Hello Amanda, : )) Do you mean in the kitchen? Yes a nice idea. I like flat plate too, but really plain. Well the best way to describe how I feel about certain alterations is to tell you about someone I knew who "did up" her flat to such a degree that she literally took away all that was characterful about it.. Sometimes it's best to leave things as their patina develops over time and results in something quite special. Restoration is one thing but you can also restore the life out of something and thus diminish in certain contexts the value- and so it's good to know when to stop.. So yes, I'm firmly in the camp suggesting leave them, but of course it's entirely your choice. : ))

Have you considered a mirror? This would not only work well with your colour scheme but would provide a more spacious feel by reflecting the colours already in your kitchen. If you felt more adventurous tinted mirror glass. When using glass behind a cooker you can use plain or toughened for heat resistance but ultimately what should be considered is durability. In this location where it is likely that pots and pans could knock the splashback toughened should used. If you commissioned us for this installation then toughened glass would be provided as standard and we could explore different options for glass colour or backings if mirror didn't take your fancy. Robert

I need a wooden butchers block or console style wash stand to put a bathroom counter top sink on. Needs to be thinner than most standard ones plus shorter, I think. (Why are so many counters 800mm high? Kids will never reach a sink on top of that, nor will some of my more petite friends.) Need it 800-900Lx 400D X 720ish high. Needs space under for your feet and shelves rather than doors so knees can go in...basically, I want the men of the house to lean up as close as possible to the sink to reduce shaving mess all over the place. Have already been stung by a poor quality joiner making one that is dreadful quality and I now have to chase him through the courts for a refund. Guaranteed quality (Burbidge, Parker & Howley) seems to be about £1000+ just for the unit, minus sink, tap etc. Gahhh. Is there a happy medium? £500 for something to my size/spec? In an ideal world, it would be with a stone top so splashing is less of an issue (although I get that would cost more). Not keen to adapt a regular piece of furniture as it needs to be good for a very wet bathroom (although it is not a wetroom...just lots of steam and splashing). Thanks for advice about brands to try and how to get thinner, shorter versions.

Visualising your colour scheme, I would choose a soft white tile, perhaps Zellige as mentioned above— these tiles are different variations of the same colour . There is a trend at the moment for using quartz continuing up the wall, whilst this can work well, if you wish to avoid that blocky look of a solid slab, tiles can provide a softer finish. In terms of maintenance, if you have an induction hob there will be very little splashing of foodstuffs as this is a gentle way to cook. However, if you are cooking over a flame, I would probably not opt for tiles as there can be a lot of foodstuffs splashing back behind hob. I chose tiles over induction hob in new kitchen and am delighted with result.