Start with the kitchen tops OR the kitchen colours?

Here it is, I think that you are always better off falling in love with the colour, material and style of worktop first. As, although at first it may seem that there are hundreds of quartz / granite / composite colours to choose from. Once you've narrowed your selection down you will find that there will be only one or two that will actually suit your requirements.

It's always a much easier and smoother process from a designers point of view if we can get the worktops chosen early on. Your designer will help you find the right one, don't despair, there is a lot of choice but it's interesting - truly(!) and we will find your perfect worktop.

Below I have included a detailed list of your worktop options and their properties. There will be some on the list that you'll rule out straight away because of it's unique qualities.

There really is so much to say about worktops and these are only the most common solutions, I will save the weird and wonderful ones for another day e.g. concrete and glass.

Let's see what you think!

The most common and popular kitchen worktop options are as follows:

Laminate, solid laminate, wood, composites, quartz, and granite.

Laminates are still a strong contender in the kitchen market and depending on where your budget is, they may be a good option for you.

There are so many colours and finishes now available we're completely spoilt for choice. What you're likely to find is that, should you look at laminates at one of the bigger retail stores or sheds then you will be somewhat restricted with your colour choices. They do update their selections with current trends but if you want true choice then you'll need to get in touch with an independent showroom.

You can have your laminates cut and edged in the factory that makes them; this is ideal if you're having any curved ends and want to avoid that 'cut and stuck' on edge look.

However, if you choose this option it does make the laminate tops considerably more expensive and you'd pay a similar price to that of an inexpensive quartz or solid wood worktops.

Solid laminate tops are thin laminates which are solid all the way though - no chipboard.

They usually have a black or white middle which you'll see on the edge of the worktop and on the inside of any cutouts for sinks and drainer grooves. The benefits for you are mainly aesthetics and cost, they look like a thin quartz, and you can have under-mount sinks with them, you can also have curves cut into the worktops for beautifully finished edges.

Summary: the look of stone tops without the substantial price tag.

However, just to note, I have not met a single fitter yet who likes fitting these. They are extremely hard to cut, in fact fitters will go through numerous expensive blades whilst cutting them and I'm told the dust that the worktops give off when cut is borderline hazardous.

As such, you can expect a hefty fee to install them.

If you are thinking of using your own fitting team instead of using one through the company who sold your kitchen then triple check they are happy to fit this type of worktop and that they have plenty of experience in doing so. They may be cheaper than other solid worktop options but they are still over twice the price of an ordinary laminates and you really don't want to have to pay for a replacement. Also, if it turns out your fitter is not happy to fit them and you have ordered them it may well be the case that the company will refuse to accept a refund for the goods which means finding someone else last minute and usually at a lot more personal expense.

Despite the fitting concerns this options has been growing in popularity the past few years and as such the colour options are increasing. They usually have a mat look and a textured feel to them. Different kitchen companies have different brand names for them but most bigger kitchen suppliers offer some variation of this worktop.

Solid wood worktops are beautiful and are still my favourite, yep, this is most definitely true.

But I talk my clients out of having solid wood all the time, there is a considerable amount maintenance that comes with them, sanding and oiling. You really wouldn't want them with a Belfast sink or an under-mount sink as the wood will rot away and discolour very quickly.

As I type this blog I am sitting at a breakfast bar made of Oak and it is my favourite place to work or just sit with a coffee. This is partly because wooden worktops hold heat better, they're not cold to the touch and unlike quartz they soften sounds so glasses and mugs don't 'clunk'. To me this feels more inviting. Your very best option, have solid wood where you're sitting, at an island or a breakfast bar and have a beautiful quartz or granite top around the rest of the kitchen.

With wood you again have a lot of choice, there are some materials that I personally would avoid - any soft woods that mark easily: Bamboo, some Beech. You really want something like Oak or Walnut. If you want less of a 'pieced together' look, you can opt for full stave wood worktops where the wood will run the whole stretch of the worktop in long strips however this is usually twice the price or more and also more specialist so not available from all suppliers. You can have different thicknesses too depending on the material. 60mm wood can look breathtaking when designed well.

Be careful with choosing wood that looks the perfect colour by the sample as it is natural and some will change dramatically over time - Iroko for instance looks rich and light initially but will turn very orange reasonably quickly.

Wood will fade in sun light, and because it is natural it will expand and contract: something to consider when designing a fancy island with wood and another material as the wood may pull away from the adjacent material as the temperature cools. There are ways to overcome this issue that a clever designer will think about.

