Hi, I had this dilemma as well. Personally I found a short up stand of the same worktop too chunky. Mine is a white gloss kitchen and I went for a white glass up stand in 6mm glass. It's barely there - but it might not be as stark white as your worktop (you could go for a colour though!) I wanted a deeper up stand is about 10" but my kitchen people were super awkward about it and got stroppy, so I ended up with a 15cm one which looks nicer than a small one. My main issue for wanting a deeper one was because of the splashes from the sink. They called me crazy - but it gets v dirty behind my sink! I do have a kitchen paint of course which is washable but a deeper one would have been much more practical!

We were thinking of a v shallow vessel sink! Is there a rule of thumb for height surface a vessel sink should be on? You could well be right...

Hi there - no one is better than the the other, each have their own strengths and weaknesses... here are a few that spring to mind: Corian pros: It can be moulded, meaning that you can actually make sinks out of it and seamlessly clad the end, say a kitchen Island It doesn't crack - If you're unlucky and the installer lays a less than totally level base for granite / quartz I have seen it crack (only once though). It is lighter than quartz It is warmer to touch... though personally I prefer the cooler touch of the quartz Corian cons: It does actually stain over time.. wine tea bags etc, though they can usually be polished out. Make sure to follow manufacturers instructions with regards to maintenance. Can feel plasticky to touch There is no movement or texture Quartz pros: It is cool to the touch so great for pastry making It can have fabulous texture and colour variations - wonderful to balance a contemporary finish and give it some energy many now have antimicrobial properties built into them It comes in many finishes - honed, matt, high gloss Quartz cons: Heavy and tricky to install limited to fixed length pieces which can mean more junctions Can also stain if manufacturers instructions are not followed gloss finishes need to be maintained - i.e. polished, to look well I hope this is of some help to you. Enjoy our new kitchen! Deirdre.

The room looks very modern and spacious and having 2 colours in a kitchen is very popular. With regards to wall units (see image below where shelves have been used) & fridge/freezers, it really is down to personal preference but American fridge/freezers are very bulky, but they do give a lot of fridge space, although the freezers do tend to be a little small. Shelving can look nice and it could keep costs down. Decisions, decisions :-) Here are some pics of shaker kitchens that our customers have sent us with 2 different colours that they have used in their kitchens. If you want to see more pics then they can be seen here.