Luxe kitchen looks with marble

Marble kitchen surfaces are hot right now. Just scroll through Pinterest, you'll see luxe marble in pin after pin. There's no reason to ponder why. This sophisticated stone will take a plain kitchen from bland to beautiful in an instant.

Its luxury associations and cool good looks will elevate basic kitchen units – and provide a further layer of sophistication to good quality bespoke cabinetry.

Splashbacks, worktops and even flooring are the surfaces that suit best. For design drama - and if your budget allows – an island clad entirely in marble will look sensational.

The marble-clad islands in the examples ahead have been teamed with other rich materials, such as brass, oak and painted timber.Repeat the same stone on either worktops, splashbacks, or both for cohesion.

Take a fresh look attimber kitchens.

If that will blow your budget, choose marble for smaller areas, such as countertops or an oven splashback.The paler stones, such as Carrara or Arabescato ooze subtle sophistication, while darker hues, bring a rich vibe and beautifully break up all white cabinetry.

The choice of colours and tones is infinite, so choose one that ties your other materials together.

It's also worth weighing up whether you prefer a polished or honed marble finish; each has its benefits and pitfalls. Polished marble has a glossy, reflective surface so will lend a luxurious look, and may not need to be sealed.

Honed marble has a matt finish, so could be used in a variety of kitchen styles from modern rustic farmhouse to urban industrial; it's more resistant to scratches but also more susceptible to stains.

See these chic marble bathrooms.

However, if you can overlook the potential imperfections that marble may acquire, it will develop its own unique patina – and as it's a natural material it will imbue your kitchen with character and an aliveness that manufactured materials just don't have.

For a kitchen that's truly on-point style-wise, you can't go far wrong with marble.

BLUE MOOD

Cabinets painted a bold, matt Yves Klein-style blue bring an otherwise pared-back kitchen to life. Designer Suzy Hoodless says she can’t imagine life without the saturated colour. The bespoke, industrial wall shelving set against a clean backdrop of Carrara marble and white tiles lends a lightness to the space. Get the lookWall shelving, The French House. Cabinet handles, Schoolhouse (US) – try Swarf Hardware.

brassed off

The kitchen units and marble work surface were already in place when the family moved in, but the owner added the brass trim. Get the look For similar cabinetry, try Bulthaup. Mandarin Stone sells marble worktops. The Goodman pendant lights above the island are by Thomas O’Brien from Circa Lighting. These are the Tabouret A stools by Organic Modernism. The Branching Bubble light over the table is a custom design by Lindsey Adelman.

WORK AND PLAY

When Sebastian, managing partner of design firm Minale + Mann, reworked this townhouse, he decided to honour its late Victorian roots – while stirring in a generous handful of industrial grit for good measure. Warehouse lighting, stark tones, brass, free-flowing art and roughed-up textures lighten charcoal-grey rooms – it’s a compelling remix. This kitchen is designed to work hard – with loads of storage and a fierce gas hob for stir-fries – but it can play hard too. There is ample room for the children’s toys at the garden end of the room. Get the look The kitchen, custom-made by Minale + Mann, features a Carrara marble island, Leicht units, Buster + Punch handles, a Quooker tap and a Smeg cooker. The porcelain tableware is by Sophie Conran for Portmeirion at John Lewis. For a similar copper jug, try Stelton.

raise the bar

So the room ‘didn’t feel too white and sterile,’ the couple chose bronze mirrored glass and marble for the island. Get the look The island is made from Calacatta Vagli marble from Italy, sourced by Jon Loveday. The Raimond pendants are by Raimond Puts for Ox-ID at Moooi. These are Charles Ghost stools in Matt Gloss White by Philippe Starck for Kartell. The Axor Citterio Semi-Pro single lever kitchen mixer tap is by Hansgrohe.

island life

This room has become the heart of the home and where the family spend most of their time. Get the look The island is clad in Calacatta Gold marble. Find similar at StoneWorks. This is Ikea cabinetry. The bar stools are from Modernica.

island life

This room has become the heart of the home and where the family spend most of their time. Get the look The island is clad in Calacatta Gold marble. Find similar at StoneWorks. This is Ikea cabinetry. The bar stools are from Modernica.

