Kitchen island worktops with wow factor

[guindilias]

That looks amazing - buy impractical and horribly expensive. Not keen on the tap, it looks like it's just copper efffect paint?
Seriously nice workmanship on the worktop and sink, though.

[GnuBee]

Sway said:

Oh you can't type that and not provide pics!

Sounds awesome.

Not my kitchen but a customer's kitchen with concrete tops - we did the cooker hood and switching

[GnuBee]

Exposed ductwork with bespoke hangers and escutcheon

[pquinn]

Extra thick glass slab:



Acid etched / backlit glass:

[pquinn]

Gloss white + live edge timber:

[Hereward]

deadslow said:

Harry Flashman said:

First pic is the kitceh we did in our first house. Second, that's my current house! So thanks for the diplomacy!

Everyone's a critic I do accept that dark kitchens are not to everyone's taste.

Obviously, I float around the place dressed in my goth gear and sacrifice virgins, so it serves my purposes well.

But it definitely needs a light island surface to bounce light around. Were I doing it again, the flagstone floor would have been cream rather than grey.

My Gothic kitchen in its full glory...

DSC_0582.jpg by baconrashers, on Flickr

Edited by Harry Flashman on Friday 12th June 09:21

Edited by Harry Flashman on Friday 12th June 09:23

this is my kitchen heaven. I detest the modern trend to white/grey.

Dohhhh...I have multiple shades of grey

[Sway]

Gnubee - that's absolutely bloody stunning...

When I win the lottery, a combo of you and Singlecoil can play to make my new second kitchen.

It'll have to be the second kitchen, as there's no way my better half will sign off anything that bold!

[Paulduckworth]

Kiddi said:

Paulduckworth said:

The tiling to the nib in the second picture would piss my off daily, it’s not quite centred is it?

If you mean the inside elbow - never even noticed it before the photo, lol. I'm normally the one who obsesses over things like that. I'll never be able to see anything else now.

All the other are defo in line in person

Edited by Paulduckworth on Monday 15th June 16:11

[Neil - YVM]

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:



And installed in our new build:

Stunning, love the look of that!

[Neil - YVM]

Harry Flashman said:

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

Both Granite and Quartz (Silestone, etc) are fine with hot pans.

Marble is a bit soft for kitchen worktops, but there are now some great Quartz tops that look just like marble.

[Harry Flashman]

Hereward said:

Dohhhh...I have multiple shades of grey

A kitchen (like anything) is about cohesive design. Brightly coloured stuff would be totally unnecessary with those gorgeous oak beams.

i would probably still have chosen green for my cabinets (but in a lighter colour than my very dark shade) in that space, but frankly, that is lovely! The Dijon limestone floor (which I wish I had used as I do elsewhere in the house) picks up the brown in the beams nicely.

I think what people are objecting to is this trend for grey absolutely everywhere - floor, wall, cabinets etc. It's this century's magnolia if over-used.

This sort of thing.

Edited by Harry Flashman on Tuesday 16th June 11:58

[Harry Flashman]

I really am leaning to something like this for the seating area on my island, teamed with a feature granite, sort of like below, but the stone to be more complimentary to the wood.

[Harry Flashman]

Hmmm.

Not cheap. But just look at it. And 3m long.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Very-Large-English-Waln...

Or the below, book-matched and set into resin.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-Of-Bookmatched-Wan...

[Sway]

Harry Flashman said:

Hmmm.

Not cheap. But just look at it. And 3m long.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Very-Large-English-Waln...

Or the below, book-matched and set into resin.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pair-Of-Bookmatched-Wan...

Burr walnut is always going to be staggeringly expensive.

Pippy Oak is gorgeous, and a huge amount cheaper (there's a lot more of it available!)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164213037517

[Harry Flashman]

Excellent call! And yes, lovely.

[singlecoil]

Sway said:

Burr walnut is always going to be staggeringly expensive.

Pippy Oak is gorgeous, and a huge amount cheaper (there's a lot more of it available!)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164213037517

I note that the listing shows air dried boards. Modern kitchens are pretty dry places, some warping and fissures should be expected as it dries out over time.

[Sway]

singlecoil said:

Sway said:

Burr walnut is always going to be staggeringly expensive.

Pippy Oak is gorgeous, and a huge amount cheaper (there's a lot more of it available!)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164213037517

I note that the listing shows air dried boards. Modern kitchens are pretty dry places, some warping and fissures should be expected as it dries out over time.

Agreed - although if being encapsulated within resin that'll remove that risk.

Do you know of sources of kiln dried decorative hardwoods?

[C Lee Farquar]

Sway said:

Burr walnut is always going to be staggeringly expensive.

Pippy Oak is gorgeous, and a huge amount cheaper (there's a lot more of it available!)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164213037517

That seller used to be near me, had a kiln and furniture company

I had two loads like this when he was clearing out

[drgav2005]

Neil - YVM said:

Stunning, love the look of that!

Cheers!

[singlecoil]

C Lee Farquar said:

That seller used to be near me, had a kiln and furniture company

I had two loads like this when he was clearing out

So what did you do with it?