When thinking of wooden tops, consider how you want it to look. That sound's daft, let me elaborate, what I mean is that if you want a crisp, statement look then nothing beats an oiled 60mm thick Walnut however any marks, or splattering of oil will be very obvious with a walnut worktop. It is designed to look like a statement furniture piece, not a 'working top'.

If you're happy with something more 'life friendly', not wanting to be always fretting over your kitchen, choose an Oak maybe, as this can take much rougher treatment and still look warm and inviting. My breakfast bar here is an Oak, and looking a little closer I can now notice a few marks here and there but they're not obvious and with the amount of use it gets, I find this encouraging.

Here's my other favourite feature of wooden tops; they're repairable. If you have a bit of time, give them a light sanding and oil them with some Danish oil, you feel so good about the result that the initial effort vanishes. Well, that's true for me anyway. And the smell is gorgeous.

I guess it makes sense to next talk about composite worktops. For me, and this is just my honest and personal opinion, they are a Marmite worktop. They are either the absolute best if not only option for you or they will not work for you at all. I like them, but I know designers that wouldn't go near them.

If you like your worktops to look pristine all the time but you or your family are not the most careful then this may not the best option for you.

If you want to have a boiling water tap, the molded sink is not for you.

If you are looking for a seamless finish with no obvious joins in your worktops, if you want to have molded sinks and curved upstands, if you have interest in doing something weird and wonderful with your design, this could be the perfect fit for you.

Lots of my clients will say, once they've had these tops they wouldn't want anything else.

I believe some of my clients hire someone to come out once a year and buff them up to their original splendor.

Composite tops are supplied by various brands and the qualities and costings vary greatly between them. There is a branded composite that falls in the most expensive worktop category on the market... well, that's only really true because those that would choose that particular brand will be the ones who want to take advantage of the molded sinks, curved upstands, gable ends etc.. and once these are included, it all becomes very pricey.

There are inexpensive 'stocked' alternatives, these will not necessarily be made as a fresh batch for your kitchen, it is likely that they will be kept in someones warehouse for an unknown length of time and there is no telling whether all your worktop pieces will have been made at the same time so colour variation is likely. Having said that, they will be fraction of the cost of the branded ones.

As far as I am aware, no composites are solid all the way through; they'd be impossible to work with due to the weight of the product. But some materials will have thicker composite proportions than others, what this means to you is that when considering having something like drainer grooves, the deeper the composite resin used, then the deeper the grooves can be. Some fitters aren't confident enough to put in drainer grooves when working with thinner resins as they are worried they'll cut too deeply. Depends on your fitter as to whether this will be worth attempting.

A note, you cannot have a Belfast sink with this type of worktop. The branded type offers their own Belfast look alike made of the same material which looks incredible. This isn't usually a concern for clients who like this product as it is usually a more modern look they're seeking and a Belfast sink has a typically more traditional feel.

I'll mention Granite now as I really do love Granite! But that said, the majority of my clients will now choose Quartz over granite. Looking back ten years, granite was all the range, everyone wanted dark statement granite with white cabinets in their kitchen and Quartz was too restrictive in it's colours, and with not enough depth when looking at the slabs.

Many people confuse granite with marble, just to note, you really do not want Marble worktops. I think anyone in this industry would know enough to not try to sell you marble in a kitchen but just in case, do avoid it. It's a soft stone, likely to snap at weaker points e.g. where a sink or hub cut out is. It also stains terribly as it's extremely porous. Lot's of people still like to use it in bathrooms and I'll admit I've seen some of the most beautiful slabs of marble but reality is makeup and beauty products do not work well with marble.

Right, small tangent, and back to Granite. This used to be my favourite, it is completely natural which I love. It has taken thousands of years for that stunning work of art to be created and there is no other piece exactly like it anywhere else. Some of them look like photos taken in space, they are spectacular! Some even have fossils in the stone- forget thousands of years, these are millions of years old, as your kitchen counter. Madness.

Also, when thinking of them as unique works of art that's taken thousands of years to form and maybe the cost makes more sense. -This varies a lot depending on where on the Planet they've been dug up from, how old it is, how rare etc..

Also, take a little care when choosing a granite supplier, a few years ago some rather poor quality granite flooded our markets and the result being that it was very porous, untreated and prone to staining. Lots of clients will not have granite again once they've had such a poor experience. A real shame.

