So, you’ve finally selected your perfect marble slab and completed your kitchen countertops, but now, it’s time to figure out what to do with all those stone offcuts.
The first step to recreating your favorite modern kitchen ideas, is choosing the right material for your countertops. A striking marble can completely elevate your kitchen design, offering a luxurious and sleek finish. But, as many home renovators have likely experienced, there is one tragic downside to your dream marble countertop – the leftovers.
After your desired countertop shape has been carved out of your carefully selected slab, it’s more than likely you’ll be left with an array of awkwardly sized, seemingly useless offcuts of the material. And the worst part? You've paid for it. And, if you’re anything like us, your inner DIY-lover will be screaming out at the idea of putting all that beautiful and not-to-mention, expensive material to waste.
Thankfully, we aren’t alone in our utter aversion to getting rid of anything with design potential, many of our most trusted designers possess the same thriftiness. They’ve shared some of their favorite tips and tricks to reuse leftover stone offcuts.
1. Sink Covers
We are big fans of anything that combines sleek design with improved functionality, and this sink cover idea is the perfect example. One of the largest issues when designing a kitchen, especially for those of us working with limited space, is ensuring you have ample surface area available. However, when you have to factor in the countless appliances, and other necessary additions, your prep space possibilities quickly begin to dwindle. That's what makes this one of the best small kitchen ideas.
While sinks in kitchen islands may offer a striking visual effect, they do remove a hefty amount of otherwise useful surface area. However, utilizing leftover stone to create a custom sink cover can easily render this problem obsolete. Not to mention, it looks great.
Alex Main, director of The Main Company, explains, "Sink covers or worktop boards that fit over the sink can hide it completely when not in use. These covers not only conceal the sink but also extend your countertop space for prep, serving or entertaining whilst offering a sleek look."
While using leftover marble can offer the most sleek look, Alex says, "Materials like wood, stainless steel, or stone can match or complement your island’s surface for a seamless look."
When Christopher Brandon was designing his kitchen, alongside interior design studio Brooke Wagner Design, he chose to implement this design choice in the final product. Practically invisible at first, Christopher's kitchen sink is discreetly covered by a marble block that blends seamlessly with his countertops.
"It was my wife's idea," says Brandon. "She loves to entertain and she wanted to have a beautiful sink to fill with ice and drinks during parties. She also wanted to keep the functionality of having a full countertop. This kitchen idea evolved into this integrated marble sink which is a space optimizer, aesthetically beautiful, and also a conversation starter."
Two small incisions on either side allow for this block to be easily removed, exposing the matching marble sink hiding beneath. Whether you are striving for a completely seamless kitchen finish or you are just on the hunt to maximize your surface area, this design hack is the perfect way to use up your leftover stone.
2. Matching Backsplash
When searching for a timeless kitchen backsplash, you may come to realise that the most simple choice, is often the best.
Using up any leftover stone from your countertops to make a matching backsplash can offer a timeless yet modern look to your kitchen design. Brittny Button, owner of Button Atelier, says, "In Casa de Tierra del Sol, I used stone remnants to cover the backsplash wall up to the ceiling. The reason was to create: 1. A universality within the room, 2. Foster a mirror effect with the countertop."
This 'mirror effect' that Brittny references is one of the most effective ways to elevate the design feel of your kitchen. Mirroring your surface materials creates a seamlessly sleek finish that brings a sense of fluidity into your space. "Aesthetic wise, achieving calm through color was a main goal," explains Brittny.
"There needs to be a kind of light harmony of natural light, textures and colors. In Palm Springs, where this property is located, bright white sunlight is a constant presence, and I like to design around this elemental feature, knowing it always affects the final look," she adds.
3. Build a Coffee Table
Dream big when it comes to your marble offcuts — they might even have applications outside of the kitchen. And with how much a marble coffee table costs to buy, getting your own made by a stone mason from your offcuts will end up saving you a lot on your budget in the long run.
