Galway-based artist Ciara O’Neill’s new kitchen was always going to be something special. With a degree in Interior Design, the contemporary artist has a real eye for colour, which features in many rooms throughout her house. So, when it came to designing her new kitchen, she knew a more muted, neutral palette would provide the perfect balance.
“I wanted to create a relaxed neutral space because the other areas of my home have vibrant pops of colour,” Ciara explains. However, she also wanted to introduce an eye-catching feature to her new kitchen. “I wanted the space to have an added element of surprise with the unique countertop.”
Working with Irish-based interior architecture and design practice Dubh House Studio, she set about creating a chic kitchen featuring a cleverly concealed breakfast pantry under the stairs, a sliding door on the back wall and hidden storage under the navy peninsula, which is topped with a simply stunning quartz worktop from CRL Stone.
“I went for bleached oak and white cabinets with white pendants and a polished concrete floor to tie in with my quartz countertop,” Ciara continues.
The beautiful, natural oak cabinetry was meticulously manufactured by Kevin Butler Joinery and a visit to Not Just Granite’s showroom provided the inspiration for the worktops, which Ciara wanted to take centre stage in her new kitchen.
“The most important element was to incorporate an item that was a focal point, which is my quartz countertop because of all the different quartz stones within it.”
Part of CRL Stone’s quartz collection, Venetian Grande features and unmistakable Terrazzo design and is the perfect partner to pale woods and neutral colours. “It literally jumped out at me in Not Just Granite’s showroom,” Ciara remembers. “I knew I wanted white in my countertop but everything I was looking at I had seen before until I saw this. I’m instantly drawn to things that stand out and look different and this quartz was the right match for my space.”
“I love how you can see each chunk of stone is different with different shades, especially at the edges of the counter where you can see the quartz stones in full.”
Ciara loved CRL Stone’s Venetian Grande so much that she even used it to create an eye-catching light box, which she uses to display some of her artwork. With a reduced depth, which increases the translucency of the stones and lets the light shine through, this backlit surface makes a striking addition to any interior.
The installation of the worktops was quick and seamless with the team from Not Just Granite taking only a day and a half to install CRL Stone’s stunning Venetian Grande on the worktops, splashback and peninsula.
“Every detail was perfect from the waterfall edge to the backsplash to the draining board. Once everything was in place it just brought the complete look of the kitchen together,” Ciara says.