When we think of renovating a kitchen, most people will get excited about the standard kitchen upgrades; new units, new worktops and new floors. But, they are missing all the fun modern additions that are becoming more and more popular in kitchens.
There are lots of aspects to think of when you are designing a new kitchen, so we wanted to take a few minutes to bring to your attention some additional things that could make your life easier and stress-free.
Pull out sockets
We all find that we need more sockets in the house, especially in the kitchen as everything needs plugging in! But the walls only have so much space and extension leads can just get in the way, so why not think about getting plug sockets that can hide in the countertops?
These sockets sit hidden in the unit while you aren’t using them and then when you need them you simply pull them out. You can get a range of sizes and sockets to suit your needs. For example, some can include 3 plug sockets as well as a couple of USB ports, or you can get 1 plug socket and 2 USB ports.
If this is something that you are interested in, then we can design your stone kitchen worktops to include holes where these plugs can sit. Simply mention this to us when we start designing your worktops.
Wireless charging
Let’s face it, most of us use our phones in the kitchen, whether that is for looking up a recipe, or playing music. We can often find ourselves in need of a charger while in the kitchen, but we certainly don’t want additional wires around.
Worry not, you could get a charger built into your kitchen worktop. Similar to a wireless charger that you might buy for your car or bedside table, you can have a charger built into your kitchen worktop and then all you will need to do is place your phone over the charging point and it will start charging.
This is something that will need careful consideration when planning your worktops, so if you are thinking of adding this to your kitchen, we recommend that you speak to us about it. Call us on 01929 550653 to talk to our friendly experts today.
Boiling water taps
These are becoming more and more common in kitchens around the UK, and quite frankly we aren’t surprised. Boiling water on a tap means tea and coffee on demand.
As the name suggests, this is quite literally a tap that produces boiling water. These come in various designs; some will have a separate tap that is purely a boiling water tap, others will have a valve that they turn to switch their usual sink tap to a boiling water tap.
Upstands
Upstands are a modern upgrade on tiling. Rather than tiling the whole wall, they are a small slab of stone that runs across the wall adjoined to the worktop by a silicone join. This creates a consistent look and feel throughout your kitchen.
They are designed to create a seal between the worktops and the wall so that no liquid gets into the cupboards, they also catch a lot of the mess that is made in the kitchen.
Usually an upstand is made of the same material that the worktops are made of, providing a flowing and flawless theme throughout the kitchen.
At Eaton Stonemasons, we are experts at fitting upstands as an addition to your stone kitchen worktop, and we find that they are an excellent addition to your kitchen. Not only do they make it look smart and sophisticated, but the stone is easy to clean, so you aren’t left with dirty marks on the walls.
Drainage flutes
Do away with clunky drainage boards sat next to the sink with drainage flutes.
These are grooves in the stone kitchen worktop next to the sink. As they mark the boundaries of a sink they look right, and can really make a difference to the look of the kitchen. Adding these into your stone worktop means that you don’t have to add in any extra metal draining boards as you would with laminate. You can simply wipe away the water without worrying about long lasting damage to the surface.
Drainage flutes also mean that kitchenware is able to “breathe” so that the insides dry while facing down, as well as the outsides.
At Eaton Stonemasons we are able to produce various styles of drainage flutes to work with your choice of sink. This is something that can be discussed once you have chosen a material and we are working with you to design the perfect stone kitchen worktop.
Splashbacks
Protecting your walls behind the hob and oven against spilt liquids is nothing new. Most people will have a form of splashback in their kitchen.
But why not extend your stone worktop up the wall to create a flawless look. Stone splashbacks are easy to clean and durable, meaning they will look great for a long time to come.
Splashbacks are a popular choice with our customers, and we know how to make it look perfect in your kitchen, so speak to us today if this is a feature you are interested in having with your stone kitchen worktops.
Feeling inspired?
There are a lot of new modern additions that can be added to your kitchen, these are just a few ideas.
If you are feeling inspired and are ready to start designing your new kitchen, drop into our stone showroom in Wareham to speak to one of our stone kitchen worktop experts and view our selection of over 300 samples.
Call us on 01929 550653 to discuss your kitchen renovation or to book an appointment to visit us at our showroom. Alternatively, you can email us on sales@eatonstonemasons.com.
And remember you can follow us on Facebook to see some of our recent work and get more kitchen inspiration.