I love the color you have on the wall by the patio doors. I'd go with that all over if you want the space to feel warm. Or, if you want the rooms to feel cooler, you may want to go with sky blue or a calm green. The right shade of green brings in your outdoor plants, which looks very nice when you are looking out through the windows. Your flooring would look fine with any of these choices. Grey is another color to consider. I personally do not like it, yet is is quite popular now, especially with contemporary interiors.

We got the IKEA shelves that are pictured in the butlers pantry photo I posted when we were on holiday in Melbourne, Australia. We don't have IKEA here in New Zealand! Hubby is going back over in May/June so will get him to get more of that sort of thing when there. We would pay about 4x the price for that sort of thing here in NZ. I need to work out what I will do now where the fridge was and there is the angle change (does that make sense?).

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 need advice on colours for my entranceway - its 1770m wide and 5900m long. The walls have recently been re-gibbed with T&G panels attached approx a third of the way up the wall from the floor. I want to paint the area. I thought a darker shade on the t&g with a lighter shade above. Something to give it a bit of character. I want a warm neutral shade because its a cold south island nz climate. At this stage I am thinking a smoky grey tile on the floor with heating underneath. What colours do you recommend to go with the tiles? The door into the entrance and the door leading from entrance to kitchen are both cedar. So something to also match with them. Really appreciate some comments!! Also, the tiles would flow through the cedar door into the kitchen area which is an antique white shade. Open to suggestions of tile colour too.....nothing set in concrete as yet.