Agree wiuth Barbara and anyone thinking iof putting a paint-loaded brush or roller anywhere near a vintage timber piece of furniture..."it would be a... SIN! Seems the compulsion of the mass renovcators is to paint everything....and its the easiest solution. Don't think happy renovators and DIY-ers have changed much over the years either. I have just finished stripping five coats of enamel from the most beautiful set of silky oak french doors with etched frosted glass...how many SINS there!!! Silky oak is an open grain timber so the last coats had to be done by the funny little man out in his bush shack restoration shed...and Oh what a beautiful job! I am over the moon and do not care what it cost...although it was not a lot compared to what I'd have paid in Sydney. Here a tip for any appreciators...(.if there are any left) of fine timbers. All you need is an old enamel bath tub and gallons of metholated spirits....just give it a bath and save yourself hours of scraping and fumes and burns. SORRY about the deviatiuon but this is my latest Soap Box...don't paint vintage timber! About your problem Wendi, I think, with Barbara, wait until you have your whole dining set and then stain the piece to fit in with the timber in that...( unless you are going to get a white one...( tongue in cheek). I've seen some really nice dining sets with the best of both ...legs and table frame in a (cringe) painted colour and table top in timber...saw a really desirable inlaid table top at my favourite little man's shed last week..the rest was painted and had a drawer for each place....with old metal handles. Legs were on castors.. The chair seats were upholstered...but needed recovering and the frames were metal...could have been an alloy of sorts. The combination of unpainted- stained timber..especially in inlay, with the painted parts, the metal frames and upholstered chairs just fitted together perfectly...so best of both. You migh be lucky enough to find the perfect table with a natural timber top...( and I wish you to find one with an inlaid design featurting timbers of different hues....) then your lovely little cabinet/sideboard might fit perfectly! There are some lovely timber stains around today...timber can be stained any colour...as long as its a transparent dye. A wonderful product is FEZLAC...that's the base and it is a shellac. To this you add the stain -colour you want. I've used it to put designs (fake inlay) on the backs of some really lovely old chairs...imitating the different natural timber hues in real inlay....So above are a few words, tales and suggestions that I hope will inspire you NOT to paint that cabinet.

bigreader I'm okie..thanks for caring ..just need time to readjust kind of walked out on my job..so looking for stuff to fill in my time ..I hate being bored and sitting sround fiddling my thumb been looking for courses to do and taking my camera out.. these I took yesterday in Warrandyte..

Just a few thoughts. I like the overall concept of the kitchen but it is rather disjointed. I agree with clearing everything off the surfaces and trying to keep them free miss a feature bowl for the island. You could add an eating area as this would make it more purposeful but I would not do it if it compromised the size and functionality of your living area. The piece of timber joining the two walls at the entrance seems superfluous and I if was removed it would instantly look more contemporary. You could extend those walls up to the height of the cabinets and repaint in a lighter colour. This could reduce your light but this can be dealt with in other ways. I love wood cabinets but the top ones up look heavy- perhaps they could be painted a light colour to reflect the light coming in from the entrance but I would revisit your lighting in general. There is a lot of timber with the floor, cabinets and ceiling and this makes the space quite dark? if you did extend your walls you might find the kitchen darker so paint cabinets. I like the idea of wallpaper but only if you have an even shaped wall and if the pattern works with your living scheme. Whatever you do with your walls will need to correspond with the adjacent entrance walls. You didn't mention your budget but I would start at the simple end and if it doesn't give you the result you want move to the more complex solutions. All the best

thanks oklouise for your input. Plan is pretty much finalised. Area/ alcove beside Bathroom will be for dumping shoes, bags etc, and the entrance to kitchen on that side is closest access from carport for groceries, and probably our personal access without stairs. The other kitchen hallway near Bed 3 will be the main access for guests to bed2 and 3 and bathroom. Yes our cooker is a big present to ourselves, we are both big cooks ( one chef), so question is.... can we get away with a cheaper cabinet style ?