Photography: Pablo Veiga / Styling: Jack Milenkovic
Kitchens are the heart of the home and as such they receive a lot of attention (and rightly so!). In fact, it seems like there’s a new kitchen trend sweeping the internet and our homes every other week. While some of these kitchen trends are questionable, there are many more that we absolutely love, from ornate and decorative lighting to clever uses of stone.
But there’s one kitchen trend that we are starting to see absolutely everywhere. And we can’t get enough of it. This detail is harmonious, cohesive and, best of all, oozes timeless appeal. So what’s the look?
Matching splashbacks and benchtops
During renovations, we often spend hours poring over moodboards and swatches, agonising in great detail over which benchtop material to pick. So why not make the most of your chosen material by carrying it up the wall to serve as the splashback as well?
There is so much to love about this kitchen trend. It draws the eye up, enhancing the feeling of space in the room. Making use of the same material aids a sense of cohesion. And there’s something so simple and understated, yet so stunning, about the effect created when you allow one high quality material to take centrestage.
There are many ways to approach this kitchen trend. We’ve compiled six of our favourite examples, each with their own interpretation, to help you find the style to best suit your own home.
Kitchen trend: 6 of the best matching splashback and benchtops
A bold stone with lots of contrast
Burnishing burgundy
Calacatta Viola marble, supplied by World Stone, is the showstopping hero of this kitchen, designed by Blue Tea Kitchens and Bathrooms. It has an off-white hue and deep, burgundy veining that brings contrast and a touch of drama to the space. This marble is used on the benchtop and carried up the wall, in line with the kitchen trend. It stops at the bottom of the rangehood, creating an open shelf along the wall that is perfect for displaying pottery and books.
Stone walls
The more the merrier
This Studio Trio kitchen is filled with green accents so a neutral stone was necessary to avoid overwhelm. This comes in the form of Talostone ‘Calacatta Oro’ matte-finish stone. It fits perfectly with the kitchen trend by using the stone on the benchtop and splashback. But there is a point of difference. This stone sweeps all the way up to the ceiling, for one seamless and absolutely showstopping look.
A stone benchtop, splashback and skirt
Three in one
Carrara marble from CDK Stone is a standout feature in this kitchen, designed by Picchio Interiors. It serves as the benchtop, splashback and even tops the sizable island in the middle of the kitchen. “We wanted to use a single slab to let the unique veining of the stone take centre stage,” says principal designer Anna. It certainly commands attention, sweeping up the wall and jutting out to form an open shelf. It also carries across the flared silhouette of the rangehood to create a skirt around the base.
A quality quartzite in a serene green shade
Topped off with timber
In this kitchen, designed by Camilla Molders, the soothing, light ‘Emerald Haze’ quartzite from Marella Granite & Marble feels expansive. This stunning stone graces the benchtops and continues upwards. This creates a sizeable splashback that reaches up to the open shelves on either side of the galley kitchen. Unlike other examples of this kitchen trend, this open shelf is not made from the same stone. Instead, contrast is created by introducing the dark timber veneer of the joinery as the shelf material.
A dose of dramatic veining
Japandi meets Swedish style
Nordiska Kök and architect Ioana Ungureanu of Studio Werc created this kitchen for a couple who love modern, minimalist Japandi style. As such, blonde oak joinery and a simple palette create understated beauty, allowing the stone benchtop and splashback serve as the shining centrepiece. The stone culminates in an open shelf for beloved knick knacks and potted plants.
A stormy stone from floor to ceiling
Grey’s anatomy
A generous kitchen island was a functional must have in this kitchen, designed by Alexandra Kidd. The grey marble used on every surface of this island turns this practical feature into a stunning masterpiece. And it’s not just the island that benefits from the use of the stone. The Dogal Dark Grey honed marble from Surface Gallery undulates around the island base and glides across the benchtops, with the same stone on the splashback and rangehood. “It was our ode to Sydney, with a stone that looks like it’s been weathered over hundreds of years but detailed to stand strong for the next hundred,” shares Alexandra.
