We've been through a few coffee machines and have now wound up with a Breville BES920 with a Smart Grinder Pro (you can usually get the grinder bundled). It's so far been very good to us (unlike earlier Sunbeams), reliable, simple and makes a nice drop. It's press-button without being utterly automatic, if that latter is something your husband doesn't want. It's a hefty machine, so you'd need some dedicated bench space for it and the separate grinder (Breville do one with a built-in grinder too, mentioned by someone previously). My partner particularly likes being able to walk away from the grinder while it grinds, though that's possibly not a feature many would write home about. :) I think they come in different colours now, if that's something that floats your boat design-wise. We also have a Nespresso pod machine. This is our road trip machine and I'm even more disgusted with ourselves for the extravagance of having it than I am of the hoey-moey coffee it lets us avoid drinking. You can get reusable plastic pods for it (they're a bit of a pain to fill), and I think recyclable pods. But the normal pods are not considered an environmentally friendly item, and they are exceedingly (relatively) expensive compared to buying beans and grinding. It is utterly push-button & I suspect would not satisfy your husband? The coffee it makes has small comparison to that of a "proper" espresso machine (though our extravagance does not regret it when we use it). It, with the pods and the "milk frother" fit in a small backpack, so they are not big - almost toaster size, so you could decide whether you'd leave it out, and easily find bench space for it. Yes, you can get built-ins in Australia. They're not cheap, but I know for sure Miele make one, and I'm pretty easy sure Smeg do. Bosch maybe? I think the internals are all actually built by Saeco. We've friends who have a Miele built-in - oddly, they're not big coffee drinkers and rather than maintain/clean it(?) they pull out the Nespresso machine when we visit. Saying all the above, should our Breville machine fail my partner (who sounds "manual" like your husband in this regard) would very likely seriously consider (and has in the past), the combo previously mentioned: the Rancilio Silva and the Rocky grinder. They do have quite a good rep' among the "coffee snobs" (see coffeesnobs.com.au to see I'm not being a jerk calling them snobs :) Also, it's a good forum to search for info & feedback on most machines).

I have to agree with the comment on symmetrical. I really thought that was something I should be pedantic about but then I had to take into consideration what storage I needed and as my kitchen is only small, there was no way I could even begin to think symmetrical. I chose to have finger pulls on my drawers which unlike handles does not draw attention to the unevenness, but even then I actually prefer the fact that each of my drawers are different, to me it is more interesting, and better still, helps OLD minds like mine remember where I put things.

We have a zip built into our ceasar stone bench top next to our sink. We opted for the font (the mesh waste) and riser (it attaches to the bottom of the zip to give it extra height) We have instant boiling water (you can only use it when you press the safety switch located under the boiling water switch) chilled filted water and sparkling water. The sparkling water is sensational. We worked out the ratio and it is of equal value (replacing the canister as to buying X amount of bottles of mineral water over the same period) and we drink a lot of it (we are a family of 5) The unit itself sits under the sink and is smaller than a case of beer, and next to it is a C02 canister (resembling a small tube) We now don't have any empty water bottles in our fridge or cupboards, we no longer have a shelf full of mineral water (the filter water is so pure and clean) and I don't have a kettle on display day and night!! Yes the initial outlay is expensive but it looks fantastic is easy to use and I would highly recommend it.

Your renovations are well underway, so after seeing the small floor plan and that the vanity is on an internal wall and you apparently still want the Shaving Cabinet. Having cavity brick walls I would get your brickie to remove a section of the brick wall so that the shaving cabinet can be recessed back into the cavity, this will overcome any concerns you have about bumping your head, this opening can then be patched along with other walls. I would take all of your photos and measurements to someone like Reece to pick a hand basin to fit,, I would also keep in mind that if say the width of the vanity is around 900 the shaving cabinet would match that width and you would end up with say 2 x 450 mirrored doors, which puts the mirror join in the middle and in your face when using the vanity. cheers