White gloss is still a firm favourite with customers. Why not mix your gloss kitchen with other things like wood tops, or other gloss colours to soften it down. I personally prefer cream in a kitchen door as even if they are gloss, they tend not to run with certain trends and have a warm tone. Don't worry about fashion either because if you are staying in the property your kitchen will be there for a lot of years, so its much more important that you have what you want, rather than what everyone else is doing. I have designed many white gloss kitchens and if you get it right they will always look classy and stylish

Hi, Stonesuperstore is a good place to look for wood effect tiles. Mixing and matching colours can work well, but on smaller kitchens I would look at a lighter colour for the units if planning a blue island unit. There are quite a few companies that will refurbish kitchen doors, most can do it in your house.

This dining room is technically wide enough for an island. I agree that you should block up the aperture to the front room. But the chimney is too small to put a hob in it so you should probably remove the chimney breast. The only think I would add is that by making the largest reception room a kitchen you are left with a modest lounge and a modest dining room (assuming you are turning the kitchen into a dining room)

My sister's new kitchen is from DIY Kitchens and she really rates them. She paid extra to get the units painted 'Stirabout' from Farrow and Ball which is warmer and a bit deeper than Skimming Stone. It works well with taupes and teracotta as you can see. The worktops seem really good value as part of the package.