I love white also. I agree the ideal would be for a less busy benchtop but it can be extremely expensive and a bit risky with changing the benchtop as it may harm the cupboard's strength. There is a company that covers the benchtop without removing the existing one which may also be a bit cheaper. The good thing is that the benchtop is a neutral colour and may not stand out once you have furnished and it appears to be in a very good condition. Maybe you could come back to that at a later date after you completely do up your home if it bothers you. The cost of the benchtop just may inhibit you from furbishing the whole house or getting a new fridge etc which I think would have a greater impact in you living there. Another possibility is to firstly change the vertical window blind to either white shutters, a wide striped material London blind, a sheer white London blind or a double roller blind(one sheer,one privacy - luxaflex have this and other types) that would blend with the dining and living room. Add white painted cornices to the top of the cupboards. Even though it is common to not have cornice tops now, this kitchen is not ultra modern and the cornice would upgrade the cupboards and suit your house. Change the tap to a more swan neck shape - invest in a good quality tap no more than 30cm high. A stainless steel fridge the size of the opening would be a very important purchase rather than keeping a smaller size fridge if that is what you have. The pantry has such a strong end focus that I would be inclined to change the pantry doors to black chalkboard painted doors to add a fun element. Keep the cornice, side panel and kickboard white. The blackened doors would blend in with the dishwasher trim and balance the benchtop. Even though you are adding black as apposed to white, I think the room would still be light but the change would give it more personality - especially when you add some white chalk. Add a friendly potplant - maybe a madonna lily or fresh herbs - and some fruit under the open shelves and keep the benchtop clear in front where you enter. They look white and good but if the splashback tiles aren't an appealing white you could have them replaced or tiled over to white subway tiles that you personally really enjoy looking at. Best wishes with your new home. It looks light and airy and spacious which is lovely. If you do make changes make sure the products are of a high quality so that they 'speak' to you. Even without changing things, once you have your things in the lounge and dining rooms, the kitchen will blend in as it is white and simple.

Second attempt was with Windex and same paper towel, which cleaned the two honed surfaces up pretty well. The lighter Raw Concrete seems to have been easier than the Sleek Concrete. And finally, to get rid of that pot scratch I used a non-scratching Scotch brite pad (what we usually use on dishes) with some diluted Soft Scrub. This one took a little more elbow grease but I'm satisfied with the results. My opinion is that comparing the two surfaces (honed vs. glossy) there is a marked difference. That being said, I currently have tile from 1978 and grout lines that are so deep and narrow I have to scrub them out with a toothbrush. I guess it's all a matter of perspective. We decided to go with the Raw Concrete after all, and like others have said, just expect that it'll take a little more work and show a few more stains. But then again, isn't that the whole point of concrete? That it looks industrial? I hope this has helped someone. If anyone is interested I'll try to post some more photos and real life feedback in a couple of weeks once ours is installed.

Oh, forgot to add...........If you painted / wallpapered then put clear glass on top, if adhered/glued, there is no guarantee the glass will come off in one piece. However I have a friend who wallpapered, then put clear glass that was fixed on the corners with bolts (can't think of the word), so that it was removable. You can probably get a tiled look paper. Each to their own. I'd stick with a painted glass splashback.

I've been playing around with a pantry location. Originally, I was going to move the pantry into the laundry with some custom shelving and cut the laundry space in half. Now, Im thinking of cutting into the study area and building a wall there, and converting the new space into a long and narrow walk in pantry. Either that or build half a wall and put built in shelving in the study. Building the extra wall will reduce the need to cover in the door way that is currently in place and instead utilising it. Thoughts? p.s. this isnt too scale.