Stone kitchen islands

Waterfall ends

The stone turns down at the end of the top and runs to the floor, joined on a 45° mitre so you see one edge. With quartz or Dekton it's precise cutting. With natural marble it's layout. The drop has to come from the part of the slab right next to the top, so the veins carry on round the corner. We plan every cut on the full slab first. Our projects include one.

For a mirror pattern you need two slabs cut one after the other from the block, and they aren't always available together.

Weight

A 2.4 m by 1 m top in 3 cm marble weighs about 195 kg. With two 90 cm waterfall ends it's close to 340 kg. A floor on joists in a converted barn may need checking. Big islands often come in pieces and are joined on site at the mitre, so measure the route from the door.

Stools

You need 25 to 30 cm of knee room. On 3 cm granite or marble that's fine without support. Deeper, for proper dining, we add steel bars or legs. With 12 mm Dekton, always.

Hob, sink, sockets

Every cut-out weakens the slab, and the narrow strips in front of and behind a hob are where cracks start. We keep enough stone round each opening and round the corners. Pop-up sockets and downdraft extractors are planned before fitting.

Same stone or not

Same slab for island and wall run makes the kitchen read as one. A marble island with darker granite on the working side keeps the delicate stone away from spills. Either works. We'd steer you away from three different stones in one room.

Timing

The island has to be fixed and level before we measure. If your fitter is over for a fortnight, book our measuring in the first week. See marble worktops or call +33 7 45 20 76 39.