First before you think of putting grey on your walls take into account the light in your kitchen. Where do you live? Is it sunny most of the year? Is your sky grey 4 to 6 months of the year in the winter and spring? Grey can be very depressing when you are surrounded by it day after day. My vote is for white walls or a light color. You also have to take into account what the other rooms are painted that are open to the kitchen's sight line.

And also there is some original tile left and I was toying with the idea of tiling over that strip all the way to the wall to create a small corridor of tile as you come in the front door for the 'hallway' that once was, to add interest and a sense of separation between kitchen and hall because the door opens into the kitchen directly which isn't ideal (we had to do away with a small pocket door and partition wall there.) and then do the rest in marmoleum. Would this look weird or should I just do the marmoleum throughout?

Hi, I have semi-solid wood flooring in the hallway of my house and I want to put laminate upstairs in the bedrooms and the landing but I'm confused about what to do with the stairs. Ideally I'd like a laminate stairs but am concerned about it not matching the wood in the hall and I've also been told by various suppliers that it's an awkward job that they don't usually do. I'd also be worried about children slipping on a laminate stairs. If I go with carpet I'd prefer not to have to carpet the landing as well but am worried that might look strange and how to finish the top step seems to be a difficulty as well both from an aesthetic and safety point of view. Any advice would be much appreciated!

I disagree. This is standard whitewood T&G flooring. It's generally laid across joists by builders on the first floor of two storey houses as a cheap subfloor ready to take a floor finish. I've seen it sanded and varnished / stained and while it looks OK for a few months, it doesn't wear well as it's a (very) soft wood and is very noisy, particularly in the rooms under. If you want a wood finish without breaking the bank, there are some good laminates that you can lay over the T&G boards. A semi-engineered board would be better but will cost a bit more.