Thank you everyone. I was sorry to hear about GGDrive's misfortune with the flood but really enjoy hearing all your opinions. I had granite in my previous house and it looked gorgeous but from a practice point of view, it cooled the food quickly if you didn’t remember to use a cork placemat and is very cold if you lean on it to chat over a cup of coffee. It was also tricky to keep shiny, despite the special granite polish. Quartz is pretty too but both options cost more than I paid for the base and wall units. I saw a very impressive and economical Formica with oak woodblock finish, but was hoping to have a KARNDEAN wooden style floor and having read the discussions on HOUZZ, think the two would fight each other. The kitchen is small by USA standards and in a U shape with satin white units. Shall I A)emphasise a Spring Oak Karndean floor and find plain Formica (slate pic) or B)have the oak effect Formica worktops (see oak pic) and chose a slate tile effect Karndean floor? Lyn, Dorset, UK.

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the comments and input, it was great to see so many of you get involved! The competition is now closed, and any winners should have received an email from us confirming their prize so get checking. Happy New Year and here's to the next one!

Another vote for Dekton and Sileston Quartz worktops, use them all the time in our projects as so much more forgiving and low maintenance than granite or marble. Agree that Corian is a good option if you have a large island to prevent visible joins, whilst it has other benefits you do need to be very careful when it comes to heat. Vast range of colours and textures in all types nowadays so the type of material shouldn't limit the effect you want to achieve - be that traditional or contemporary. I am always a big advocate that a worktop is an investment, there is no point spending a large sum on a beautiful quality kitchen and then finishing it off with a worktop that won't stand up to time as well as the rest of the room or cheapen the look - I always recommend to go for the best you can afford.

An update: I stripped the entire counter of paint..... A very slow and messy job. Im now playing around with colours and finishes. I've recently found two lengths of teak that were previously in a science laboratory and the length was perfect ......about 70mm too long.I'll be able to finish it off with a half round edge. I also discovered, that the entire unit is made from pine apart from the inset panels which are probably mahogany or similar. I didn't like the deep red/ purple and so I'm now experimenting with gold leaf. Still work in progress and by no means a finished article.