I would consider something light with some other colors to mix in like this. http://t.homedepot.com/p/Silestone-2-in-Quartz-Countertop-Sample-in-Mont-Blanc-SS-Q0220/203674451/ I like the wood paneling and would paint it a white with a warm feel to it. A white will reflect a lot of light from your large window. I wouldn't paint the window casing as it might tie in better with the rest of the house. Good luck!!

Your layout for you kitchen looks really good and would fit well with the mixture of black and white cabinetry. With the lament bench top, we would suggest melamine (entry level cabinetry) or acrylic bench top, which can come in high gloss feature or matt. The matt surface would go lovely with your choice of bench top, and acrylic is also a affordable cabinetry material. Below are some examples of how Reno4u has incorporated both black and white cabinetry together, without making it to dominantly dark. We feel as if these examples would be perfect for your layout, and depending on if you want more black cabinetry or white you can go either way. This design above is an example with more black than white, can be made matt or gloss with different handles/splash back and wallpaper. With a u shaped kitchen similar to yours, however from the pictures you provided your style may include different design below the island bench. Another kitchen designed by us which shows more white than black, with a bar built in which may suit your design better. We hope this helps you, please feel free to call us on 03 423 9067 and we can provide a free quote for materials and kitchen design, and help you finalise your design further. :)

Thanks courtney. it's all finished and we love it. We chose a white glass back splash which really helps to brighten up the space. On a sunny day it's so bright I pull the blinds down lol! the photo looks alot colder than it is too. It's taken on my phone so not the best.

So we have finally decided on a kitchen design: Taken inspiration from : this is the floor plan. The dinning area will be moved to next to the steps, in front of the alfresco area. The family room will be in front of the kitchen with another outdoor area next to it. But dilemma not is that we cannot decide on plain cabinet doors or shaker style. The colour of the doors will be Satin White with black knobs matching the black granite sink and charcoal glass splash back. The bench top will most likely be something similar to Calcutta Quartz. I like the modern simplicity of plain doors but i don't want it to look too clinical. I like how shaker style adds a bit of character to the whole area, but i don't want it to look too traditional. What do you think? Any other style suggestions?