Kitchen design can often take a little bit of inspiration from the chief activity that takes place in the room: cooking.

Cooking relies upon complementary ingredients that work together to produce a great meal. Fantastic kitchen design also relies upon complementary ingredients, but this time in the form of materials that work together to produce a great visual effect.

One of the most complimentary relationships in the world of kitchen design is the relationship between wood and granite. This relationship has both aesthetic and practical aspects and that’s really the key to its success.

Key components

How can you actually bring wood and granite together in your kitchen? Granite is an excellent worktop material because it is so hardwearing. The material also contributes a great deal in terms of how the kitchen looks and worktops made from granite account for a large visible surface area of the space.

When you have granite worktops, you can use wood elsewhere in the knowledge that you won’t be overwhelming the room with one particular material. Wooden floors are an obvious choice, but wooden cabinets with a natural finish are also a good idea.

Aesthetics

So how do wood and granite work together from an aesthetic point of view? Well, as mentioned above, they prevent you from relying too heavily on one material in one colour.

The introduction of a different texture and finish is really easy on the eye. You get the smooth, glossy finish of granite, with its unique mottled pattern and deep hue, alongside wooden elements that are smooth, but grainy and matte. This balance between colour and neutrality is absolutely perfect for those interested in achieving a really tasteful look.

One of the things that homemakers tend to look for in materials used in kitchen design is a sense of natural quality. Granite and wood both have this quality – they are both durable and they both have that sense of natural solidity without having been heavily processed in order to get them from their natural state and into the home.

Closeness to nature is something a lot of people value in both traditional and contemporary interior design – even more so nowadays when environmental issues are so influential in our everyday lives.

Functionality

It’s interesting that granite and wood enjoy a functional relationship too. One intelligent way to make the most of the different properties of granite and wood is to have a combination of worktops. For instance, you could use wooden worktops around the walls of your kitchen and granite worktops on your kitchen island if you have one.

What’s the advantage of a combination of worktops? Well, granite is cool to the touch and flawlessly smooth. This means it is a fantastic surface for baking. Wood, on the other hand, is wonderfully resistant to heat and will withstand contact with hot pans and dishes. As such, wooden worktops next to the cooker and granite worktops in open workspaces make a lot of sense.

There are lots of other complementary relationships in the kitchen between colours, materials and stylistic flourishes. The key is finding which combine to positive effect and which combine to negative effect. Just like in great cuisine, the ultimate goal is the sensational taste!

Henderstone provides solutions of which can be used to brighten up a household and even increase a household’s value. Henderstone’s Granite Worktops are used frequently within the interior design sector.