1. If you are having white tiles on the wall, the same as floor (my preference) then the white bench top will look great. The kick board should be white to match white tiles and the bench will look like it is floating. 2. If you are having 'light' colours, and white basins, then the white bench top. 3. If you go with black benchtop with 'light colour', then I think you need to look at a black basin and keep the kick board black.

I think concrete makes a fantastic surface in wet areas, and looks even better in high traffic areas. The feel of a raw or honed concrete underfoot is amazing, and the unpretentious look in well designed spaces is earthy and contemporary. There are so many possibilities for colour, finish, inclusions and add ins, heated or non heated etc, that the beauty of concrete almost matches stone. For me, a huge concern is foundation movement, if on a slab, there is bound to be ground settlement and often hair line cracks can shift and become noticeable, patching is obvious and really just highlights a fault joint, basically destroying an entire floor, and leaving you with the option to tile or lay flooring over it anyway. An expensive excercise just to end up where you started. the veneer version can be laid on both pre finished slabs, fc surfaces and even timber, but the flexible movement and expansion that occurs often voids the warranty on its finish, I've investigated this option for myself, and basically th client takes the risk, and hopes for the best. As far as concerns regarding hardness goes, hardness =durability, so plates smashing will occur as it would on every other floor surface! There are large scale porcelain tiles that have a pre finished concrete look, really large as in 3000mm x 1500mm, minimising grout lines, and will be somewhat warmer underfoot. Cost is really high, so it needs to be something on your wish list, and where No compromise can be or will be made. love concrete..time worn and tested.

I don't know about the osmo, I have only looked at it on the net. If you are looking for the satin look, I can guarantee that is what you will achieve with three coats of the livos Kunos oil as I have used hundreds of litres of it. If you look at their web site it will answer all of your questions and don't hesitate to call them. I would also ask if they have a recommended floor sander in your area, as it is not your normal sand and apply. Keep the questions coming if you have any. There is nothing I enjoy more than knowing that out timber resources are being treated in the best possible manner. These shots are of my own jarrah floor that show the scratches from the couch and after 2 mins repair. If this had been a poly floor the only option would be to sand the entire house.

It's the floor colour that's the main problem, neither one thing nor the other, and certainly wrong with the benchtop. Leave the wall tiles if you like that sort of thing and find a way of covering the floor probably with laminate planks on an underlay. We have a European Birch golden coloured timber floor but softer grey splashback and it looks fine. It's not an award winner but the floor and cabinet carcases had been there twenty years and it was affordable. Don't even think about painting the floor or putting down mats but a clear plastic runner in front of the sink works well for us.