Deciding on a worktop for your kitchen or bathroom

Living in a period building means finding a balance between preserving the original character and features of the property and creating a pleasant, modern family home. When it’s time for renovations or repairs, the question of materials and character become more urgent: should you try to repair an original marble staircase? Match a granite fireplace? Or simply rip the whole lot out, and create the home you’ve been dreaming of?

Many people have the impression that stone is delicate or hard to clean. However, nothing could be further from the truth – we don’t say ‘rock solid’ and ‘tough as granite’ for nothing! Both natural and processed stones are robust and easy to care for, so if you’ve just installed a marble bathroom, our tips below should cut your cleaning time down.

Marble and Granite are the two stars of the homeworld and have both been used to build palaces and monuments for thousands of years. Thanks to recent technological developments, you don’t have to be a prince to use these beautiful natural stones, ordinary families can now afford a Granite kitchen or Marble bathroom too, but which material should you choose, and why?