Hi Irina! That's a really lovely kitchen, I think perhaps using a natural material with variation will be an excellent finishing touch...have a look at our New York Brick tiles, we keep these in stock in West London can send a sample if you think these could work http://www.stoneandceramicwarehouse.co.uk/wall-tiles/floors/item/new-york-bricks

Hi all, Thank you very much for being honest and so helpful. I have quotes from a professional kitchen painter who has requested for the cabinets to first be primed off site, so I contacted someone in a business park, who do all sorts of things on wood, asking them if they would spray prime it. Now I have also got a quote for 'only spray priming' and also 'spray paint to finish'. the spray painting by this business park type of place is nearly half the price of the hand painter, not to forget for him I also need to add cost of spray priming. So it boils down to this: spray paint or hand paint? can someone show me pictures or a link to a spray painted and a hand painted kitchen? Man about the house, I like your spray painted look, is that the finish I can expect from the spray painters? Thanks!

there are several DIY products out there specifically design to clean grout. Most are chlorine based and can be found in most tile shops or online. Oxygen peroxide is another common solution. You need to be careful as both methods can discolour your tiles (depending on tiles type and quality) and you should concentrate on the grout only, using an old toothbrush. However, always remember that cement based grout in porous and will inevitably get dirty again. Another DIY solution is to use grout pens, available online. Those pens are relatively inexpensive and simply colour over your grout. There are no permanent solutions to dirty grout I am afraid and regular maintenance is required. The only way to reduce grout staining is to use epoxy or urethane grout in the first place. Epoxy and urethane grouts are waterproof but a bit more difficult to install as DIY job but offer better performance than cement grout.

I love that your husband fitted your kitchen! It looks great. Completely understand not wanting to lose the bright and vibrant Fuchsia, it seems like your home is rather vibrant and fun. My recommendation would be to have one feature wall in the Fuchsia (I would advise the one behind the armchair) as this would keep the fun whilst picking up the accents of your table runner and kitchen accessories. I would then paint the walls by the window a grey to complement the colour used in the kitchen. To compliment your curtains (instead of having to buy new ones) once you have toned down the walls, I would consider adding a throw pillow in a plain lime colour on the armchair to pick up the colour of the curtain. It is a very personal choice, but that would be my recommendation :) I hope it helps!