Bringing the Outside In with Natural Stone
Using natural stone in your quality kitchen renovation design comes with a host of benefits. Aside from being beautiful to feel and look at, incorporating natural stone is a great way to ensure a high return on investment should you be considering selling your home down the track. Monetary value aside, natural stone also opens your home up to a world of possibilities, design-wise. Keep reading to learn about how you can transform your kitchen design from basic to beautiful by paying homage to nature.
Why natural stone?
For open-plan homes with plenty of windows and connectivity with the outdoors, natural stone is the, well, natural solution in the kitchen. If your kitchen design has a nature-inspired palette, replete with warm earthy tones of emerald green, a natural stone feature such as a bench or splashback helps to create a seamless connection between house and garden.
When natural stone accents are paired with timber, the result is a modern quality kitchen that is at both times dynamic and relaxing. Bringing touches of nature into the home also brings the energy and vitality of the outdoors in, enhancing your everyday.
Simply importing touches of rich Australian hardwoods shows you have an appreciation for the world around you, but pairing this with natural stones like marble, granite and quartz makes your home sophisticated and elegant. These natural stones can also be transplanted into other areas of the home, like the bathroom, and in the case of marble, in small decorative touches in bedrooms and living areas. This not only creates a sense of consistency within the home, it can elevate the feel of the entire house.
Benchtops
Given the indoor/outdoor nature of the Australian lifestyle, it’s no wonder natural stone has such a prominence within homes. Rarely do you see something more opulent in a modern kitchen than a uniquely-veined stone benchtop.
Natural stones like marble and granite are the two most popular stone benchtop choices for kitchen design. Marble is known for its striking nature and soft grey accents, whilst Granite is often lauded for its durability and eye-catching, unique aesthetic.
Natural stone benchtops pair well with just about any other material. If you’re set on making a natural statement in your kitchen design, utilising timber for your upper and lower kitchen cupboards can create a striking contrast.
Splashbacks
Marble splashbacks are growing increasingly popular in modern kitchen design. Aside from the aesthetic benefit, having a natural stone splashback also protects your kitchen walls from excess moisture. Due to its natural high density, marble is 100% hypoallergenic, and when sealed with a high quality natural stone sealer to make it non-porous, can be very easily maintained.
Marble splashbacks are less prone to chipping, as you’re almost certain not to knock into them or drop rogue utensils and other wares on their surface. This makes a natural stone splashback a better investment in some homes, for example, if you have a young family. A marble splashback can be paired with a more hard-wearing natural stone benchtop, for example a quartz surface, to still achieve a high-end look.
Flooring
Natural stone flooring is a great way to increase your home’s value, and can be used all over your house, not just the kitchen. Granite is a safe natural stone option for flooring, as it is naturally very hard-wearing and heat-resistant. Marble tiles are another popular option for high-end renovations. If you like the look but not the price tag, marble-look tiles are a low-cost flooring alternative.
Looking for more kitchen design tips? Our exclusive Kitchen Design eBook covers everything from flooring and surfaces to the right kitchen layout. Download it now to learn more.
Want to know more about how natural stone can be incorporated in your new kitchen design? Book a consultation with an Apollo Kitchens designer and get started on bringing the kitchen of your dreams to life.
