I agree with dark on bottom, light on top. Not sure about your lifestyle, but refrigerator and freezer drawers are very small. Think about putting a full size fridge with cabinet above and more wall cabinets on the back wall, with some glass doors. Use 90 degree wall & base corner cabinets. Raise the cabinet and countertop at the sink, so your guests have an area to sit at while you cook. I would advise against marble, too much maintainence and too porous, look at quartz, it doesn't scratch, stain, doesn't need to be sealed. A manufacturer to look at is Cambria they have some great matte finishes that look like soapstone & marbles. Silestone is another manufacturer. Another product that I love is Paperstone, although expensive, it is a green product made of recycled paper and petroleum-free resins. It is amazingly durable and hard as a rock and extremely cool! Website: http://www.paperstoneproducts.com/ I would also consider adding a hutch or cabinetry to the right of the space (in the first perspective, on the right is a blank wall). You can use cabinetry to make it look like a piece of furniture, with drawers below and glass doors on top. Have the top cabinets sit on the countertop. I would do it in a light color or cream, black will draw your eye directly to it. You can them add color with decorative items behind the glass doors. I also agree with using drawer base cabinets, like ecomod says, they give you the most storage space and easy access. I would probably nix the mirror idea or hang a large framed mirror, but lighting is really the way to go to brighten that end of the house, recessed cans, interior cabinet lighting where glass doors are used and decorative pendents at the bar. Along with under cabinet lighting. Also paint, if you choose a lively color (even just one wall).

Thanks for clarifying - I suspected the velux windows would be in that back area, but always worth checking! Your 3D View also gives some useful info. To ask another question - are you restricted as to where residual sections of wall may still remain after you have opened out the space? Again I would be speculating on what was load bearing and where there may still be obvious structure left (e.g. hiding RSJs). Your 3D plan shows quite a large section of residual wall by the kitchen. There are so many options, it is difficult to know where to start. One option which may be worth considering is moving your kitchen to where the dining room currently is (if services allow) and bringing a breakfast bar across further back into what is currently the lounge. This might make nice use of the bay windows at a sink, and the hob could be positioned in the breakfast bar so you could chat with dining guests while cooking. It would also open up a larger footprint for the lounge (where the kitchen currently is). The fireplaces sound like another challenge - it would be interesting to know just how close they are and what profile the wall is around chimney breasts etc. Where possibly, I would try to avoid removing chimney breasts (often a can of worms), but work with the existing wall profile - you can use shelves & fitted furniture to create straight clean lines, and a second fireplace "gap" could be used as a log store to avoid assymetry. Wrt doors - I think 3 next to each other is overkill in an open plan area like this, but might still keep 2 depending on where any remaining sections of wall are and how you lay out the area. With so many possibilities, I'd mock up a few on CAD and chat them through with family/friends or a friendly local designer to narrow it down. I'd also think carefully about what furniture you have or will get - sizes and shapes may point you towards a particular layout. Good luck and have fun designing!

I love this thread! FYI I installed marmoleum that you are looking at and the pattern is very marble-y. I personally I would go with the marmoleum (check out the Piet Boon selection for flatter finishes) would go with the flat colour as close to concrete as you can get, or a flat grey not too dark) Also those small samples can be misleading. I got 'dove grey' and it turned out very blue (check out my design dilemma to see) so I would really recommend trying to get a larger sample once you narrow down your choice. Silver Shadow and Orbit would be the two I'd be going with, from your selection, as well. It feels good to me underfoot, it's hard but its very clean, and not as cold and hard as tiles. the cabinets will bring in the warmth! Wish I went with cement colour! Personally i love the monochrome suggestions at the top of the thread: black and white patterned tiles, and working with darks on the walls. Use the splashback to bring in the impact and drama, and stick with darker, block colours on the walls.

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