The Marble Man - would like to share information for your consideration - Manmade, engineered stone is also known as agglomerate, manufactured stones or reconstituted stones. They are made from a combination of approximately 7% resins, cement, and coloured pigments and upwards of 93% natural stone chips such as quartz or marble. These materials are bound together to make a slab. Engineered stones are designed to emulate natural stones such as marble and granite and are an extremely popular alternative to natural stone in building today. Some of the engineered stone brands include Caesarstone, Essastone, Quantum Quartz, Silestone, Technistone, Smarstone and HanStone. These stones are similar in composition, varying only by a few percent in total quartz used. Their differences lie in the colours, patterns and applications offered. Some engineered stones are just made for benchtops whereas, others can be used for tiles. For you the home renovator, builder or owner the preference to choose engineered stone over natural stone is purely a personal one. Natural stone is attractive because of it’s unique inconsistencies in colour, texture and patterns. The Marble Man enjoys the qualities of all natural and manmade stone. When you view engineered stone for consideration for your home, you will see a more consistent colour and patterning in the stone. Take the time to view the full sheet of stone and consider the overall look and effect of the colour you choose for your interior. There are many reasons why engineered stones are being chosen over natural stone: Engineered stones are durable, scratch, stain and heat resistant * They come in a variety of colours and patterns Natural marble is susceptible to etching and staining, however a marble look can be created with the etch and stain resistant properties of granite, making it a good choice for high stress areas such as kitchen benchtops and bathroom vanities The quartz used in the engineered stones is a similar hardness to granite and rates a 7 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness It is easy to clean and will require less long-term maintenance like granite if cared for according to manufacturers instructions. Please be sure to speak with the sales team about your uses of the benchtop, stone, surface and address how you plan to use the surface before finalising your choice. Manmade, reconstituted stone is only ‘resistant’ to scratching, staining and heat and therefore hot pots must not be left on for extended periods, cutting boards should still be used under hot pots, pans or dishes. Spills must be cleaned up immediately as in the case of any natural stone to prevent stains. It comes with a manufacturers seal therefore additional sealing is not usually necessary. * In our experience engineered stone kitchen benchtops and bathroom vanities do chip and scorch, however we have developed processes to repair even large chips making them virtually undetectable, and to restore the factory finish to surfaces damaged by heat. Enjoy your home, enjoy the stone you choose for the benchtops in your home. The Marble Man is happy to assist with stone information, repairs, polishing and sealing all stone surfaces. We service Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Northern NSW, Sydney and Canberra for all stone repairs, polishing and sealing Stone surfaces - simply call 1300 627 626. Learn more on The Marble Man website - www.themarbleman.com.au

K_jossie, there's some really helpful suggestions here. I can't add much in terms of design ideas, but in a small kitchen that serves a family it's vital to maximise storage, Have a look at some of the more novel ideas for extra storage. You can put drawers in kickboards for things like baking trays, serving trays, shallow casserole dishes, serving platters you don't use often, etc. Loads of space there that usually goes to waste! Another idea I saw that I thought brilliant was making walls into shallow storage. Where you have a blank wall that it isn't practical to place cabinets against, and you don't plan to put furniture against (such as along corridors or walkways), the lining can be removed between the studs and shelving inserted and sliding or hinged doors fitted. It provides shallow storage that is brilliant for things like canned and packet food, cups, glasses, and some of the utensils that we typically like to hang in the kitchen. I also saw this method used above a child's desk area, using the in-wall space for storage of art and craft supplies. I agree a slideout pantry is a fantastic idea. I had one in our last house and loved it. It provided loads of storage in a very small space. The other way to maximise storage is to use drawers extensively instead of cupboards. When designing my kitchen, I made a list of things I needed to store and designated their future home on my plan, working out both where they were most accessible when needed and also the optimum way to structure storage space to hold everything. It's amazing how much difference just varying drawer depths according to the height of items to be stored in them can make. Best of luck with your extension. I hope the result is pleasing.

Kate - Whilst I appreciate moving the door would be a great idea, it joins up to our laundry and the door is directly across from the laundry external door that leads to the side garden. I will take photos to show what I mean. Juliahocking - thank you for your suggestions. I am inspired by adding in cupboards/pantry on the opposite wall. Regarding flipping the kitchen 45 degrees, I have added measurements to clarify the space, and if I understand you correctly, there isn't enough room to flip the u-shape (although it is a great idea). I have added another (old) picture that shows the entry door, and next to the entry door is a sideboard/side shelf - this is where our butchers block/island is situated - so gives you an idea of the limited space. Old photo: Entrance door on the left. Next to the door is where the butchers block sits, underneath that painting.

I like option 1 too, if you are worried about them not being big enough, can you find something like that, but that is bigger than the 16cm? Also, you could go three, I'm posting our former kitchen reno for you, the bench length is 1600 and our pendants were probably around a similar diameter, possibly slighly bigger, and given how heavy ours were in comparison to what you have chosen I definitely think you could get away with three if you liked the look better.