Thank you for all your comments. We have been looking at the black granite composite made by Franke but is triple the price of Blanco. Was concerned the black composite would scratch etc. will probably go two stainless steel, because as previous poster mentioned the blacks are never the same. Sure I will be back for more help or advise.

The all black kitchen looks scary as. Maybe because there's no lightness in there at all.

What about colour , character and personality ? A splashback with a pond and a tree may be great , or look naff , as the Poms would say . Potentially , its on the right track , but look at pic 3 . Gone to sleep yet ? Probably $30k spent on nothingness . Now look at pic 3 , and imagine your splashback . Even if it is ( cringe ) black and white too , it will actually add to it . A bit . I don't like the particular light used in pic 1 , but its got character , you notice it , it is not totally bland . Pic 3 is .

I would like to keep the beautiful knotty pine ceilings and soffit, and cabinets (but paint a different color). I will be updating the floor and counter tops. My real dilemma is the wall - it's a ceramic tile that looks like brick and the color is so bland. I would like to brighten that up with paint but am having trouble deciding on the color combo of the cabinets and walls. The kitchen is open to a living area that is decorated mainly in sage green and cream.