Spacious, practical and also aesthetic: the importance of the kitchen worktops

Top and kitchen worktops: what are they?

Before thinking about how best to choose material, colour and even design to create a design effect for the whole, it is necessary to understand what exactly the  kitchen worktops are. Often experts, think of kitchen studios, speak of worktops. Are the terms equivalent or are there differences? They are synonyms: in technical jargon the worktop of a kitchen is called a top, and this always refers to the upper part of the kitchen itself. It is a fundamental element, perhaps the main one, because it is used as a work space for food preparation. So, although it may seem less important than style or composition, the choice of worktop is one of the essential ones.

A kitchen worktops need as much space as possible!

As always, you need to combine practicality with aesthetics, functionality with design, both in terms of materials and technology right down to the colours. When choosing your kitchen worktops, it is essential first and foremost to be practical. This is where you will place the cooker, i.e. the cooking space, and the sink. If possible, you also need space where you can place the food to be handled, cut, prepared. In linear kitchens there is often only one worktop, whereas if you choose island layouts you can have more than one. It should be borne in mind that sufficient space is necessary and that it most often has to be made up in depth. kitchen worktops must be at least fifty centimetres in order to be able to move around without problems: a standard sink is more or less that size. If you can have larger measurements, so much the better. The more centimetres you have at the edge of the hob, for example, the more you will be able to move pots and pans with ease, without the constant risk of touching the backsplash.

The essential characteristics of  kitchen worktops

As always when talking about the elements that go to make up the kitchen, certain characteristics cannot be ignored: the kitchen worktops must be easy to clean, as they are located in the room where by definition there will be the most oil stains or splashes, hygienic as food rests on it, resistant to scratches (it is easy to “swipe” a pan by accident) and shocks and over time.

The most commonly used materials that reflect the specificities indicated are natural stones such as marble, granite or quartz, metals such as steel or Fenix or inorganic materials such as glass, ceramic and stoneware, without forgetting wood, which is always good.

Natural stones are elegant but must be treated with care

A kitchen worktops made of natural stone will combine the aesthetic aspect, giving elegance, with practicality and durability. Marble fits well in any context, granite is even more exclusive and refined especially for high standing kitchens. However, do not forget that you are dealing with porous materials that could be damaged by chemical agents: they must always be cleaned with extreme care. Quartz, on the other hand, risks being ruined by water infiltration.

The pros of a steel or glass kitchen worktops

Suitable for modern and minimalist interior design, metals from that point of view are easier to maintain. Steel is the product of choice for modern kitchens, not surprisingly especially in professional chefs’ kitchens, as it is hygienic and resistant as well as antibacterial.

Able to give a touch of elegance and brightness, glass is perfect for  kitchen worktops in both classic and modern environments. Moreover, it is a material that fits in well with the sustainable interior design sensibility, as it is also recyclable. It can have different effects and colours, but care must be taken with the edges, which are fragile.

Other options that never go out of fashion are glass or ceramic tops.

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