are you keeping the wooden kitchen or replacing whole lot?

Hi, are the walls being painted? If you freshen them up with vivid white maybe that would be a good start. For the bench top get samples of the engineered stones from the white to grey tones and maybe the carrara marble one (it is dearer) for the splash back & if you chose this you could do a feature panel on the back of the servery.

That servery problem - could the bench top be straight now and wider to cover the back where you removed the corrugated tin? Do you just want a new bench top the same and have you considered straight (get rid of curve) with waterfall edge?

If it is widened & straightened it would allow seating on the outside. Think about what you want to see from that side. You can also raise the back material higher (there are many options for this) to disguise kitchen clutter.

Splash back - if you prefer glass then you could go white, silvery grey, metallic silver, mirror (would be nice) in the neutrals. With all that timber on both the floor and the cabinets it doesn't need much else and you did say neutral. If you are worried about it being predictable just add some fun coloured accessories and your own personality that way.

You have the bones of a great kitchen. I would suggest changing the bench top and picking a nice stone finish. No need to change the cabinets, but add a nice feature panel on the outside of the bench where its plain. Try and make a feature of that curved end?

Louise, thanks this is exactly the sort of advise I need. Yes I have thought about squaring off the edge and getting rid of the curve. The waterfall edge is a great idea and luckily the wooden floor does go under the cabinets so we could just take out the last cabinet to make the waterfall edge.

I like the idea of the carrara marble, hadn't even thought of that colour but it looks really good in these photos and we have grey/beige carpet in the lounge which the kitchen can be seen from. The living area is a large open plan rectangle, lounge carpeted one end, dining in middle on wooden floor and kitchen at other end. The tones in the marble would link to the carpet colour.

I also like the idea of hanging lights like in the first and second photo.

This is a great site, the first time I have actually used it for advice, and just goes to show how other people's input can help you see a bigger picture.

Melissa, Don't want to paint the wooden cabinets, they are modern enough and good quality. We also have quite a bit of other wooden features throughout the rest of the open plan living area such as skirting boards, internal double doors, and a feature window seat. I think we still need to keep the wood to follow the theme through the living area.

Hi lisamyland (Lisa?) that's great to hear your feedback, it means a lot to me. I am not a professional but very passionate about getting the most value for your money and beautiful design results are always possible. Too many times people rush into decisions spending money unwisely so I am thrilled that I could help you to crystallise some ideas. Please keep your thread updated and ask for help if your need to. Cheers, Louise

Thinking of changing the door handles too, should I stick to the same type long stainless ones as on the large drawers for all the cabinets or would that be overkill? Also any suggestions for the hanging lights?

The knobs on the pantry doors are kind of out of scale & could be improved. Long handles will do this & complement the modernised bench top and splashback (I love the carrara too!). If you can match the handles you have that would be good but if updating them then be aware there are various sizes (With timber cupboards you will want to match the holes you already have with new handles ideally) Measure from hole to hole for the handles and try to match the same dimensions. Then repeat this handle on pantry etc . Most syles come in a range of sizes & if you can match what you have you will save money of course. Otherwise most handles have a range of sizes so you can match this across all of your cupboards. Good luck and persistance rules!

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.

Contemporary Pendant Lighting · More Info

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!

Coco Pendant - Coco Flip · More Info

Contemporary Pendant Lighting · More Info

Ms Medez · More Info

COPPER BASKET · More Info

Lisa, how old are your oven and hotplates? I know you are probably wanting to save money (aren't we all??) but if they are not new I think I would consider getting new ones, especially the cooktop before doing a new bench. A new one may not be the same size and could leave you with problems if the old one suddenly gives up.

Olldroo, good point about the hot plate. Something to think seriously about and as you say better to change now just in case.

Louise, I like the white/wooden style pendants, not sure whether copper would go with the rest of the open plan decor. As I said the open plan area is one big rectangle with lounge, then dining, then kitchen. I have attached another photo looking the other way from the kitchen so you can see the colours in the rest of the area. I don't think I can change the paint colour as the blinds are currently matching the walls, but still think the Carrera marble will work, what do you think? Willing to change the green accent colour to something else (maybe some marble accessories or some white) and still need to wall mount TV and get a new coffee table and artwork. But need to Seuss out kitchen first.

The wall colour is Tea by Resene. It looks very beige in the photo but is more of a greige colour. The far wall is a better representation. We have this throughout the whole house. If I find a marble bench top with white, grey, and some beige throughout it I think this will work.

Sounds like you like the Carrara a lot Lisa, why not see if you can get a sample piece? Your wall colour is really a neutral & with a new theme you will develop ideas for the combined rooms. How about a mood board starting with all the things you want & adding samples to it including your paint colour.