Make sure the stove is required distance + a few more centimetres from the splashback. In our experience gar burners with a large pot direct the heat toward the splashback. Burning the splashback. Stone can usually be repaired and our team have developed the Fusion Polish method to repair and restore stone when burned - however we can not on a vertical surface. Let's avoid the disaster. Give The Marble Man a call for stone - polish, repairs & sealing 1300 627 626

i'm glad you're planning to reroute access to the garage: clumsy traffic pattern change a generous room into a big hallway and can't stop thinking about your kitchen..1. where you have narrow cabinets/shelves in the pantry...it's possible to have built in shelves inside the dividing wall (think about the size of what you want to store: cans, bottles, skinny packets? and put 60cm base cabinets on the other side, next to the freezer 2. i can't see the yellow highlights for stools 3. width of pantry is subject to you wanting to keep the door to the formal living room...if so, measure 150mm past the door opening and that's the minimum width of the pantry but 1500mm allows space to comfortably walk past your freezer and have full size base cabinets with pantry drawers (cleaner than open shelves) 4. space between the b'fast bar and 'fridge should be at least 90cm but if you choose a wide b'fast bar and a big 'fridge a bigger space is preferable (stand a couple of chairs 90cm in front of your current fridge for a few days and see how it feels) direction of fridge door opening is also critical, first for the cooks and then everyone else: if the size of the b'fast bar can be enlarged or reduced with overhanging counter then a change of walkway is not so difficult 5. as suggested by girlguide, the cooktop and rangehood might be better on the outside wall for ventilation 6. there seems to be a lot of small cabinets and drawers in your plan and there could be some better (and cheaper) combinations but when i tried to access IKEA kitchen planner to confirm available sizes it's not responding today 7. i've attached my suggested approximate base cabinet sizes: starting with corners and work outwards, aiming for the biggest standard carcases and then add drawers to suit purpose ..

I was hoping you would say that! great minds... A navy blue would look great accompanied with your colour scheme, and would add a focal point and some character to your fairly neutral kitchen! Navy is always trendy, and never really goes out of style - timeless. More importantly it's a wonderful colour! I have outlined some darker navy tones that I think would work well with your pallet. I re-painted my bathroom incorporating a blue accent colour - I also chose a bright white for the panelling. (for reference - similar colour choices to yours) - that's the tricky thing with paint, it looks so different in each environment and will react differently when next to other colours. Not sure what your lighting situation is, how much sun comes through etc.. I found it incredibly useful when doing this project to paint a large piece of cardboard or thick paper - cardboard worked best in my experience(just cut a square out of a box or something) Tape it on the island - I found doing two colours at a time works best - having a variety will get overwhelming. Keep an eye on the colour during different lighting scenarios through out the day; morning sun, afternoon daylight, dusk, artificial lighting, etc.. Anyway! Here are the navy's - the colour on my feature wall is Cobalt blue - very dark, but in my bathroom appears much lighter than you'd expect! I would highly recommend doing this exercise if you haven't already - gives you a great feel of the colour before you commit :) http://www.resene.co.nz/swatches/search.php?colour_palette=Blue&type=palette 

Hi experts! We just bought a house and the kitchen is dated but in good condition. We'd like to do a refresh. Any suggestions? I'd like a new natural stone benchtop but not sure if we paint or restain the solid wood cabinets. Budget constraints means i think we'll keep the tiled floors. Looking for modern country feel as its an acerage property. Thank you!