+1 on the white. When I built my last one, I used a sheet of white melamine. Happy with that.
As to the rest, there are those who will tell you that you simply cannot get by without a bench 15' long and made out of solid concrete. As people have noted above however, the reality is that you can do good loads in very little space. I used for years a bench less than 2' square and had no problems. The answer to your question really hinges on how much space you have. Bigger benches are more convenient, but they have to fit in your house. Second factor is how much gear you want to mount. Even then there are ways to swap out even major items like presses easily and quickly.