A houzz contributor, not too long ago, had made a wine rack out of 4'x4' wooden pallets, that are used in the US to move a load of goods with a fork-lift truck. Perhaps they have them in your country. He cut them in half so they were only two feet deep and stacked them up to high counter height. The wood would be a nice contrast with your concrete, might add a little warmth to the space. cascio.offsite@gmail.com

Thanks!!! That looks lovely...!! Unfortunately the white counter wont work for the kitchen im planning - abundant turmeric in Indian cooking precludes any soft colour.. Went out today and got myself a black countertop with white veins (I HATE granite), and am now planning white shutters to go with it instead of the grey... Any other thoughts? Am not mulling over the backsplash...

You list is all "stone" products. Stone products are natural. The durability is guaranteed with stone. Stain resistant...remove marble and granite from your list. Both can stain and etch and both will do this with "flooring" more than they will with a counter top. Gloss levels all change...but it will take years to do it. All stones have maintenance = homeowner needs to work at keeping stone looking good. Stone = expensive. There is no "benefit" for "reasonable" when working with stone. They all cost plenty of money. Stone is expensive. No way around it. If you want "glossy" that doesn't stain for a "good price" then you have forgotten to mention the BEST option: porcelain tiles. Porcelain will do everything you want for a lower price. Stone is expensive, it can stain (especially "oil" stains) it will "etch" or lose gloss level with certain liquids (acid based liquids will do this) and they all need to be maintained and eventually need repolishing to maintain "gloss". Durable is all you can expect out of stone. The rest of your wish list belongs with porcelain tiles.

Hi Rasa, Nice to hear from you and I’m glad I was able to give you some inspiration for your kitchen tiles. I’ve included another image for you to look at that shows more of a farm house style kitchen with the coloured tiles. If you worried the coloured tiles might look too contemporary for your space, I would advise going for quite soft, muted colour tones to give you the same effect but in a more rustic style. You can see in the attached image how they have used a soft sheen, textured tile in neutral tones, with a subtle hint of colour to be in-keeping with that farmhouse feel. For your tile colours, you could pick up the off white tone of your cabinets with the grey in the granite, and a very soft hint of green or blue to add a little colour to achieve the same look for your kitchen. I have also added some paint swatches below you could use as reference for tile colours to help you visualise the combination. Off white: Greys: Blue or Green: Hopefully this answers your questions for you and I’d love to see some pictures when your project is finished. Good luck with the decorating. Paola Dulux Design Expert www.designer.duluxamazingspace.co.uk