@baretta11...you made me laugh heaps! You sound down to earth and no fuss...I like that. My walls are all natural timber, curtains cream, some pink in the bedroom and bathroom with pressed metal rather than subways...a bit older style but painted pale shell pink. Yes real hardwood rable, decent sized cooktop...I imagined the tomato sauce but could not imagine these young people even cooking that! Decent 6ft 1924 bathtub all reglazed...the whole bathroom is reminiscent of the inside of a shell...used to live in the islands so a few shells for decoration... "Old Fashioned" never dates! THE BLOCK will date very quickly and even become non finctional....but there's the money so let them play. The wooden bathtub got me...couldn't wait to see if it had been made from a solid lump of wood...but Oh No...the bottom is glued.....one day the people below will have a shower where they don't expect! Then how will that be fixed and who will foot the expense? No thanks! "Grandma Chic" is a big joke for me too. My Grandma was always classical and simple and always looked lovely..."Little Old Lady passing by...". At least what 'we old fashioned ones prefer is founded on substance, substance lasts a lifetime and then some. Some places are dateless as are some dress fashions. All this renovating and decorating is fun to watch...even thechildish antics and the bare faced lies...don't know how they do it, I'd be out of the game very quickly! Looks stunning but wonder what it will look like, say, in about 12 months...and I don't think God would be at all prompted to save them from some of the folley.....but it seems to be a temporary world with temporary fittings....I'd rather live in the past in my solid old house that nothing has managed to destroy in 94 years...it will outlast me...and then some developer will come with paper and glue and put up a block of temporary units....Reminds me me of the three little pigs somehow...or the Cheshire Cat and Alice.. .."Which way should I go from from here? asked Alice. Cat: "you can go either way...they are all mad. " Alice" "But I do not want to go among mad people". Cat: "Oh you can't help that, everyone is mad here...you're mad and I am mad...". Alice:"How do you know I am mad?" Cat: (who by that stage had become partly invisible) "You must be if you are standing here talking to me!" Enjoyed the exchange baretta11 Parla Italiano?

Hi there, having recently been through a similar decision process for our Reno I can really recommend ordering the Dulux A4 samples. They are made with the real paint on them so you can move them around from room to room to see exactly what it will look like without having a heap of swatches painted on the wall. They have a sticker backing but I used blu-tac so 8 could move them over and over. Good luck

My suggestion is first talk to the builder to see what instructions he gave the tiler as i'm sure he doesn't want a dissatisfied client. Most tilers will check with the builder before grouting especially when a colour is not specified in a contract. I would then ask if the grout could be replaced, from the looks of it it will only be a couple of hours work. There is nothing worse than having to look at something you are not happy with. I would not use the paint product as it will alway look like it is covering a mistake. White will look better. Make sure the mixer body is waterproofed or you will have a leak in your wall, the membrane should lap onto the body from the wall if it is done well. All the best.

Hi Sofia, the latest trend is that all white kitchens are on the out, so breaking up the colour scheme is and introducing natural elements, which is now the trend, is bang on. Well done. A natural style includes natural materials and colours. The thing is what sort of natural. This comes back to your style. What is it? Natural rainforest feel, desert, beach? If you think of your home in this light, it helps you to choose the right direction through textures that you can then take throughout your home to streamline it and increase it's appeal. In decorating we also look for opportunities to add contrast, so I see nothing wrong with a dark bench but here's the other lesson! Uniting your colours is vital. You have a timber look floor and a grey splashback - they are different. They need to be merged. Merge them in your benchtop with a Ceasarstone (which is worth every penny you put into it for the resale of your home). Something like this one: http://www.caesarstone.com.au/colour/6270-atlantic-salt ...Which isn't too dark, has a gorgeous contrasting texture and yet the timber and spalshback hues. Wallpapers are in big time and have been for a while and are not going out. Try picking out a major wall here and there and hanging a textured or a natural themed wallpaper ie leaves pattern, depending on the style, in a natural colour palette to match your floor. The whites, greys, blacks are neutrals - which go with anything. Compliment the colour scheme with Green which is a receding colour and will create the illusion of more space in a small space, and you'll have a natural style and theme. Lastly, again, depending on your style and theme, you'll need art to confirm exactly what these are. I am a customised artwork specialist. Your artwork again, will unite all your colours and create a focal point for the space... and so very much more. Have fun!