Okay, so as expected the matt suede surface is more expensive, not sure how much yet but when the builder says price on application, I can imagine it will be a fair bit more. Anyway, we'll see but something to take into consideration I guess... In the meantime, I was going through my idea books and found the photo below, which I kind of forgot about but is one of my absolute favourite kitchens... the point is just like the photo, we too will have a wall cabinet in matt black, the back of the island in matt black and oak floor boards in a natural/textured matt finish... so now I'm thinking maybe too many matt surfaces, interestingly they have gone with a polished stone top which I think is reflecting the light nicely... Our floors...

Hi Carmel, I'm not a architect and I do value everyone's professional opinion, but can't help thinking that perhaps you and your husband are both right. The breakfast table would look great in a natural stone, it is the where you eat, have tea or wine on, maybe a small project, entertain or have a fork fight on. Choose a granite or marble that's going to tie in with the splash back and your lovely timber floors and go with a wow factor like a stand out vein or run of colour in it. Makes it interesting. As for the rest a dark or even black solid surface or laminate is ideal. I find them soft and touchable, easy to maintain, a pleasure to work on and it adds the extra modern elements that's missing from this lovely galley style kitchen. Corian is another brand of solid surface but a textured dark laminate from A reputable laminate supplier should do it too. Make this room an energy that you want to be in not just look great. Kind regards Marina.

The darker the bench colour, the more marks it will show. We have a stone benchtop - a white with small flecks of grey and beige through it - easy to maintain.

I would not use a white stone, such as a Carrera Marble in any kitchen, no matter what the colour of the cabinetwork due to the porosity and risk of staining. Better to use a reconstituted stone benchtop which is manufactured to look like stone, such as Caeserstone, or one of its competitors. If you have the budget look at Dekton for whitish stone-like benchtops. As far as the monochomatic scheme it can look very smart, but will depend on the amount of natural light and artificial light in the room. Perhaps consider doing the overheads in white, and paying special attention to your choice of splashback. You may also want to consider how long you will live in your home, as black kitchens are very much on trend, and in ten years time they will have dated and look very 2018. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls