This episode of Love Your Kitchen focuses on kitchen worktops, featuring an interview with Ross Williamson, Sales Director at The Surface Collection. The discussion covers various worktop materials, including laminates, ceramics, solid surfaces like granite and quartz, and new options like porcelain and recycled materials.

Faye and Ross highlight the importance of cohesive design and the practical considerations of different materials, such as durability, maintenance, and cost. They go on to explain the sealing process for natural stones and the benefits of porcelain worktops.

Key Takeaways

When you're picking the right worktop, it's super important to think about how it fits into your entire design scheme.

Bringing samples home to see them in different lighting will make a huge difference. Materials can look totally different in photos or even on small samples, so it’s worth doing a little extra legwork!

Don’t forget to seal your worktops every year, especially if you’re going for natural stone. This little step can really help prevent stains and damage down the line. Your fabricator will have some great insights on which sealant works best for your specific material and finish, so don’t hesitate to ask them for advice.

Best Moments

"And one of the clever things, I think, that the Thomas groups managed to do is adapt with the time. So originally, even 12 years ago, the majority of work was granites, and then quartz came into the scene.”

“We pride ourselves on the fact that we are not tied to one particular factory that we import from. So we have a more bespoke range.”

"Granite is an igneous stone, which just basically means as comes from volcanoes. Okay, so it's not as hard as quartzite, but it's pretty much up there. The latter comes out as lava. It cools down. That's how you get those amazing like, the cosmic black we looked at before. Yeah, that's lava flow. That causes that, which is just, that's amazing, isn't it, you know, so there's a real bit of life and chaos in there.”

About the Guest

Ross Williamson is the Sales Director of a company called The Surface Collection, which is a well-known worktop distributor based in Manchester. The Surface Collection was founded after World War II when the grandfather of the company's directors found blocks of Carrara marble on the beaches of Carrara and started importing them to make vases and other products.

About the Host

Faye Newman is a freelance Kitchen Designer with eight years of experience in the industry. With a background in furniture design and a passion for creating spaces that reflect the essence of the home, Faye brings a unique perspective to kitchen design. Her dedication to client satisfaction and love for her craft shines through in every project she undertakes.

Connect with Faye Newman Design:

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Whether you're renovating your kitchen, looking for organisation hacks, or seeking culinary inspiration, Love Your Kitchen is your go-to resource for all things kitchen-related.

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