You can have a different colour benchtop on the island. Just make the surrounds noy too busy and understated so your island can be the star.

Hi mikaelamaya, I'm getting porcelain benchtops for my new kitchen, so like you, I'm interested in how other people go with them. I was listening to a radio segment the other morning ('Homies' with Simon Marney) and they said the new porcelain benchtops were more more stain resistant than composite stone benchtops, and suggested that a caller replace her stained benchtop with a porcelain one. That gave me hope! I've been testing a sample of Arte Domus (Sydney) porcelain and so far its resisted red wine, beetroot, turmeric, oil and tea. My only concern with it is whether it will chip easily. I guess I'll just sand back a chipped edge and call it 'patina'. I'm going for porcelain because of its matt finish and slim edge, and because I can get a whole slab for an island bench without joins. I'm also putting it on the bathroom vanities, so I hope I'll be happy with it. Anybody else out there with experience of this product?

Hi Carmel, I'm not a architect and I do value everyone's professional opinion, but can't help thinking that perhaps you and your husband are both right. The breakfast table would look great in a natural stone, it is the where you eat, have tea or wine on, maybe a small project, entertain or have a fork fight on. Choose a granite or marble that's going to tie in with the splash back and your lovely timber floors and go with a wow factor like a stand out vein or run of colour in it. Makes it interesting. As for the rest a dark or even black solid surface or laminate is ideal. I find them soft and touchable, easy to maintain, a pleasure to work on and it adds the extra modern elements that's missing from this lovely galley style kitchen. Corian is another brand of solid surface but a textured dark laminate from A reputable laminate supplier should do it too. Make this room an energy that you want to be in not just look great. Kind regards Marina.

I would not use a white stone, such as a Carrera Marble in any kitchen, no matter what the colour of the cabinetwork due to the porosity and risk of staining. Better to use a reconstituted stone benchtop which is manufactured to look like stone, such as Caeserstone, or one of its competitors. If you have the budget look at Dekton for whitish stone-like benchtops. As far as the monochomatic scheme it can look very smart, but will depend on the amount of natural light and artificial light in the room. Perhaps consider doing the overheads in white, and paying special attention to your choice of splashback. You may also want to consider how long you will live in your home, as black kitchens are very much on trend, and in ten years time they will have dated and look very 2018. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls