I would suggest you take out the cabinet that is to the right of the stove and use it elsewhere in the house -- perhaps in the bathroom or dining room with a hutch above it. Then, I would suggest you have someone install a lazy susan cabinet in the corner between the sink counter and the stove, meaning you would move the stove down a bit and have a small cabinet/counter top to the right of the stove. I would suggest you have the cabinets refinished in white and then paint the walls a pastel you like. If you would prefer white walls, then add white-painted crown molding and paint the ceiling a light neutral blue, such as Sherwin Williams Niagara Falls Blue. Then, I would suggest you choose a favorite accent color and use this sparingly in accessories like towels, pot holders, small vases or floral arrangements, and a valence above the triple windows. For a genuine 1940s look, you might have white ceramic square tiles with a rectangular red border installed as a back splash behind and above the stove. If you are replacing counter tops, I would suggest a light color such as white with a beige or light grey vein or striation for some sort of pattern. You might be able to find the same color and design in floor tile OR opt for a wood floor as another poster suggested.

Get the professional sander guys in to repair the living areas and kitchen but don't go too dark with the stain as it will kill the lovely grain in the matai. I'm thinking a couple of tones richer than the timber knots showing in your photo, definitely no yellow tone at all. In NZ stepping on to carpet especially in a kiwi winter is so much nicer than a cold floor board shock!!! A nice area rug for the lounge and you're done.

We just stained our section fences with Wattle Ebony from Mitre 10. Was looking for a charcoal color too, not much flexibility in color options with stains from the shelves at store. We sprayed on, rather than brushing. Is cost a concern? One of our to be neighbours was doing there fences at the same time with paint, he said he used nearly 100L of paint for 2 coats, we used nearly 50L in 2 costs - had similar amount of fences. I've included photo of it after the 2 coats

Hi. We moved into our home in Central Otago in 2013. It had been built around 2000 and clad with Oregon and Plaster. It was evident that this house was tired with the most pressing need the rescuing of the Oregon cladding. It was well overdue for a recoat. On much appreciated advice from a Resene Rep we bleached (Moss and Mould Killer) and scrubbed (Timber and Deck Wash) then coated with Resene Waterborne Woodsman in Nutmeg with CoolColour, This took up my summers of 2014, 2015 and part of 2016 the remainder of which was taken up overhauling the plaster. This summer I have tied in the entrance slat fence. Unfortunatelyn we were let down by Resene in early 2015 with an unannounced change of formula resulting in out of stocks and worst of all colour changes. Nutmeg which previously was a warm brown definitely moved into the orange spectrum. Resene WW is meant to be recoated every 18-24 months so strictly speaking I can't physically keep up with the staining let alone have a life as well. Stripping back is not an option, no no no. What compatible product would you recommend that definitely lasts longer than Resene WW? Where can I find LRV for Resene WW in case I need to stick with that but change the colour? Sadly I can't find information on comparing products across brands as reps only compare between their own products. Many thanks.