Marble is pretty but worthless if you love cooking a lot. They do make some great marble like quartz products that wouldn't stain easily. If you want to go with natural stone but nothing too dark is go with a salt and pepper like granite, something to distinguish itself from the white cabinetry but also tie in all of the grey tones in the room. Good luck with your project!

Personally I think as long as you have a decent space between the sink and hob for working you will be fine

Hi there, I work for Outline Productions and we are making series 2 of ‘Sarah Beeny’s: Renovate Don’t Relocate’, which follows our property expert Sarah helping homeowners transform not just their homes, but the way they use them. Her expert advice can help you figure out the best idea for your kitchen! We're looking for homeowners who have a design dilemma and have a budget to renovate - have a look at our programme and see how the use of LED technology can really help you visualise the layout. https://www.facebook.com/RENDONTREL/videos/798509040551058/ If you're interested, please do get in touch - my email is antoniao@outlineproductions.co.uk

Just looking quickly, here’s what I think: Definitely a no for the microwave position. It’s too high and a hazard for lifting out hot bowls with such things as soup. Why aren’t you having the oven in a tall unit the same as you currently have? Have a single oven and an integrated microwave over it. Is the corner unit a 900 x 900L? If those are straight corner bases you‘ll need to drop on your knees to access the corner which is a nightmare whereas a 900L gives you the opportunity to open each door individually or together allowing full access to the corner. A 3 drawer pack is better than a 4 IMO as you get 2 deep pan drawers which are better for saucepans (but I’d place the oven there). Also a 800 mm drawer pack is a fabulous size with superb storage if you can swap something around to accommodate this size. Over the other side I would have 2 tall units. One for the integrated fridge/freezer and then a larder unit alongside it doing away with the base unit. Looking at the image you have space to put them on the same wall as the door.