I think a comfortable distance between the island and the counter is around 42". It seems that you have only 30" between your cook top and the counter. I might be a little too tight. The wall between the entrance and the kitchen could be 4' long instead of 6', you would then be able to move the island a foot which would give you more room between the cook top and the island. Could you switch the location of the toilet and vanity in your dad's bathroom so your enter facing a vanity instead of a toilet which is a lot nicer.

HI RinaI do agree I love jewelbox rooms, but I consider them more cosy ... and with a grey marble floor it goes all Versace Italianate! I am trying to balance the colours by bringing in a pattern on the covers rather than plain. I feel this will bring colour without overpowering the room. In the pictures I showed above, the rooms are basically neutral but the colour is brought in via pattern - I think this might be the way to go...Ideally a green or blue on a subdued grey would be the best, but I dont know what the market is like for Sumit...Cushions can do a lot to tie in the other white/grey elements.Shelley - navy is a good suggestion, but as Sumits area is quite tall and thin, trying to keep the general area light Any more suggestions most welcome. These are just ideas after all and Sumit will choose what works for the room in the end ;-)

I'm a Certified installer for Trex decking. Trex Transcend is encapsulated board, with a finish that resists staining, scratches, mold and has a high definition wood grain surface. I don't know what you did to it or whoever worked on your house did something to it, but Transcend decking does not need staining or painting and the protective shell protects decking against fading. Trex Transcend and a few other Trex decking products like Trex Enhance, and Trex Select, they cannot be painted or stained. The only thing can be painted is Trex Transcend White Railings and you should only use light color paint. If you use dark colors, it will absorb heat and it will damage the surface and you can kiss your railings good bye. Also high quality fast drying primer should be used and you have to use Oil or Water based exterior paint and most importantly surface prep is the the key. When it comes to painting specialty surfaces like Trex Railings, hire a Pro to do the work. With that said, if you installed Trex yourself, you have to go to the store and have a Trex representative come out and check your deck. They will determine if loss of color fading was due because of negligence or not. If its a material defect, they will cover the material cost. If you had a Certified contractor do the work, they will cover material and labor. Call your contractor and he will get a Trex Rep to come out within a few days. Good luck

Dear Khurshid, Ask your builder if the double height terrace can be used for staircase. That way you can shift your dining table to the present staircase area which is just adjacent to your kitchen and still can keep it double height which will also serve as entrance area. Doing so you get more additional space for your living area and can have a more comfortable seating arrangement. Also by shifting your staircase to double height area makes more sense as you can still use it as terrace seating. You don't even need to have rcc staircase. Go with metal staircase with wooden treads. Which is space saving and looks super cool. Its a penthouse so do something out of the box. You cant do much with the structure but you have infinite possibilities in interior work to make it special. I hope that makes some sense to you.:) Regards, Ar. Ravi Prakash