How good can a DIY marble coffee table look? Well in this living room designed by Barker Architecture Office, both coffee tables came from offcuts from other rooms in the house.
"By the end of the project, we were awash with stone offcuts, so these coffee tables were a simple way to make use of them," says Alexandra Barker, founder of Barker Architecture Office. "The all-marble one came from offcuts from the guest bathroom, while the wood and stone design was custom-made using leftovers from the kitchen countertops."
4. Design Around Defects
If, after cutting out your allotted countertop area, you're left with the less-than-desirable damaged areas of marble, don't be too quick to discount its potential. "Damaged slabs can be a compelling way to incorporate stone texture for a discounted cost, minimizes waste and is a more sustainable option for smaller areas," explains Brittny.
Of course, planning around the potential defects or areas of damage requires a greater amount of effort and thought, but the striking results you can achieve will certainly make it worth the trouble. This can, however, bring in some extra hidden costs. As Brittny says, "To work around the defects, there will be extra expense for cutting, sealing, and buffing edges, which can contribute to increasing the overall spend."
In the Mesa Bungalows project, Brittny says, "We tackled the broken aspect of this slab by strategically placing the sink where the breakage was. I just adore the final look and how these blushing colored counters work to entirely balance the space." You can also often find damaged slabs of marble at a discounted price, making them a great inexpensive countertop option.
4. Elegant Cheeseboards
Even if you only have a small amount of leftover material, there are still several opportunities to create a big impact with what you've got. For example, what could elevate wine and cheese nights more than a hand-crafted cheese serving platter that is a perfect match to your kitchen countertops?
Joe Turner, designer and project manager at Inglis Hall says, "Utilizing stone offcuts for cheese boards is a clever and practical choice, allowing you to carry a fragment of your kitchen's aesthetic to the dining table. Not only does this maintain the cheese at an optimal temperature, but it also enhances the dining experience, delighting your guests." This makes for such a subtle, yet thoughtful design choice that introduces a sense of flow and consistency into your home.
If cheese isn't your thing, a marble cutting board can be just as impressive of an addition. Designer Gregory Hitchcock shares: "I had a client who asked for leftover stone for cutting boards."
Using the leftover natural stone material, Gregory says, "I had my fabricator fabricate two smaller and two larger cutting boards. We radiused the edges to prevent chipping."
6. Custom Shelving
Increasing storage space is perhaps the most universally shared priority when designing a kitchen. No matter how many hidden cupboards you install, there's always the desire for some cool kitchen storage ideas. And it's always an added bonus when those solutions actually look good.
Enter: offcut shelves. This clever idea invites you to bring some matching marble shelves to your kitchen set up, perfect for storing your spices, or oils. William Durrant, owner of Herringbone House, says, "Leftover marble can be used for many different things to complement and finish off your design. Use leftover marble to create small corner shelves perfect for condiments, oils or spices to have on hand when needed."
Whether you have enough remaining to create multiple, larger shelves or are limited to adding a petite corner shelf, this addition brings more depth and visual interest to your layout, alongside some much-needed storage.
7. Create a Plinth Side Table
Back at Alexandra Barker's New York project, leftover precious stone from the main bathroom found another life in this plinth-like side table design.
"In this bathroom, we had green onyx left over that we'd used for the shower wall and to top the oak bathroom vanity unit," explains Alexandra Barker. "It made sense to use this to build the bathtub table, bringing in this green element in another space that tied the whole scheme together."
A similar style to buy would have cost hundreds (of dollars in Alexandra's case), but with the material in hand, and going to waste otherwise, it was a no-brainer for this space.
"Using stone offcuts is a great way to add something natural, unique and beautiful to your home. And it is a sustainable way to reduce waste and environmental impacts for the stone industry," explains Cullifords director Oli Webb.
We're always on the lookout for ways to decorate your home more sustainably, making these ideas instant wins in our book.
