Hello Marcelle, I am an interior designer . I can tell you a simple inexpensive way to change the look of your kitchen. Looking at the photo you sent the different cabinet heights , and all the objects on the stove wall are very busy . Your modern house is wanting a cleaner , simple look. I would lower the small cabinets so that the top is at the same height as the others in the room. And put doors on , that will hide the clutter. Next I would do a tile backsplash above the stove , up to the same height. The whole kitchen will be pulled together by the continuous top line. There is a small light wood cabinet with baskets in the foreground . I would paint it white , or the same dark accent color of the cabinets you have. I don't think you would need to change the beams then , they would add interest and drama once everything else was subdued. Lisa

congrats! first, sand prime and paint out those cabinets....i'd go with a grayish shade of white or pale gray that will work with the flooring. i'd also carefuly chip off the yellow tiles. since on a budget, consider applying some beadboard as your backsplash, painted in a glossy, oil based or marine paint in a crisp white to keep it scrubbable, then, dress up the edges with some small mouldings, painted in the same white paint. this is going to be SO MUCH less costly than tile! and it will look great with the butcher block countertop. you can probably refresh the butcher block with a light sand and oiling. you could even get an additional piece of butcher block (ikea) and create a step-up 'bar' for some stools on the peninsula for some casual seating. then get a pair of pendant lights to hang from the pot lights above (they make lights that insert directly into the pot light...no hardwire necessary).

Lighting - pendants over the servery bench should be another feature that complements your chosen kitchen surfaces. So whilst I love the copper pendants in picture 1.. They could work depending on the rest of your decor and would be a highlight in a neutral white/timber kitchen = Good! If you choose copper you would complement it with a couple of copper bench top items. These are beautiful! (I collect copper because I love it, my kitchen pendants are silver, I renovated to sell in the next 3-5 years) You will see a picture starting to form in your mind and there is nothing wrong with making a statement with your lighting. I found that when I wasn't sure I would get a very strong sense of what was right and what was wrong for a space, then common sense or passion would determine the outcome! Here are another couple that might work, look her on Houzz under lighting, search pendants, then have fun looking!Timber tones with black or white to complement your cabinets... or Statement white pendants for a bit of quirky fun! Your personality can be reflected in your lighting and accessories creating that point of difference from the predictable white on timber look. Plus don't forget the power of greenery to punctuate the theme!

I am wanting to get a pool put in (not too big ~7.5m x4m) - the section slopes off quite a bit and the height of the house is about a story above the ground at its highest point. Im just after some ideas for layout and how to get a good flow from the deck above - there are 2 bigger decks (covered and uncovered plus the wrap around). The covered deck which has bbq and table and chairs is above the green water tank and connects with the kitchen nicely (id quite like to hide that tank somehow), the open deck connects with the lounge area inside. Long term plan is to have a covered space with outdoor kitchen, bathroom and space for dining and lounge settings beside the pool. It has a great view of the ocean from the house ( and the section below up to meter or 2 from the fence line). there is septic tank in line with the green water tank (so don't want to get too close to that). This is in the tropics, so shade and shelter is a must - the sun follows the open deck across to the covered deck side and the house is on the west more sheltered side of the island. Any ideas would be appreciated. The last picture is of the house in front, it is very close to the fence line, but is a lot lower down.