Hi Ang, I thought I'd follow up my earlier comment with pictures of before and after of pine cupboards I specified to be painted in a budget makeover. My clients tell me people presumed they had purchased brand new cabinetry, so startling was the makeover. Somehow I have put the "after" on the left and "before" image on the right!

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. :)

I cant decide what kind of splashback should i use for my kitchen. We are currently upgrading our kitchen for the first time. I have been to tiling companies and keen to put a plain coloured tile as there is already lots of colours involved in my kitchen. Please help. Any comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Nick and Rie wanted to up lighten and modernise their tired kitchen space without compromising on storage and functionality. Their outdated kitchen had cream coloured cabinetry & terracotta tiles on the floor. It was given a stunning black and white makeover by Kitchen Mania! The black handles on white cabinetry are a bold statement and the kitchen is finished with an engineered stone bench top with a waterfall end. The geometric tiles and subtle timber elements in the lighting and stools complement this kitchen perfectly. BEFORE AFTER Let us know what you think!