It is hard to know without images, but my feeling would be that if you have a beautiful table that you want to be the star of the show, you will want to make the rest of the room as subtle as possible. Id steer clear of similar materials. Art galleries are painted all white so that the artwork is displayed without competition from the rest of the building. The choice of material for your bench top might well take on a similar strategy.

I agree, paint it white or a very light colour. I would do a light or white coloured Caesar stone bench top. I would clean all the timber on the kitchen doors, but I would not paint them, leave the beautiful grain. I would also look at painting the timber around the cornice and maybe the window frame white. I like to think dark timber and light elsewhere like the walls, window frames etc. Hope you've got nice floorboards.

I wouldn't have timber around a sink or other wet area but I do have a large spotted gum island bench that I just love. In a previous kitchen I had a very deep timber island bench with the stove top into it and, again, that wasn't a problem – because all the things you have to do to maintain the timber bench are just the same things you need to do to have a clean kitchen work area. Maintenance is wiping it over every day (and often several times a day depending on activities) but isn't that what you'd do regardless of the material? Once a week (or even a fortnight if it's been a quiet time) I polish it which means tidying away everything that has collected on it – but, again, regardless of material the tidying away part has to happen regularly and then you may as well give whatever surface it is a good rub. So I don't really understand the chorus of 'But timber takes too much care and maintenance'. The issue of a natural material showing its age and use (patina) is another furphy in my opinion – timber looks better and better as it ages whereas many other materials just look shabbier. The timber glows in daylight and under lights, is quiet, warm and welcoming making it a natural place for people to gather and chat, have a cuppa (or something stronger) and something to nibble on, read the newspaper, make a phone call, do a crossword, whatever ... And it becomes more beautiful as it ages.

This is my bench top that I made and oiled. I used livos oil as I do with most things but I would consider Organoil hard burnishing oil as well, as I believe it may deal with the humidity being a northern nsw product. Never use polyurethane on anything is my best advise. Call prep products in Sydney for any info on it, they are really helpful and can give you the maintenance instructions. I'd probably just use their woodwipe occasionally to keep it looking good and wearing in to look better in time. Unlike poly which will only deteriorate and with oil you just maintain in situ.