i think that a mini-subway tile in a carrera marble and gray colored grout could be stunning in here. subway shaped tiles are both modern and classic and will never go out of style...your options are really limitless. this space appears to be open to another, if you add color to the kitchen, be sure that it makes sense with the adjacent room. this space is going to be great!! already gorgeous! keep us posted!

Excuse my duh-ness but i'm having difficulty trying to follow whats going on here. Are these two photos an exact replica of your house and pool ? If not a hasty sketch with dimensions could help a lot. By kitchen wall do you mean the wall behind the bar ? And where is the pool wall ? Are you considering the covered area as being "inside" ? Sorry for all those questions lol Sometimes when you have a design problem you need to turn it inside out or on it's head. If you can't beat it maybe embrace it by making a feature of it : i.e. contrast by having the lightest colored pool surround and a great blue or tile inside and under the overhang, something that will echo the water color ? If you have a great covered area as in photo you'll most likely be spending a lot of time there and it could be soothing to be able to sometimes retire into a darker inside. In my book, 10M isn't small and also contrasting two floor colors doesn't necessarily make a space seem smaller and confined and may in fact even open it up. Could it be that you've thought yourself into a box here ? Sometimes one needs to give it all a good shake up and see how it resettles.

Having been brought up in a Lockwood home I can appreciate your love of the wood. I notice you have a light green bench and that would blend nicely with some similar colours in the room. I would consider having your cupboard doors replaced or sprayed to compliment the bench or visa versa you can have your bench updated with a new finish to modernise it. Perhaps you could just price out the cost of a new bench and leave the rest of the kitchen as it is. The odd bit around the dishwasher looks weird and that might be able to be fixed by curving a new bench into a small breakfast bar type set up. If there is room I would also reposition the microwave to the right of the cook top and use the existing space for a display or a lovely pot plant.

Something to take into cosideration would be the amount of light you have coming into the bathroom. Obviously if you have considerable light and air the tile shade wouldn't be too much of an issue. On the other hand if the room is small and not very light filled, then the lighter shades would be preferable giving the illusion of making the room appear bigger and lighter.