flooring and worksurface help needed for galley kitchen!

[Thandeka]

Right I really really need help- we are putting in a new galley kitchen- going to have howdens white units down both long sides of the room.

Space has a ginormous window so is quite light and builder reccomends dark worktops as makes space look bigger so we are thinking a black granite effect composite (or if feeling cheap a mdf laminate!- its not our forever house so we are not too bothered just want something that will last for future tenants (we will rent out house in furture possibly).

But then I also wanted slate effect lino- and am pondering if this is too much black? (remember units and probably back splash tiles will be white). I just can't visualise it.

Or we have beech block effect laminate (had it in our old kitchen and I rather liked it)- but again flooring issue-

also more questions about flooring-
I want something like this:
www.carpetright.co.uk/vinyl/comfylux-599-gallerie-2.html
given the space is narrow it is going to look daft? would you lay the laminate so blocks are horizontal or vertical as you look down galley corridoor?

Also galley kitchen runs into lobby area and bathroom beyond- so I was thinking keeping the flooring same throughout that space to make it feel bigger- is this misguided?

Help!

I think big slate slabs would look great in a narrow kitchen - for some reason, using big blocks of flooring in a smaller space tricks the eye into thinking it is bigger. Don't like laminate (or vinyl really - sorry) but think wood-effect would look better than granite.

Yes, keep the flooring uniform and perhaps soften it in the lobby with a multicoloured rug or something.

Thanks for replying. I dont like laminate either but as its not our forever house- and have seen some pretty good big slate slabs effect lino then will probably go with that as an interim- but which way do you think is best to lay it- slabs going across between the units or down the corridoor?

Slabs going across between the units will make the space look wider, and less 'corridor' like.

Lie them short end onto the units, as sinking says.

right so happy with flooring but cant visualise worktops- DH wants a slightly grey granite effect but in my mind it seems very 80's and dated and think a wood effect would be better. (don't want to go for real wood due to upkeep issues).

Hmmm.

It does sound a bit monochrome to me, but then I love woods and would always go for that, for both.

With wood flooring and white, the black/dark granite effect worktop would look good though.

With slate flooring and white, I'd want to choose the wood effect carefully - nothing too yellowy. We have block-walnut effect and I can just about imagine it with slate tiles. We went for Duropal worktops and I'm pleased.

If you really want wood i would go for a dark walnut colour.Alternatively how about a white worktop.To stop it look clinical you can add coloured accessories. However I still think a slate-colour worktop would be best.