I will start by saying that a travertine is the perfect compliment to a beach house as far as the easthetic of colour and texture goes, however natural stones are not ideal as work surfaces because of their porosity. You are able to prep and seal them at an expense, although there are alternative to natural stone that can provide similar colour tones, without the need to do so. Composite quartz bench tops, and reconstituted stone Benchtops which are manmade have a 92-98% resin impregnated during their manufacture process and this effectively prevents absorption of moisture, hence stains. Essastone currently has the highest resin composition, making it the most durable. However, the beauty at natural stone evokes is unmatched. Because travertine is not only porous, but pitted, a normal sealant would not prepare the surface for Bench tops as these pits would collect all sorts of muck. A glass coat sealer or a self leveling resin could be applied by your stonemason to fill these pits. You can also purchase filled travertine in the form of tiles, so perhaps speak to a stonemason and ask what finish options are available in slabs. For my suggestion, look into quartz in your sand palette to avoid the cost and effort associated with using the travertine. Good luck.

A lot of the time they build a core filled concrete block wall then construct another stone wall against it. The concrete block wall takes the job of retaining while the stone is for looks only. It does depend on what purpose the wall is performing. For example a retaining wall higher than 600mm (usually) needs engineering by a structural engineer which is easier to achieve with core filled concrete block on footings rather than just solid stone. You never mentioned the purpose of the wall which is a vital detail as there can be numerous ways to achieve similar outcomes.

I hate to say this, but I really think it depends on what you like and there are pros and cons to each. First, gloss will show marks, such as fingerprints or smudges easier, so that is something to think about, depending on who uses your benchtop and how it is used. I have had clients use both, but personally, the gloss makes me a little crazy keeping up with the smudges, but that is more of an issue to me, in a darker colour. Gloss also gives a bit more of a luxe feeling and reflects more light, which can be a good or a bad thing, depending what you are after, and the amount of light your kitchen gets. I am assuming you have gotten a sample of both to look at in your kitchen and play with a bit. If not, definitely do that and see what you find. Let me know if I can help more.

Probably 15 years ago I did a shop front in what I think was called Engineered Stone , and I think it was made in China . Dreamers reference seems to be actual stone , the stuff I used seemed to be essentially stone ground up with filler and cement , and poured into moulds . Basically , the panels were 100cm x 50cm , and the pattern repeated every panel , and then there were internal and external corners available too , as well as sills . The stuff I used ( its still in place ! ) looked pretty authentic , but tap it and it has an almost hollow sound to it . Does yours 'feel' real ?