Do you have the list now from the builder of ALL the things they want to approve at the meeting? If not, get it - take a week off work, delay your meeting and research like mad! You need to see everything in real life, not a picture, if possible - so go to the company's stockists - and see what other options are available. (Your builder won't accept too many ideas from stockists that aren't his own. I held out for a bath with an armrests and a headrest - but pick your own battles!) Look at every room on Houzz - laundries, lounges, mudrooms (especially since you're in the country), kitchens, bedrooms, study/home office - and check it against your list. You will be asked to decide on things you never knew existed - bullnose (rounded) or flat edges on your kitchen benches, for example? Cornices, architraves, doorstops for goodness stake (for some reason, our builder went with silver doorstops - we went with gold). My experience is that just about every default option a builder puts in for you is wrong . . . go armed with your own pictures, brand names and numbers. (Yes, I want the IZ450, not IJ320.) If the builder has some display homes, make sure you look at all of them (top of the range to bottom of the range) for ideas. For a country house, maybe consider half-panelling on the walls in the kitchen and maybe dining and lounge rooms, or some ceiling roses (yes, you can still get them) to give an old-style feel to the room (and you'll need rounded cornices if you go for the ceiling rose). Honestly, this is the most exhausting, draining and stressful part (well, apart from signing the cheques). But the effort you put in now will be well rewarded. And I think Hamptons and French Provincial style are mostly white or white-ish? So Barbara's colour recommendations are spot on. PS Have you asked for hidden drawers behind the kickbacks in the kitchen?

Two reasons to go bullnose, safer, you don't want to hit your head on a square edge paver and comfort, when you standing and sitting in the pool a square edge won't be as comfortable. We have just finished a project where they actually swapped square edge for bullnose after a child hit the edge and injured themselves.

Hi Two's Company - Builder says in reference to your picture: "What you are showing is something that could potentially be done. However this is bringing in another work scope item (Hardwood) into your project. A transition piece would need to be made or special ordered (I would assume) and then sanded, stained and finished to match your existing floors. All while redoing floor tiles at the same time." Is this true that it's such a big job? Or is this a piece he can purchase? Also - if we decide to go with a white marble piece - can he follow your drawing for that? I would want to make SURE the marble can be laid flush with the tile and not stick up further. Would there be something on the edge of the tile, before the marble, to make sure there was a small edge? Or would the tile go right up until the marble? Thank you!

Hi Em House With your Island being 3000 mm long and 930 mm high you will need a slab that is made around 4980 mm long (with cuts) if you want to use something like Caesarstone Calacatta Nuvo and you want Waterfall Ends and want to match the veining. You are probably already aware though that this Reconstituted Stone sheet material (and even Marble for that matter) is not made this long where the Largest Format Sheets are still only 3200 mm long. Even though Mick Jagger said it best, there are still however a few options available which you may like to consider. Stone Masons have for centuries been addressing this issue by sudo matching the veins in Marble as best they can at junctions, where a good Kitchen Manufacturer's Stone Mason (like ours) should be able to take the time and select pieces for such a project that come close and still look the part. Here is a photo of such psudo matching. The Waterfall End Style is usually paired with Modern Style cabinetry and so another option availableto you and one you may like to consider is to use a Broken Line Waterfall End in your Design. This works particularly well with Recessed Handle Kitchen Designs, where the Drop End also lines up with the top of your Doors & Drawers. Here is a photo of this type of Broken Line Waterfall End. This island has also continued the Stone cladding around the face where you may note that the veining does not follow perfectly on every surface; but still looks great. I hope that some of this information is of help as well as allaying any concerns. Regards Malcolm