You are so right white is never out of fashion. I would set your budget and then look at your options. If you plan to stay in the house for many years then spend to the top of your budget (if that is going to give you a life time of pleasure), if you plan on being at the home for only a short time / few years then I would go mid range so it looks lovely, will have good resale value but you can invest your well earned money to go towards something else as well. Obviously Marble / Granite is the top of the range but there are so many cheaper and very attractive options these days that look just as good.

What is the best kind of lighting for a large living/dining room with a gabled/vaulted ceiling? I am thinking of lights at the top of the walls facing up flooding the ceiling so as to reflect downwards?

You'd want good masking skills , but I'd do the beams and uprights in a charcoal . The actual ceiling inside looks okay -- obviously any water-stains or the outside eves would need sanding and re-varnishing .

Kia ora, does anyone have any suggestions on what to line my garage walls with in my new home with please? It's a wood frame, and very cobweby which is partly why I want to line ito I don't have to clean it again. 1. Will I have to clean all the cobwebs and dust before I line it, or can I use the lining to hide them? 2. Do I line it from the bottom of the wall ams concrete slab or a bit higher up in case there it'sa ever flooding? 3. Will it be easy to line on my own?