Which bench did you go with?

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. :)

The island benchtop and countertop used is White Snow from Uniquartz

When I first looked , I thought there were blue tones in the room , and I gave up haha . But looking again , I think the main tones are grey and charcoal ? I hope so . . . . . So paint ( or wallpaper ) that whole wall . Personally , I'd go burnt orange in a paint ( which , of course , isn't all that orange ) , or something in a bright or rich red base , if wallpapered -- imagine a rich red with thin beige and mid gold vertical lines if you want a classic look for example . Then matching modern standard lamps -- 1 each end . Wall mount the TV , or go for a bigger tele ( yes , I know , a lot of people don't want that as the feature , but it is a big wall ! ) BUT add 1 or 2 prints or paintings on that wall too -- again , my personal choice would be one bigger than your TV , with bright red base tones ( against a rich red wallpaper ) , and splashes of orange and yellow and beige and blue and -- you get the idea ! An abstract landscape or racehorse or torso or whatever floats your boat -- I don't like the swirly or straight line types of art , but obviously some people do . Still look sparse ? A large colourful glazed pot or two , with suitable indoor leafy plants/cactii/similar . A big shaggy rug in a warm red or orange or orangy red . Adds life , colour , warmth -- all around a common theme . And thats why I shuddered at the initial thought of blue -- 7 different blue tones will never look as warm , and red and orange never looks as good against a blue , so you are stuck with the colder look IMO .