Stone Specialist – the website for Natural Stone Specialist magazine – covered the news that Stone Italiana has launched the full Cosmolite collection. All ten colourways in the Cosmolite collection are made from 100% recycled inert minerals gathered during manufacturing diverting them from going into the waste stream.
This editorial coverage is critical to Italian Luxury Surfaces as it reaches fabricators working with natural and composite stones going into all sectors of construction.
Due to Stone Italiana’s certifications, Cosmolite offers all fabricators and design studios a surface material that will look after them, their businesses, the end-users and the environment.
Stone Italiana’s latest product launch – Cosmolite – was featured on the Kitchens Review website and in their monthly newsletter to architects, interior designers and house builders. Kitchens Review focuses on the latest kitchen interior design ideas, including kitchen furniture, kitchen worktops, surfaces, tiling, flooring, lighting and the latest appliances from the UK and Europe’s leading kitchen manufacturers so naturally we were delighted when they included a write up about Cosmolite.
Kitchens Review writes “Cosmolite is easy to process, fabricate and handle, and has the technical performance that comes with all Stone Italiana products; easy to clean, does not scratch or stain and resistant to heat up to 180oC. Certification includes LEED v4, GREENGUARD GOLD and NSF 51 Food Contact confirming the green credentials, low VOC emissions and safety of Cosmolite in different applications such as kitchen and bathroom worktops, stairs, interior cladding, etc.“
Choosing the right worktop for your kitchen is important. Along with the main appliances, the worktop is the one area of your kitchen that will get the most use. Understanding how each worktop material performs, its qualities and properties means you can make an informed decision about which worktop will fit your kitchen and lifestyle. In this blog post we look at granite and everything you need to know before ordering a granite worktop for your kitchen.
Belvedere granite
Granite kitchen worktops – what do you need to know before buying?
Pattern – each slab of granite is unique
Colours – range widely from creamy white to
black
Style – can be used in any style from
traditional to contemporary kitchens
Heat resistance – very good
Durability – extremely good
Affordability – granite can vary in cost, but
the long lifespan of granite means that even the most expensive has an
extremely low lifetime cost
Sanitisation – due to its porous nature, granite
needs to be sealed
In more detail:
Patterns
With granite, much like marble, every slab is unique. As a
worktop material, granite is aesthetically very pleasing with natural
inclusions, swirls, specks, veins and other interesting natural elements and
patterns in each slab.
Colours
Granite comes in a wide mix of colours and predominantly
pink, white, grey, black and cream with all the different tones in between.
Secondary accent colours such as yellow, green, silver and blue are often seen
in the granite. These can vary dramatically and can also add an interesting
visual element to tie in with the colour scheme of the kitchen.
Kuppam Green granite
Style
Granite looks good in both traditional and contemporary
projects. A more ornate profile (ornate or decorative edge to the worktop) will
look better with a worktop that is at least 30mm thick. You can order granite worktops
in 20mm thickness, but the choices of colour and pattern will be reduced. This
is down to the strength of the granite; granite with more veins and natural inclusions
will only be suitable for 30mm worktops as these elements mean the granite slab
is weaker in a 20mm thickness.
Heat resistance
Granite has exceptionally good heat resistance though like
with any worktop, we would still recommend using a trivet or heat pads
underneath hot pans to protect the surface, especially if they are going to be
left on the worktop.
Durability
Granite is exceptionally durable and hard wearing but like
all stone worktops, we do not advise that you chop directly on the worktop as
it will quickly dull your knives. A granite surface is however perfect for
kneading and rolling out dough and pastry. Despite its toughness, if a heavy
object is dropped on an edge, corner or overhanging tabletop, the granite could
still crack or chip and we recommend taking care when putting heavy small
appliances (such as a kitchen mixer) down on to the surface.
River White granite
Affordability
A granite countertop will last an exceptionally long time
and over the life of the worktop, this makes it very affordable. Granite is
timeless and you can change the colour of your kitchen cabinets and interior design
scheme without having to replace the worktop. In terms of investment, we
believe that granite is worth every penny and we are not the only ones; a
commercial manager for a property group that we work with has told us that
stone kitchen worktops and stone used in the bathrooms adds four times the cost
of the stone to the overall property value.
Sanitisation
The porous nature (absorbency or permeability) of granite
requires it to be properly sealed to keep it in the best condition. Sealing
granite helps it to resist bacteria, stains and stop the absorption of liquids.
Though granite does have a good resistance to liquids, and even some acidic
liquids such as prosecco and lemon juice, food (particularly the juices and
colourings of food) can stain and mark the surface, and resealing is required
every few years. Always check that the sealant used is tested and certified as
food safe.
Check out our live slab inventory to see what granite and other stones we have in stock right now. Alternatively, if you are looking for something specific, we have a weekly delivery from the best stone houses in Italy direct to your fabricator. Call us on +44 (0)1753 314444 for details.
Historical composite stone flooring is reinvented for the modern lifestyle
Stone Italiana Terrazzo in Grey used to maximum effect in this crisp and contemporary kitchen. The large slabs work well for both worktops and flooring.
The history of TERRAZZO is a long one; it is most widely known as the unique material created by Venetian marble workers and masons from oddly shaped marble chips left over after jobs and used for pavements and flooring in Venetian dwellings. During the last century Terrazzo has changed to the form of cement-base tiles using various kinds of grit and chips. This ancient texture is seeing a resurgence in demand as the options in textures, colours, chips and bases have increased its appeal.
Stone Italiana Terrazzo in Dark used on a kitchen worktop. The highly polished finish deepens the near black base colour.
Stone Italiana recycles ceramic chips and quartz waste fragments in their Terrazzo product and create large slabs using the strength characteristics of their quartz manufacturing process. Measuring 307cm x 144cm, Stone Italiana’s terrazzo slabs are suitable for kitchen worktops, bathroom countertops and all worksurfaces including those that come in direct contact with food.
To find out more about Stone Italiana products and other surfaces we offer, please contact us or for more visual inspiration check out our Instagram page
A realistic render of Stone Italiana’s Brilliante Black by ArtiCAD
Italian Luxury Surfaces, sole UK distributor of Stone Italiana’s innovative range of quartz worktops, has joined the ArtiCAD Supplier Partnership Programme. The company’s beautifully manufactured surfaces are now available as a comprehensive graphics catalogue within the ArtiCAD-Pro software, to help designers differentiate their designs and add value to their customers.
“We chose ArtiCAD as our first CAD partner because we have been impressed by the innovative developments they have made, particularly their acceleration over the last few years. We wanted to ensure that designers can access high-quality, accurate graphics of our products and create inspirational, photo realistic designs for their customers. The realism of the ArtiCAD graphics allows designers and consumers to really appreciate the quality and sophistication of our materials.“
Philip Winter, Sales and Marketing Director, Italian Luxury Surfaces
Worksurface made entirely from recycled pre-consumer waste by Stone Italiana.
The latest innovation from leading-edge manufacturer of recomposed quartz and marble surfaces Stone Italiana, will be arriving soon in the UK. Made entirely from pre-consumer recycled materials, COSMOLITE demonstrates Stone Italiana’s leadership in material technology.
COSMOLITE is a hi-tech slab designed to provide the design world a truly environmentally friendly material option in terms of both aesthetics and composition. Made from inert materials other than quartz that are 100% derived from pre-consumer recycled waste, COSMOLITE is wonderfully simple to process and handle – exactly what surface installers need and request.
This fascinating material is designed for use as surfaces in kitchens, bathrooms and in larger spaces where technical performance is a must.
