Hard Surfaces stage II - Rock of Ages

Engineered stone is a man-made product that dates back to the late 1980’s. The main component in engineered stone is quartz which is one of nature’s strongest minerals. 

Granite is an attractive and widely occurring type of igneous rock.
A hard and durable stone that has a medium to coarse texture or grain.
Granites can be pink to dark grey or even black, depending on their chemistry and mineralogy. Being a hard and durable stone, granite has the ability to be polished to a mirror finish and has a variety of indoor or outdoor applications including flooring, bench tops and walls.

Marble is a metamorphic rock that began as limestone.Marble comes in a wonderful variety of colours created from a combination of heat, pressure and chemical and mineral elements in the stone. Marble is extremely versatile and is extensively used to create flooring, bench tops and art pieces. The word “marble” is colloquially used to refer to many other stones that are capable of taking a high polish.

Travertine is ideal for indoor and outdoor applications.The surface of Travertine never gets hot; this is due to the lack of metal content in the stone. Travertine is an excellent choice for pool, patio, kitchen and bathroom flooring, bench tops, wall cladding and even driveways.

Onyx is a beautiful artistic stone with translucent features that when light is shone through it literally brings it to life creating stunning natural patterns of colour and shadow. 
Onyx is the perfect choice for mood enhancing lamps, softly lit tables or wall art.

Biblio: Quantam Quartz

Benchtops: Granite vs Timber vs Laminate vs Engineeered Stone vs Corian

As more hard-surface products enter the kitchen scene, consumers are hit with ever more complex decisions as to what will best suit their needs and budget. As designers we are after all, encouraging choices and options, but it is a huge leap of faith to expect our clients to be overly familiar with the vast number of options available, or the costs, let alone with the pro's and con's of each product - without our expert input. We all know with little outside persuasion, what we prefer to look at in our own homes. For some that could be the cold, hard feel of granite or marble, for others, the warm patina of timber. As designers though, the task we are set as a crucial part of our brief, is to clarify for our clients, whether or not their preference is budget appropriate, suitable, or even available under the limits of the project....and then of course, move the proverbial 'heaven & earth' to make it work where possible.

Over recent years here in Australia, we have seen dwindling interest in timber benchtops, and I have frankly missed seeing the warm glow of a well-loved, richly polished timber bench in a house. Nonetheless, we have started to experience a slight 'turn of the worm' as consumers are increasingly opting for combining timber, with engineered stone, or authentic granite in their new kitchens. This still creates the organic aesthetic so keenly sought by many, but also offers the functionality of stone, with the wonderful homely feel of timber. For those who enjoy the combinations of textures, colours, and raw materials, the additional harlequin effect of polyurethane doors thrown into the mix, can give great modernity whilst still somehow including rich tradition.

In upholding the clever use of all elements without overwhelming a utility space, kitchen designers deserve full credit. The kitchens pictured are just some of our favourites. They incorporate so much, without for a second appearing 'over worked'.