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?).

Excuse my duh-ness but i'm having difficulty trying to follow whats going on here. Are these two photos an exact replica of your house and pool ? If not a hasty sketch with dimensions could help a lot. By kitchen wall do you mean the wall behind the bar ? And where is the pool wall ? Are you considering the covered area as being "inside" ? Sorry for all those questions lol Sometimes when you have a design problem you need to turn it inside out or on it's head. If you can't beat it maybe embrace it by making a feature of it : i.e. contrast by having the lightest colored pool surround and a great blue or tile inside and under the overhang, something that will echo the water color ? If you have a great covered area as in photo you'll most likely be spending a lot of time there and it could be soothing to be able to sometimes retire into a darker inside. In my book, 10M isn't small and also contrasting two floor colors doesn't necessarily make a space seem smaller and confined and may in fact even open it up. Could it be that you've thought yourself into a box here ? Sometimes one needs to give it all a good shake up and see how it resettles.

One option you could opt for is to get a marble mosaic flooring. It is very durable and easy to clean. Furthermore, you can get virtually any rug pattern, design and color palette of your choice incorporated. Bonus: Marble mosaics work great in high-traffic areas. Here are some of our intricately handcrafted mosaic rugs and medallions so you get an idea of how they look: You don't need to worry about the shape and size. That's the beauty of mosaic, it can be customized to fit any surface. See anything you like? Have a favorite photo or pattern you'd like to be converted to a mosaic masterpiece? We can help! If you have any queries feel free to contact us. For more designs visit our website: MEC Artworks. Regards, Nada Zain

Add colour . Please add colour haha . Just a thought though , instead of paint ( its a bit hard for me to visualise everything from your description -- I am a visual person ) how about maybe those translucent blue looking tiles ( yes , I know , extra cost ) , you may even 'frame' them in the white tiles to tie in with the shower , or possibly do the blue instead of the white , or even do the shower in them , and have the rest your 'white' walls . And when I say about those tiles , you can get them in square or subway or even long skinny ones , or even long and skinny but with long skinny darker blue and brushed ali ones too -- in other words , have fun and add interest !