Hi Sabi, You have a great light kitchen with lots of window, so be wary of darkening the effect too much if you like the current feel. As all your existing storage is concealed behind cupboard doors, to add an extra dimension to the space, you could consider some open storage for display of all your 'nice' pieces. Your kitchen looks to be a traditional style, so it would be easy to find a tall (or even a bench height unit to give you more space) that fits in with your scheme. See the image I have attached below. Misshayley's suggestion of a glass splash back would work well, just remember that the colour of the year (Masala) may be "on trend" now, but designers rarely advise you go with on trend items that are expensive to replace. You could then select a few accessories to display in the kitchen area that carry that colour through the space. Perhaps a feature wall nearby painted in this, as it is less costly to repaint if you tire of it. Add some greenery to the room for a fresh look & great contrast with the Masala. Glass splash backs are great if you want to avoid the work of having to keep tile grout clean. regards, Lisa Elliott

Ok, so we don't need engineered stone in our kitchen, as we have it there already, but we just had more of the same stone installed in our new powder room & ensuite to match the kitchen's earthy colour scheme. We do, however, need to choose a natural granite for our alfresco kitchen as engineered stones are not covered by manufactures' warranty in our situation. So, I stick with engineered and natural stones for the long term bench top of choice.

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.

Thanks interiorispirations. Sävedal fronts in the metod range. I did it very slowly but I think the demo took about four big days (the floor was four layers of lino, each glued on top of the last...steam was my friend) two days to build and install the cabinetry, two days to fit the plumbing and electrical, and a day to tile the splashback. Spent $4k at IKEA, all cabinets, sink, tap, benchtop, in cupboard and under bench lighting, internal drawers, corner carousel etc. $5k at Harvey Norman for appliances. $400 for splashback tiles.