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Choosing a worktop

Oak, quartz, marble or granite: each worktop looks, feels and ages differently. Here is what to expect from each before you choose.

Morning light on the rounded edge of a solid oak worktop, with a small ceramic cup of coffee.Generated with AICreated with AI from our own 3D kitchens or a written prompt. Every generated image here carries this mark.

Fig. 01 Choosing a worktop

01

Solid oak: warm and repairable

Our oak worktop is solid wood, finished with oil. It feels warm to the touch, softens the look of any front and gets better with age. Wood does mark: a hot pan or a wet glass left overnight will leave a ring. The good news is that oak can be sanded and re-oiled, so small damage disappears. Oil it a few times in the first months, then whenever water stops beading on the surface.

Water beading on an oiled solid oak worktop, a linen cloth and a bottle of oil.
Generated with AICreated with AI from our own 3D kitchens or a written prompt. Every generated image here carries this mark.

Fig. 02 Solid oak: warm and repairable

02

White quartz: the easy one

Quartz is a composite of crushed stone and resin. It does not need sealing or oiling, resists stains from coffee, wine and turmeric, and keeps its even white colour for years. It is the worktop to choose if you want to stop thinking about your worktop. Use a trivet for very hot pans, since resin dislikes sudden heat.

A white quartz worktop with a cup of coffee and a spill wiped up, sage fronts below.
Generated with AICreated with AI from our own 3D kitchens or a written prompt. Every generated image here carries this mark.

Fig. 03 White quartz: the easy one

Choose quartz if you want to stop thinking about your worktop.

03

Honed marble: beautiful, alive

Marble is natural stone with soft grey veining, and no two slabs look the same. Our marble is honed, which means a matte surface rather than a polished shine. Lemon juice and vinegar can etch it, leaving dull spots. Many people love that patina as the record of a well-used kitchen; if you would rather not see it, choose quartz.

Half a lemon and a knife on honed white marble with a faint etch mark.
Generated with AICreated with AI from our own 3D kitchens or a written prompt. Every generated image here carries this mark.

Fig. 04 Honed marble: beautiful, alive

04

Black granite: almost indestructible

Granite is the hardest of the four. Our flamed finish gives it a slightly textured, matte surface that hides fingerprints and crumbs. It shrugs off hot pans and knife blades, and it suits dark or bold fronts especially well.

A hot cast-iron pan set straight down on a flamed black granite worktop.
Generated with AICreated with AI from our own 3D kitchens or a written prompt. Every generated image here carries this mark.

Fig. 05 Black granite: almost indestructible

05

Matching the worktop to the fronts

Light fronts love oak: Fog, Chalk and Linen warm up instantly next to it. Quartz suits the greens and the greys, where its clean white gives a crisp contrast. Marble belongs with framed fronts and brass, the classic pairing. Granite is at its best against deep colours such as Ink, Coal and Harbour, where it makes the whole kitchen feel grounded.

06

Priced by the centimetre

Every worktop is cut to the length of your run and priced per centimetre, so you only pay for what you need. Try them in the configurator: the 3D view and the price change as you switch.