When a photographer who takes shots of Diespeker installations was refurbishing her own kitchen, naturally she knew where to come for her worktops!
Nina Assam recently moved to a classic 3-bed Victorian semi in New Malden. The kitchen hadn’t been touched for some decades and was looking very tired.
There were structural changes to make, including moving a window that overlooked the neighbouring property so it instead had a view of the garden. Nina also moved the utilities around and concealed the boiler.
For the worktop she was (of course) keen on the idea of terrazzo, and was quick to choose TE114 which, she says, reminds her of a beach giving the impression of sand and vibrant pebbles. “I wanted something that looked earthy with muted tones, and I liked the cream, beige, white and greens of the terrazzo. It has the feel of a natural element.”
Diespeker’s Sonny arrived to do the templating and Nina was impressed by the thoroughness of the process, with exact measurements taken of the whole layout. Nina chatted to Sonny as he was working and learned that with bigger kitchens the team measure up and make a thin plastic worktop that includes any cut outs for hobs and sinks, which is then used as the template in the factory.
For Nina’s smaller surface, once the template had been created, the slabs were cut on site, with the sink cut out added and the edges polished in situ. “The installation was done in two stages. The worktop was finished on day one, and the splashback on another day.”
Nina had opted for a quartz splashback in SQ009 which was also used to create a shelf under the window. Great attention was paid to detail and while the measurements had been undertaken thoroughly, they carried out some final trimming and polishing to make sure this addition segued perfectly with the worktop.
Of Diespeker’s service, she said: “All the staff take great pride in their work, they want to make sure it looks as good as possible. They wouldn’t let me cut corners! They were definitely looking for perfection.”
Aware that terrazzo can stain and with two teenage boys who love ketchup, Nina was fully prepared for the surface to show use early on. However, the worktop was treated with a protector and Nina says this seems to have done the trick as the spills don’t leave any stains.
Nina’s top kitchen units are bamboo colour, while the lower units are a contrasting green at floor level. She says she is a 70s child and loves her refurbished drop-leaf dining table. To complete the look of her kitchen, Nina added Victorian-style Moroccan patterned floor tiles using the same colour tones to create an unusual and attractive disharmony with the terrazzo.
Photographs by Nina Assam: Soora