Hi Kim, the post was called 'ideas for a small kitchen' it's still on diseign dilemmas page three. Poster is hechlan. Yes, a white kicker will get as dirty as a stainless steel one. Although maybe hidden a little better. M reason for mentioning this, as stainless kickers are an early 90's thing, and will prematurely date the kitchen. I have designed kitchens for around 10 years now, and while they have a place, as in you want to tie into your stainless appliances then go for it. I would just consider your options first. The positive is that they will coordinate with an kitchen, however with a white kitchen, they may take some attention that the kitchen itself deserves. Try to create something in your kitchen unique to your layout, and that is long lasting enough to enhance your own aesthetic. Kitchens with personality usually have quirks from the owner, and this may well be one of them for you. My only reasoning is that I wouldn't want you to just do it as the cabinetmaker has been doing this for several years now. White get dirty, so does stainless, they both get mopped, and the stainless actually has a scribes surface which I know is harder to get the dirt out of. We used this in showrooms, and know from experience that flat standard laminate is far easier to clean that stainless kicker, regardless of the colour. Ask your joiner for a piece of laminate and stainless kicker, feel them for yourself. They often use HPL, high pressure laminate to make kickers, and not often LPM, low pressure melamine, as the HPL is far more durable. The joiner can explain th difference, or atleast know that you have looked into it.

anaewlo - did all this just over 12 months ago so know how valuable an extra pair or eyes and a clearer head can help. The "little" things are the ones so easily missed and the ones that make you ask "what was I thinking" or "how did I miss that". You could take the tiles up higher immediately behind the hotplates, the range hood would then tie it all together and you could even have some nice artwork each side of it. The only concern I have - are the 2 tiles in the second row centred over your hotplates? Fine if they are as you will have that high part nice and even. If not, I'd a have good think about it. Otherwise, assuming you will paint the walls in a semi gloss paint, the lower tiles will take the brunt of the oil and what goes on the walls will be pretty easy to wash off, it is just a matter of wiping it down after each cooking session. There are times to match things up and there are times to blend. With your downlights, keep to white (assuming you will paint your ceilings white). this way they tend to disappear into the ceiling

Hi Chris The cheapest option is Grind & Seal, but we usually recommend Mechanically Polished Concrete for inside of a home. This is by far a better option, if you were to go for a Matte or Satin finish it is less expensive than a higher gloss finish. Mechanically Polished Concrete does not have a top coat sealer requiring drying and curing time and does not need re-applying in the future which will save time and money in the long run. Because Polished Concrete does not require drying or curing time it can be used as soon as the process is completed unlike the Grind & Seal option. All floors are slippery when wet, a non slip agent can be added to a top coat sealer which would be the Grind & Seal method which we do apply in a shower area if there is not a shower base. Polished Concrete in Matte and Satin finish does have a very good slip rating, has no grout lines as with tiled floors where dust can get trapped therefore it is a wonderful easy to clean flooring solution. Hope this helps, I have provided some details regarding the 2 main processes below There are 2 different finishing processes / methods that are commonly called Polished Concrete, they are very different so it is important that you know the difference & which process/method you want and which is being used on your concrete Polished Concrete - 12 to 17+ step process During this process the concrete is ground to the desired level of stone exposure. After grinding the concrete surface, the Polished Concrete process begins. This process has a densifier applied in multiple stages that is absorbed into the concrete which hardens and strengthens the concrete. A Polished Concrete Floor is Polished in Multiple stages in a Refining Process using diamond tooling & resin pads. A penetrating sealer is applied in the final buffing stage to complete the process The "Polished Concrete" process has "NO TOP COAT SEALER" applied therefore there is no drying or curing time required so your space can be used as soon as the process is completed Grind & Seal (a 3 to 4 step process) This is NOT Polished Concrete. Grind & Seal is often referred to as Polished Concrete, this is the cheaper substitute that gives a "Polished Concrete Look" With the Grind & Seal method the concrete is ground to the desired level of stone exposure and a TOP Coat Sealer is applied such as water based, solvent based, urethane, acrylic or epoxy requiring 5-7 days to dry & cure

Thank you all so much for the support, comments and info. The paint swatch is actually a very pale egg shell (the blue version, not the green). I agree with everyone that a warm undertone in the paint colour is necessary, I think it’s just my photography making it look stark. We’ll do a proper paint test once the build is underway. Thx for the encouragement re colour MB Design. It’s actually quite daunting as everyone else is choosing white on white or from the grey scale. Lavender is a very brave choice but, well done, I imagine it’s spectacular. The splash back is still a work in progress, either a very simple textured tile/pressed tin/glass the same colour as the stone benchtop (not stone, sorry I wasn’t clear about that MB) or, maybe a smidgen darker than the paint, but not textured. Might be a last minute decision depending on overall look once underway. Again, thank you for this and every other time I’ve called for help.