"Have read so much conflicting stuff..." I sympathise. I once visited a builders display home that had received some kind of 'tick of approval' for its allergy friendly design. It had in-floor heating described as specially chosen to avoid blowing dust around, and it had ducted aircon, so in the warmer months dust was blowing around anyway, I never really got an answer to that? Additionally, later I read that aircon ducts that are not used in winter can be dirtier than ducting used year round and should be closed off when not in use. I remember something about an upgrade we could have had to the air intake filter (yeah, not cheap) but this house was built a while back so what's available nowadays has no doubt evolved even further. Good luck with the research, and remember to distinguish between information and marketing.

I'm no professional , just an opinionated amateur haha ! I wouldn't paint the bricks -- the only 2 real options you have are grey ( which has been done to death IMO , so avoid ) , and white which looks tacky , again my opinion . Besides , there's nothing really wrong with the bricks and/or their colour -- they are reasonably modern . Render would spoil the lines too -- it would be trying to look like something it isn't ! It looks warm and tropical , and I like the existing colour choices , with 3 additions -- do the roof in a lighter Surfmist or similar , do the upper wall in a warm off-white , and add some colour , but in the garden -- I'd get a couple of large warm ( red/orange/yellow ) pots , and have red leaved plants , cactuses , yellow flaxes , brown grasses , some with 'desert' toned flowers . I love coloured doors too , but in this case , your house wants to blend in rather than stand out , so unless you are an extrovert personality , maybe stick with the 2 existing white doors , or maybe do them both in a mid Apricot or similar ?

If you click on a Houzz photo, and then tap on More, you will see the company/pro attached to the project. You can then contact them for specific tile names. Otherwise if it more general info re tile type or pattern layout, then something like Google can help with that.

Hi jh13, I don't know what you are using for your cabinet faces or your other bench tops, or how you need your island bench top to perform to give a fully considered reply, however based on your just your question, I would suggest using Blackbutt tops or if you want lots of this "rustic" effect, then you may also like to consider as an option. Hope this helps, Malcolm.