Sponsored by Stone Ambassador
If anyone knows a good benchtop, it’s celebrity pastry chef and chocolatier Kirsten Tibballs. Much-followed Kirsten has her own Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School in Melbourne’s Brunswick, a stack of international pastry prizes under her apron, and is known for her regular TV appearances. It’s no wonder she’s called the Queen of Chocolate in Australia!
When it came to the finishes for her family’s newly built Hoddles Creek farmhouse in the Yarra Valley, VIC, she knew what she wanted and how it had to perform, but of course she also wanted it to look good. The home is hers and her family’s sanctuary and “happy place,” where she gets away from her busy work commitments when time allows.
She worked closely with the Stone Ambassador team, also visiting their showroom herself, to choose not one but four designs in their Vasari Porcelain range.
“I’ve gone a little bit overboard with the Vasari range because I really love it! We have it on the floors, we have it on the walls, I’ve got it in two kitchens (yes, I’ve got two kitchens!), and we’ve got it in the bathrooms,” she says. “I was able to go in and hand pick all the stone myself at the Stone Ambassador warehouse.”
Like a kid in a candy store (pardon the chocolate joke, I couldn’t resist!), Kirsten chose Venato for the main kitchen and Travertino for the butler’s pantry/secondary kitchen. She then went for Hermes Grey in her main ensuite, Valentina Gold and Travertino in the secondary bathrooms, and Valentina Gold in the laundry.
As I’ve already said a few times this month alone, the days of using one stone only throughout a home for cohesion and continuity, are gone. It’s all about knowing how to make combinations sing because they work so well together. And having the ability to choose the same trusted, durable surface in so many different designs and colours, was ideal for Kirsten.
“I’m so blessed to have this magical place to come and unwind and relax, here in the Yarra Valley. We invite friends and family and we all gather around the kitchen.” Kirsten says it really is true what they say about it being the heart of the home.
As part of her job, Kirsten of course works with benchtops more than most, and she now works with the Vasari porcelain surfaces both at work and at home. “It’s the most durable surface I’ve ever worked with. And it looks absolutely stunning!”
A benchtop that performs is essential in Kirsten’s busy kitchen, where heat and movement are constant. The surface needed to do more than look refined, it needed to support the demands of baking and chocolate work at the highest level.
Vasari Porcelain offers exceptional heat resistance, allowing hot trays and cookware to be placed directly on the surface without compromise. Its non-porous composition resists staining from chocolate, oils and ingredients, while providing a smooth, stable workspace ideal for pastry preparation. Durable, hygienic and low maintenance, it performs effortlessly under pressure, whether for tempering chocolate, rolling pastry or hosting guests.
Kirsten and her family are so happy with how their holiday home turned out. It’s 100% off-grid which is no easy feat, they used recycled materials where possible, and they’ve got beautiful finishes throughout the home, as well as much-loved cows outside!
“It’s our place to relax, unwind and enjoy, and we feel very fortunate to have this house.”
For more on Stone Ambassador’s Vasari range or to book an appointment at one of their Australia-wide showrooms and to follow them on Instagram
For more on Kirsten Tibballs and Savour Chocolate and Patisserie School & to follow her on Instagram
