Sponsored by Stone Ambassador
What better time to reset the heart of your home (the kitchen, obviously!) than the New Year? And this doesn’t have to mean a full rip out and re-do renovation. There are many ways to update and upgrade this family hub, from styling some impressive timber board vignettes to replacing your benchtops and splashbacks with the quiet luxury and ultimate durability of stone or porcelain.
Interior designer Kate Cosgriff, of Tomorrow Living + Co., says she always feels the start of the year comes with setting out new goals and taking some down time in your current space. “For me especially, it’s the month of planning; taking time on the couch whilst also navigating through and adding to those saved Pinterest boards or enjoying a home magazine with a summer beverage.
“As an interior designer, I’m always grasping new ideas and trying to source ways to make something impactful within my home. At the end of the day, the kitchen is a zone with so many opportunities for a refresh. Whether that be a complete overhaul, implementing a minor cosmetic update or considering some appliance updates. It’s amazing how changing just even one thing within your kitchen can make it feel like a brand new space.”
Kate’s preferred stone supplier is Stone Ambassador, who produce Zenith Surfaces and Vasari Porcelain. “Stone Ambassador have always been brilliant to me and my business. Not only is it the way in which they value feedback from designers and what the public are looking for when it comes to their products, but also the ethos behind the products themselves.
“I recently used their products in a project where I used Taj Mahal in the kitchen and bar and then Travertino Ivory (both Vasari Porcelain) in all of the wet areas such as the bathrooms and laundry. Their support and education to me regarding ensuring a 5mm shadowline between the base of the kitchen island and the island benchtop was invaluable and is a great example of how they care about their product installation as well as the longevity of the product for the clients.”
Replacing your stone benchtops alone, or benchtops and splashbacks, can make a huge difference to your kitchen aesthetic and is absolutely possible to achieve with the right trades. Sometimes people, for example, will buy a house with a new kitchen that’s perfectly good but just not their style. Replacing the stone is a lot cheaper than replacing the entire kitchen, and will make such a difference. It’s also much more sustainable and less wasteful, which tends to be more top of mind these days.
Another favourite addition of Kate’s to an existing kitchen is LED strip lighting hidden within cabinetry. “As much as it sounds a tad futuristic, it really does the trick of creating a sense of warm ambience and throws back to that element of welcoming you into the space.”
It’s not all about renovating to make a difference to your kitchen though; you can make a big impact with the icing on the cake: styling. Kate kindly shares some expert tips on how to style your kitchen like a pro and give it that photoshoot or Instagram-ready look:
“For me, you can’t go past a well thought out fruit bowl. The reason I say this is, it gives opportunity to create dimension in the form of styling.
“Another styling tip is to invest in an aesthetically pleasing kettle. On top of this, tea towels which compliment the tones of your kitchen are non-negotiable. I am a firm believer in that you never want a tea towel to stand out and be detracting from any beautiful elements in the kitchen. On the flip side of this, if there is an artwork on the walls near the kitchen, depict a colour from the artwork and bring in a tea towel which is a solid colour within that artwork. This allows the colours to speak to each other and assists in integrating the spaces.”
Last, but not least: “Another quick little update to your kitchen space could be as easy as changing the pendant lighting or even better, implementing pendant lighting if you don’t already have it (only if the layout permits this, of course).”
Picking materials that last in this workhorse of a room is of course very important. Kate jokes that if you ever witnessed her young niece trying to bake in the kitchen, you’d soon discover the importance of ensuring you have a space which is both durable and easy to maintain at all times!
“In all seriousness though, kitchens these days are a space for all. Once you begin envisioning how many things could be happening in the space at once, you recognise that having a durable surface is a top priority within such a hardworking zone. Why have the stress of wondering if a certain type of food will be staining your benchtop if you don’t wipe it up in time if you don’t have to?
“The last thing you want to discover is that the time, energy and hard earned money you put into a kitchen update doesn’t fully serve its purpose of practicality. I can hand on heart say that with the Stone Ambassador products, I never have to worry about this.”
Kate’s loving the emerging trends for 2026 kitchens, both as a designer and a homeowner. “I want to update my own kitchen this year from cool into the warmer tones. I’d say that’s a clear indication of my level of appreciation for where kitchen designs are headed in 2026! I love the warmer colours being brought in via cabinetry, stone benchtops and even tiled splashbacks. Not to mention tapware!
“I love how brands are picking up what clients are putting down within their scope of plans and what’s working at the moment. I always relate back to how a space makes you feel and as cliche as it may sound, the warmer toned kitchens really do welcome you in like a big warm hug.”
For more on Kate and Tomorrow Living + Co.
Photography by Jimmy Logan
