Hi Hannah! Wow I love the kitchen! I wish I had seen this earlier so I could suggest but I love the grey tile, it looks like a successful choice! You could add a marble cheese board to the island. The grey streaky tones In the board will probably tie in everything else. You could then put a terrarium on top of the marble board!

I think that they can be very good to let in natural light and give off a view, so if you have something nice to look at like greenery; then absolutely. If you'd be looking concrete or a busy street, then no. If you need something nice and bright you could put a patterned wallpaper or mural behind glass, maybe even with LED strip lighting.

It sounds good to me. I would just double check that 3m of space will be enough to plant the trees you want and still provide a passageway by that side of the house. I like the way that "wood" was incorporated in the picture you originally posted (i.e. under the bench). Or you could do the whole island in timber, like this: [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~85701[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~85701) [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~85704[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-minneapolis-phvw-vp~85704) A timber bench for the island only, like this: [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/pavilion-house-contemporary-kitchen-sydney-phvw-vp~11003779[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/pavilion-house-contemporary-kitchen-sydney-phvw-vp~11003779) Add a timber light over the bench, like this: [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/northcote-house-contemporary-kitchen-melbourne-phvw-vp~11773106[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/northcote-house-contemporary-kitchen-melbourne-phvw-vp~11773106) Or add some timber shelving at one end of the island bench, like this: [https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/kalymna-grove-modern-kitchen-melbourne-phvw-vp~4501573[(https://www.houzz.com.au/photos/kalymna-grove-modern-kitchen-melbourne-phvw-vp~4501573)

Hi Sue, I think it would look amazing if you used some tiles with a bit of texture. The wood look tiles that are popular at the moment would be an example. If you chose a colour that toned in with your floor you would get a really nice cohesive look but with a bit of interest. I've attached a photo of a recent design of mine as an example. Just a suggestion!