Kitchen island worktops with wow factor
Discussion
paulrockliffe said:
If I paid what stone costs for anything I'd never put anything hot down on it anyway, I wouldn't dare!
Granite is absolutely fine unless it is white hot and straight of a direct gas flame,or superheated cast iron. A normal pan will lose enough heat after a small amount of time off the gas to be put onto a stone surface. Many people tell you it can't take a hot pan. Usually, those people are trying to sell you silestone.
Admittedly, some stone is tougher than others. I think marble can be a bit more fragile.
Edited by Harry Flashman on Thursday 11th June 13:39
paulrockliffe said:
Harry Flashman said:
But I definitely miss being able to plonk a hot tray from the oven straight onto the island, for sure.
If I paid what stone costs for anything I'd never put anything hot down on it anyway, I wouldn't dare!Placed strategically they're ideal, and now with perfect patina.
I saw an old school chemistry lab bench used on a grand design program, looked great.
singlecoil said:
I'm not closed 
But if you want something special then have you considered a neo-industrial look, combining wood and metal? I'd love to do a kitchen in a fairly dark wood with exposed hinges and bracing in anodised aluminium.
I have this -> Wenge worktops, wenge kickboards with aluminium on the top 1/4, low profile aluminium upstands with bespoke aluminium keyed fixings, distressed copper splashbacks with bespoke aluminium fixings, exposed hood ducting suspended on bespoke brackets, double cooker hood all custom mage. Bespoke sockets in aluminium that allow devices to be plugged in and a turned ally cover to be replaced to hide them. (over used the word bespoke I know)But if you want something special then have you considered a neo-industrial look, combining wood and metal? I'd love to do a kitchen in a fairly dark wood with exposed hinges and bracing in anodised aluminium.
It's all "raw" aluminium, I did consider getting it annodised but in the end the raw, brushed finished worked better. The wenge was a bugger during fitting (heavy and prone to splintering) but was worth the effort (it's full length stays) I'd find a better supplier next time though. All the other parts were made by me as part of a portfolio
Harry Flashman said:
In fact, I am going to do exactly this. Our island is 3m x 90cm. I am going to do the "working side" in a 3m x 60cm slab of interesting stone, and match it to a natural wood 3m x 30cm, waney edged strip.
Thanks thread, for the massive spend. Thanks a lot.
How expensive? Thanks thread, for the massive spend. Thanks a lot.
The materials won't be and it's not a difficult job to do. Make a couple of small ones first to use as chopping boards to get your eye in and then use your existing top to make it on......
No, I think plan would be a feature stone for the bit on the island on the side of the sink, which is also the "cooking triangle", so good for hot pans. WOuld have to be made to measure and fitted.
This butted to a waney (bark) edged wood section, where the seating is on the other side of the island.
This butted to a waney (bark) edged wood section, where the seating is on the other side of the island.
Harry Flashman said:
No, I think plan would be a feature stone for the bit on the island on the side of the sink, which is also the "cooking triangle", so good for hot pans. WOuld have to be made to measure and fitted.
This butted to a waney (bark) edged wood section, where the seating is on the other side of the island.
Oh OK. Bend over then I guess!This butted to a waney (bark) edged wood section, where the seating is on the other side of the island.
Harry Flashman said:
In fact, I am going to do exactly this. Our island is 3m x 90cm. I am going to do the "working side" in a 3m x 60cm slab of interesting stone, and match it to a natural wood 3m x 30cm, waney edged strip.
Thanks thread, for the massive spend. Thanks a lot.
Ha, you’re welcome! Just make sure you share the photos 🙂Thanks thread, for the massive spend. Thanks a lot.
i went for a cambria quartz, mainly because its effectively bomb proof but because its the only quartz ive seen which actually looks like real stone. no where near as beautiful as some of the stone above but very practical and reasonable money. Perfect for me as i love the type of stature marble appearance.
garyhun said:
singlecoil said:
a neo-industrial look, combining wood and metal? I'd love to do a kitchen in a fairly dark wood with exposed hinges and bracing in anodised aluminium.
Have you got any images of what you’re thinking of?I’m hopefully starting my bungalow renovation and extension in the next month or so and one of the things that Mrs G and I have set our sights on is an industrial look kitchen.
The possibilities are almost endless though. The essence of it would be to use birch plywood cabinets, maybe with visible fixings, and doors that are made of vertical staves of (for instance) walnut with T&G expansion gaps set in an aluminium frame with TIG welded corners. Or instead of the frame, maybe ledge and brace style with the ledges and braces made of aluminium (anodised or raw) and inset into the wood.
So many possibilities, so little time...
drgav2005 said:
We chose a rather wild piece of Orinocco granite for our island, with Calacatta Gold silestone for the rest of the surfaces around the sink.
Looked like this when we chose the slab in the factory:
What's going on behind the sink there, can't figure it out - is it mirror tiles?Looked like this when we chose the slab in the factory:
If so, why the oddly spaced darker sections or is that the reflection of a window frame or similar opposite slightly fragmented?
OzzyR1 said:
drgav2005 said:
We chose a rather wild piece of Orinocco granite for our island, with Calacatta Gold silestone for the rest of the surfaces around the sink.
Looked like this when we chose the slab in the factory:
What's going on behind the sink there, can't figure it out - is it mirror tiles?Looked like this when we chose the slab in the factory:
If so, why the oddly spaced darker sections?
Harry Flashman said:
I do wonder if they are in any way practical, though - I can ruin most kitchen worktops in a short space of time, and just don't think resin would be too happy with the "not going to bother with a chopping board, I'll just cut this onion here and then scrape it off the worktop into the pan with the knife" way of cooking.
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