A granite supplier that is in anyway good will pre-treat your granite. Because granite is natural stone there will be natural 'fissures' that will result in it being somewhat porous, a treated granite will have been essentially 'sealed'. But this will need you to occasionally top up the treatment, your granite supplier will have a cleaning kit designed to do just this.

Sealed or not, if you leave something like red wine on your granite for a long length of time it will eventually get into the stone and will be much more difficult to remove.

Another point, if you live in a hard water area, over time you may find that around your sink the granite will show signs of 'white staining', this is a reaction that is happening between the calcium & magnesium in the water and your granite, they essentially calcify and this will be impossible to remove.

Aside from that, ff you're looking for darker granite or ones that are unique with swirls and depth, granite is an excellent choice for you!

If you're after a much lighter worktop with consistent soft 'marbling', granite is simply not for you, being natural, the pattern will be random and much more obvious on a lighter coloured top.

You may have a piece with a splash of a random colour through it - beautiful to some but not all.

If you want consistency, your best option will be anything but this stone worktop.

That brings me to Quartz. Our last topic for worktops - yay, finally, but also our biggest selection.

Why choose Quartz? Or better yet, why is everyone choosing quartz?

It's consistent, most suppliers will make a fresh batch of quartz for your kitchen so you can be confident that your island piece will match your other counters.

It's cold! It feels like granite. It's perfect for baking and rolling out pastries.

In the recent years Quartz manufacturers managed to figure out how to create a random marbled effect. This was a total break through and, for me, kind of explains the boom of marbled worktops now being the most popular option for clients. It allows us to achieve that look of grandeur and elegance. To be able to choose bold and personal colours on doors instead of on the tops. It's a blank canvas for you to introduce your own personality to this space. Also, a light horizontal surface will reflect light more effectively than having lighter doors.

There is a daunting amount of choice with Quartz, there will be unbranded quartz that will be incredible value but more restrictive on colours and qualities. But there will also be the branded ones. Some have properties where the quartz has been impregnated with antibacterial properties. Some will have sparkle, some will have more subtle or more distinctive marbling and loads of colour choices too.

A tip - if you find a quartz colour somewhere you like, make a note, even if your kitchen supplier doesn't show off that particular colour, their worktop supplier may still be able to get it.

Even with regards to quartz being mostly man made and consistent, ask your supplier for a recent sample. If you are going by what you see on a showroom display that could be years old then the veining may look very different. One showroom I used to work with had a lovely deep blue vein that complimented beautifully with an Oxford blue door, however after years of making that quartz, the most recent batches have a more graphite colour vein rather than blue. Just something to look out for. Still stunning but may not be exactly what you wanted.

Some quartz is a lot of fun to demonstrate! Yes, I took great pleasure in setting one on fire and scribbling over it in permanent marker. This, ladies and gentleman will be the dearest of the dear on the market. The pen washes off with ordinary soap, the fire does nothing, can't even mark it with a key it is that tough. It is usually thinner than a normal quartz for a more modern look and because of how it is made, the 'pattern' should you opt for one, will not always show on the edge of the worktop. Because it is thin and extremely dense, if you have an over hang and you walloped it with say a super heavy pan, you could potentially take the corner off. But, why would you?

On that note it got me thinking - heat! This is the ONLY worktop you can put a hot pan on. That's right, the ONLY one! This particular quartz, this 'set fire to', 'childproof friendly' brand of quartz, ALL other quartz, granite, composite - anything else, please do not put a hot pan on it.

Do I have a slab of granite by my hob that doubles as a worktop protector and an attractive chopping board? Yes, yes I do. But it is advised against. The risk is, if someone were to put something very cold on your stone worktop, like an ice bucket and then they were to put something very hot on the same spot you could cause thermal shot and it may crack or damage your tops. It will void your guarantee.

Another tip - save yourself some money.

Find the quartz colour you want from wherever. As previously mentioned this is the biggest part of your whole kitchen design and colours coming together. This is the colour we have to get right first and foremost.

Find the colour; ideally get a sample. Take this to a local granite & quartz supplier and have it costed with the design supplied by me - this is probably where you'll make your biggest saving btw.

You will save a considerable amount from the cost offered via bigger kitchen suppliers and sheds.

Be savvy, some kitchen retailers will offer you a price match on the worktop quote but keep in mind that that discount is coming out of a 'pool of profit' left in your order, the fewer 'price matches' you require, the more you'll be able to negotiate the overall cost - again, something I'm pretty good at.

Thanks for reading!

Well done on getting through all of that, if you believe it there is much more to be said about them too.

Get in touch when you're ready to start designing!

Elizabeth