Are you saying that cooking next to the chute would gross you out even if its covered? Andd to use it for its intended purpose? In the first picture, it looks like the stove is directly underneath the chute, but I can see in other pics that it is not. I think it is far enough away. If everything is bagged properly, it shouldn't be that bad. You will have to check on local code regarding having the stove next to the window. Code may make your decision for you. People usually just put shorter cabinets above that type of range hood. I would recommend doing so because you need all the storage you can get. The hood--being different from the bank of cabinets--will provide relief to the eye. With cabinets above, it'll still feel balanced. And, as for covering the chute, do you want to cover it and restrict access or do you still need to use it for its intended purpose and just want to camouflage it? To help the room feel pleasant, cheery, and light, I recommend using a glass tile. Even though it's applied to a wall, the translucency still shows and evokes a sense of the adjectives above. I think it would help keep things light. Consider a slightly higher toe-kick underneath the lower cabinets. It helps to create a lighter-footed feeling. You could also consider cabinets that have furniture style feet. for a more open feeling. Your kitchen seems like an ideal room to use modern, lacquered cabinets. I don't know if you like the super-modern look, but I think it could be nice. Maybe just for the uppers. Use a medium-to-light toned wood on the bottom. A limestone floor might be nice. Or you can do wood or laminate. You could go with dark or light. I think it's mostly about preference.

So you just want to enclose the top area to make it a place to sleep? Does it need to have a kitchen and bathroom or just a sleeping area? I am not an architect but you might want to ask more direct questions like " How can I enclose this upper floor to make it livable?". It looks like you live in a very mild climate. Perhaps you should put up wood walls with windows that match the design on the balcony panels. I am not a builder so I hope someone else has some ideas for you.

If the wood is raw, that would mean it has no stain, paint or sealer on it, in which case you would only need to sand the two years worth of use it has. If all dirt, grease, etc isn't off the piece before you whitewash it, this will show in the new finish. Sand it well, don't miss any areas, don't take any shortcuts. Then get some white stain, follow the instructions on the can, and finish with several coats of polyurethane. I find I get the very best results by using Minwax products.

Hi Rubypumps. Unfortunately you have made the common mistake of mixing undertones. I see this a lot as a colour consultant. Mistakes with your hard finishes are the worst kind because they are very costly to change. Right now your walls have a pink undertone and your walls behind the tub and counter are clearly blue grey. Since blue is complementary to pink, it brings out the pink in the tile even more and the clean blue makes the tile look dirty. It may be hard for you to see this, but this is what's happening and this is probably why you don't like your bathroom. Since you chose such a busy mosaic, it has become the boss (and focal point) of the room and I would now keep your other finishes as simple as possible. If you can, down the road, change the beige tile. Because unfortunately, there is no magic colour combination that will make it disappear. Working with what you have, I would most likely go with a more neutral cabinet like Uniboard G21 Viva Walnut. It will help warm up the space. Black is too stark for this bathroom.