smart move

This huge open-plan kitchen and living space is the heart of the apartment, and manages to combine a practical cooking and eating space with the elegance of a hotel lounge. The couple wanted it to be welcoming and homely but didn’t want to compromise on the beauty of the furnishings, so refused to go for practicality before aesthetics, and chose marble for the kitchen and white upholstery, elsewhere. Get the look Marble worksurface and splashback, Quarry Kitchen cabinets, custom-made by INS Construction; Lights, custom-made by Early Electrics. Appliances, Sub-Zero and Miele.

cook's kitchen

The arched alcove was crumbling, so the owner seized the opportunity to add pattern and colour with tiles. The bespoke cement tiles are based on Moroccan mosaics she had seen on her travels. marble worktops keep it the right side of rustic. Get the look Try Maitland & Poate for cement tiles like these. The Knole kitchen by Stoneham has this look. Go to Creostone Worktops for a Carrara surface like this. Trumpet eggshell by Little Greene is a similar yellow paint.

glam factor

The sleek lines of these kitchen cabinets are broken up by a Murano glass chandelier and the swirls of the marble flooring and worktops. Get the look The kitchen is by Boffi. The chandelier is from Caira Mandaglio. The black and white jar is by Jonathan Adler.

farmhouse feel

The owners' love of timeless, slightly country-ish style is visible in the kitchen. Marble worktops and a butler’s sink are teamed with classic metro tiles and handsome cabinets. Get the look Kitchen cabinets, deVOL. Cabinets painted in Pavilion Gray Estate Eggshell, Farrow & Ball. Woodwork and walls, Strong White Estate Emulsion and Eggshell, Farrow & Ball. Machinist 62cm stools, Cult Furniture.

pure elegance

There are some interiors that grip your imagination and whisk you off to another place. This elegant home is a case in point. It is a 19th-century semi tucked into a London street of gravel-strewn drives and shiny SUVs. But the soul of this house belongs to Paris. Get the look Arabescato marble has been used for the island, worktop and splashback. Decorative Collective has a range of similar mirrors.

monochrome magic

To prevent this kitchen from feeling too white and sterile, the owners chose a black marble splashback. Get the look The Portuguese black marble was sourced by John Loveday. The bespoke units are made from white-lacquered, moisture- resistant MDF and topped with white Corian.

clever upgrade

The owners here have created champagne looks with a Babycham budget – the kitchen was an inexpensive design supplied by their builder, but teamed with marble worktops and a gorgeous weathered bronze tap. Get the look This is Alno cabinetry. The tap is by Barber Wilsons & Co. The work surface was made from marble supplied by Rossi Stone Surfaces. The industrial-style pendant is from Soda. The stools were painted in Little Greene’s Basalt intelligent eggshell.

LUXE LIFT

The simple kitchen from a no-frills supplier is ‘luxed up’ with marble worktops. There are no wall-mounted units as the owner wanted the kitchen to feel like a lovely room you would want to spend time in. Get the look Kitchen cabinets, Howdens. Wenge flooring, Nagle Flooring. Tiles, Walls And Floors. The photographic artwork is of Kate Moss for an Agent Provocateur campaign, shot by Mike Figgis.

material gains

This significant kitchen and dining area with its dramatic bespoke dark oak units, has a central marble-clad island measuring nearly four metres long and an expansive table that can welcome up to 14 guests. Get the look Bespoke solid oak joinery from AJ&B with integrated Miele appliances. The worktops, splash backs and plinth are all Carrara marble. The tap is from Dornbracht. The bench is from Another Country.

perfect blend

Carrara marble splashbacks unite the white cabinetry with the dark basalt worktops. Get the look Richard Webb of Webb Architects designed this extension. The white-lacquer and pippy oak kitchen units were custom-made by Rick Baker. The Carrara marble splashback and Italian basalt worktops are from London Marble Ltd.

well defined

Rounded corners on the marble worktop make the kitchen more child- friendly, while charcoal-coloured bricks and cabinets along the spine wall streamline the look and define this section as a work zone. Get the look The charcoal glazed bricks are from Euroa Clay Products in Melbourne. Try grestec.co.uk for similar. The island was custom-made from bleached American oak and Calacatta marble, and the kitchen cabinets were made bespoke from charcoal-stained American oak with powder-coated handles. These are the Albert bar stools by Massproductions – Twentytwentyone stocks this design. The tap is by Dornbracht. This is a Bertazzoni oven.