I agree , as a former kitchen planner i would say dont be put off trying the independents,especially local ones, they will usually do their best to use your budget to good effect.They will come and survey and take a personal interest. I think the pale sage greeny grey is a lovely calm colour and as someone else said you cant continually worry about many years down the line..if it appeals to you now you will probably still feel comfortable for some time. Everyone thought cream doors would last forever but I got sick of mine eventually (10 yrs !) and craved light blue or putty grey.You cant be sure of trends but enjoy what you have chosen by making sure the layout works well for you.Spend time on that with your designer (.I use giant drawers a lot on the base as the stuff comes to you, no bending.Even my crockery is in them. ) Its true that wood can be painted and if you have a synthetic "wrap" finish it cant be updated except to change the doors. (But who knows you might sell up one distant day and not need to worry. I did !!). As for the floor , Ive chosen real wood this time and the warmth underfoot in this cold climate is fantastic.I dont think wood with wood is off limits but its personal taste at the end of the day, but it can look good if you introduce some leafy green plants into your scheme.It seems to instinctively go with other natural materials . Good advice also to keep oiling your timber work surface ,, it doesnt take long but keeps it from staining. All the best with your new project !

Hello Heidi, One thing that might help is using a neutral table cloth.. Consider a really oversized mirror that could lean up against one of the walls something like 8ft by 6ft if you want to get the feel of space here and the right side would be good on the long wall.. The opposite wall you could leave bare.... .. Remove the rug as this defines the floor area under the table which you don't want to do.. Hang a shade on the ceiling light and take off the frames from the window.. You could have a slim console here but otherwise leave the windows free so they remain as open as possible... What your aim is here is to get the eye to see the room as a whole.. At the moment the eyes go to the frames and then the brightly patterned table cloth which does emphasise the table and thus the size of the room... Place all the chairs round the table and at each end of the table so they are evenly proportioned.. Easily presented as an invaluable space for dining. Shabby chic or elegant sophistication both are possible with some tweaking to the dimensions... ie the Mirrors! I think these would see you through! : ))

Wow, what a lot of comments. I think you have a wonderful kitchen, which has been created with much love & attention to detail. You are asking about painting things in a dark / inky colour - & your Oak unit - but you already have a mid grey wall surrounding the Oak unit - which is why it stands out - take the walls back to an off white & it will blend back in. The lighting in the entire area doesn't seem to be enough for "dark inky colours" - If you really want something like that why not create a picture of what you want on canvas & put it behind glass in the Aga alcove? Your Aga is dark already so it might just make that area a feature. Don't start taking out bits of the kitchen - once you start you will carry on & suddenly your Dad's work will be destroyed, which would be incredibly sad. Your kitchen works well for you - I do agree that the floor could be underfloor heating with tiles on the top - but weigh up the costs before you start. Lighting is everything, so more lights - ceiling not spots -LEDs as many as you can! From the photographs you provide it looks as if the room leading off from the dining area is already a darkish room, & were you to paint the oak any colour at all I think you would regret it - a slight chip there or a knock here & the paint starts to come away - wood is beautiful, it holds history and it gives such beauty - use that as your palate.. Be gentile on your kitchen - try painting paper and then bluetack it to the wall / unit /island etc. so you get an idea of what it might look like if you painted it - a great source of long paper is to be found in the wallpaper isle - you can buy a roll of lining paper for under £5, get the paint test pots & try out your ideas without damaging the beauty you already have.

Hi. I mean the wall with the utility door. I see where you are going with the symmetry for the wall with the aga, but I would make that tall end unit a pantry or place for serving plates, etc. and have the integrated fridge where you currently have the wood upper cabinet. I've been looking at your Ideabook and reading the aga discussion (I'm way behind minnie!) and I see what you are trying to achieve. But none of them have the same layout. When the feature aga corbel wall exists, it doesn't have an induction hob right next to it or it doesn't have a solid wall at the end (one of them is amazing with their deep cupboards either side but there is nowhere to put anything!). Do you have roof lights over the kitchen? Unless you have a giant lantern skylight and lots of under-cabinet lighting planned, please don't have black countertops. Apart from the fact that none of the kitchens in your Ideabook have dark counters, I come from a place of experience. I used to have a massive, terribly planned, kitchen with lovely black granite counters. Not only could only one person work in it even though it was the size of a dance floor, but the lights had to be on all the time and it was really depressing. And as there will be a dining table nearby to take in your beautiful garden, the island perches will be there to keep the cook(s) company, so facing in on the kitchen is perfect.