Kitchens are one of the most expensive renovation projects to undertake in your home, so it’s essential to ensure you invest in a design that will last. While the all-white kitchen makes for a timeless choice, more recently we have seen it paired with natural elements and bright pops of colour to personalise the hub of the home, and there’s nothing longer lasting and more versatile for kitchen surfaces than stone. Coastal and contemporary kitchens are two examples of design styles that continue to evolve with show-stopping stone finishes taking centre stage. Kitchen trends for 2025 see modern country style making a big comeback, bringing bold coloured cabinetry, dark timber, brass fixtures and stone benchtops.
So, how do you decide which stone looks best in your kitchen? We asked the experts for their advice on the current trends and explored the positives (and negatives) of choosing stone in your kitchen.
1. Matching stone splashback
Stone has long been used for benchtops and is beginning to creep up the walls in a bold new trend. For a show-stopping display of the details inherent to stone, this easy-care finish is now taking the spotlight and doing double duty with matching splashbacks in modern kitchen design. Subtle colour variations, prominent veining and bespoke design morphs stone and marble seamlessly into cabinetry. How much does a stone splashback cost? Like the pricing of stone benchtops, the cost of a stone splashback varies with your choice of stone, its thickness and the size of the slab needed to fit your application.
2. Waterfall finish
Whether a by-product of the banning of engineered stone in July 2024, or the fact that the properties of natural stone stands it apart from other surfaces, it has been a go-to surface for benchtops in Australian homes for decades. Continuing a stone benchtop down the sides to create a waterfall kitchen island is a design feature that is still very much on trend, particularly in high-end and contemporary kitchen design, though it’s important to soften the look with other design elements, as seen in the striking kitchen design created by interior designer Swee Lim, below.
“Offset the solidity of stone by pairing it with cabinetry in bold tones, set atop timber flooring to create warmth in contemporary design,” suggests Swee, who used Neolith stone to frame the kitchen island. “The waterfall benchtop creates a sleek, minimalist, and sophisticated aesthetic, enhancing the space with its elegant and modern appeal,” Swee explains.
3. Solid stone kitchen island
Known for its luxurious aesthetic, marble can elevate any look in an instant. Drama and luxury can be achieved with a solid stone kitchen island, as seen in the kitchen, below, where interior designer and The Block judge Darren Palmer has used CDK Stone’s Monreale marble to stunning, statement-making effect. “It’s very, very beautiful,” says Darren, who revolved the colour palette around the naturally-occuring pinkish-beige tones. “Look for a material that has a balanced distribution of movement across the slab,” advises CDK Stone director Tony Victor of selecting your ideal stone slab.
“Nothing says luxury like a marble kitchen island,” says Costa Voulgarakis, sales manager at Euro Marble. “It’s an ideal feature for the heart of the home, providing both functionality and opulence. And, while the mere addition of marble benchtops is enough to uplift the aesthetics of your kitchen, pairing it with a matching marble splashback rounds off the design.”
Marble is a classic stone that suits any kitchen, be it country, contemporary, Hamptons or otherwise, but it does require extra care. “Due to its porous nature, it is susceptible to scratching, marks and chipping,” explains Costa. “But marble definitely isn’t difficult to maintain at all.” And Costa argues that the extra work is worth it. “Marble always has a variety of striations and veining that are unique to each slab – and that’s the beauty of the material,” he says.
Marble is actually a ‘green’ choice to make. “Marble and natural stone require no chemical processing, which means there are no toxic waste products associated with the construction of a new kitchen, or any emission of harmful gasses,” explains Costa Voulgarakis, sales manager at Euro Marble.
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While marble is easy to care for, be sure to factor in extra costing above installation for finishing to preserve the surface. “I always recommend marble be sealed properly upon installation by the stone contractor,” says Costa. “This will prevent liquids and other accidental spills from soaking in and being absorbed, causing stains.”
