Stone, on furniture built to carry it.
A worktop is the surface a kitchen lives on. We build the cabinetry to take the weight and the joints; a stone partner templates, cuts and fits the top once the furniture is in.
Natural stone.
Granite and marble are what they are — every slab different, the veining and colour formed in the ground, no two islands alike. Granite is hard-wearing and takes heat well; marble is softer and more beautiful, and asks to be looked after. We'll tell you honestly which suits how you cook.
Quartz.
An engineered stone: consistent from slab to slab, non-porous, and needs no sealing — the surface for a busy family kitchen where the look has to stay the same for years. Whites with soft veining, bold veins, plain solids.
How it happens.
The worktop is designed with the furniture, not after it: the island's overhang, the sink and hob cut-outs, the edge profile, a waterfall end, a matching upstand or splashback.
Who fits it.
Stone is heavy and unforgiving; it is fitted by the stone company that cut it, working to our drawing and to the room.
Bring a sample of the stone you like to the design visit and we'll put it against the doors and the handles. It's the pairing that makes the room.
Questions we're asked
Granite, quartz or sintered — which should I choose?
Depends on how you cook and what you want to see. Granite for character and heat; quartz for consistency and no maintenance; sintered stone for outdoor, ultra-thin or heavy-use surfaces. We'll show you samples against your doors at the design visit.
Does stone need sealing?
Granite and marble do, periodically; quartz doesn't. We'll tell you what your surface needs and how often.
When is the worktop fitted?
After the cabinetry is in and level. The stone is templated to the fitted furniture, then cut and fitted — there's a gap between the two visits, which we'll give you at the design stage.
Do you do the stone yourselves?
No. We make the furniture; a specialist stone company templates, cuts and fits the surface, working to our drawing. It's the right way round — each does the part it does best.
Tell us about your room.
We'll come and measure, talk through what you need, and price it honestly. Visits take about 45 minutes.