Perfect for flooring, walls, kitchen benchtops and as design elements such as border tiles (paired with ceramic or porcelain tiles) and fireplace surrounds, natural stone adds a beautiful and lasting statement to your home renovation.

The type of natural stone commonly used is limestone, slate, granite, travertine, sandstone and marble.

Each of these has a different colour and texture, with colours ranging from soft creams through to dark ash tones. As a natural stone, you will of course see variations in one sample to the next in the same type of stone, and this is part of its warmth and appeal.

Different types of stone also vary in their degree of ‘hardness’ so some will be more suitable for areas that receive tougher treatment, such as flooring in heavy traffic areas. Slate, for example, is formed from volcanic ash and is very hardwearing and durable.

Natural stone supplied by CDK Stone

You can also achieve different looks depending on how the stone is finished. Honed stone is ground to a smooth finish. By being hand split, riven stone creates a more rustic, irregular look. With a layer of gloss applied, polished stone features a high shine.

You can highlight the colour and veins that appear in the stone through well thought out lighting.

Natural stone offers a great many advantages in terms of great looks and hardworking functionality.

Talk to the dbm team in Sydney and be inspired by the great ideas we have for incorporating natural stone into your home renovation.

Think about last time you walked into a great restaurant, bar or hotel. Most likely it featured a variety of lighting – from soft, moody light for people to relax in, to brighter, task-oriented light in ‘work areas’ to help the staff do their jobs properly.

It’s the same in your home. You can mix and match from a choice of lighting options to create a particular mood and also to supply the right type of light for work areas.

For example, a lovely ambience can be easily achieved with lamps, accent lighting such as up-lights or lights that focus on a piece of art.

Mood lighting such as LED strip lighting under the edges of cabinetry will enhance architectural details and give a subtle glow.

Task lighting over working areas (for example over kitchen bench tops) tends to be bright and broad so that you can comfortably work there.

It’s also possible to install lighting behind features such as granite walls or glass splash backs to softly illuminate their beauty. And there is a huge range of statement pendants to choose from that can quickly become the focal point of a space.

At dbm, we know that great lighting makes your home feel more inviting and easier to live in.

In the work we do with our Sydney home renovation clients, one of the services we offer is to guide and advise our clients on the best choice of lighting. In doing so, they are able to create beautiful and highly effective lighting for their kitchen, bathroom or living space at the flick of a switch.

Talk to one of our experienced kitchen, bathroom or living space designers about our Sydney lighting design service.

“I worked closely with my client’s interior designer to create a kitchen makeover that complemented the art deco style used elsewhere in the apartment,” dbm designer Tracy. “My clients love gold and black tonings and we incorporated these in the granite benchtop and also in the kitchen cabinetry.”

The result is an eyecatching kitchen that radiates personality.

“For such a one-off kitchen, unique finishes were required to create its bold look,” said Tracy. “To achieve the unusual finish on the timber cabinetry doors, I had them painted gold with a walnut stain applied over the top. They were then rubbed back to reveal the gold colouring and finished with an ultra high gloss polyurethane to add a mirror-like sheen.”

Kitchen cabinets were tailored to match the specific storage requirements of the owners.

“Like all my kitchen designs, the finish on this is meticulous,” said Tracy. “It’s a very tactile kitchen that makes you want to touch all its surfaces.”

The owners are thrilled with the result.

“There was not much room to work with so I needed to be clever with how I arranged the kitchen and the design of storage areas,” said Tracy. “The owners love coming home to it and visually, it integrates perfectly with the other living spaces within the apartment.”

Tracy designs Sydney’s most luxurious kitchens.

She can design a kitchen to match your particular style and space, ensuring your kitchen renovation delivers an end result you’ll love.

Contact Tracy today for information about dbm’s complete Sydney kitchen design service.

DBM Services: Kitchen Renovations Sydney