why don't you have a look at some of these https://au.pinterest.com/GDBully/kitchen-window-splashback/ There are endless choices, I wouldn't be making work for myself. Depends I suppose how long you are going to live there.

Decided on carrara marble 300x600 tiles and honed nero and carrera for the shower floor. Floor to ceiling for the shower and up to the 1300 from the floor and painting the rest. 1. What colour fittings best suit carrara marble and keeps the transitional victorian theme? 2. The 3.24 wall has plasterboard over exposed brick. Do you think it would look nice if I took the plasterboard off and left that part exposed brick? Any Response Appreciated!!