How to design a glamorous kitchen

“There is no surface material that is deemed no good or inferior. Very often, it’s due to the wrong product that is selected that causes unhappiness for its users,” declares Heng. As he elaborates, the material selection for your home is highly dependent on your habits and lifestyle: a family with young children would likely prioritise durability more than aesthetics for example, while a couple that cooks often would want to invest in surfaces that are easy to clean and maintain.

“Think about your frequency of cooking, the type of cuisines that you prefer to cook, and if the kitchen serves any other purpose other than cooking,” he says. “With these in mind, our specialists will be able to recommend a product suitable.” 

With their distinctive veins and textures, there is little doubt that natural stone varieties like marble will continue to have their perennial appeal. The reality of it, however, is the scarcity of these natural resources, shares Heng. “Natural stones are unique and classic. However, the good stones have been quarried off and those with high-density, beautiful, and flawless finishes are becoming rarer. So to get a good piece of stone that has high-market demand worldwide is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” he says.

At the same time, these porous natural materials may also be more difficult to maintain and would require special treatment to ensure their longevity. According to Heng, an alternative to consider would be sintered surfaces, which use heat to fuse together fragments of natural materials such as glass, porcelain, and quartz. The resulting material pairs durability with ease of use.

“Sintered surfaces combat the downsides of natural stone as it requires no sealing while being resistant to stains, heat and scratches. It can also be book-matched for almost all of the designs,” he shares. “The Gardenia sintered surface is one of the most popular products of its kind in the market right now. This material encompasses the beauty of marble but without the challenges of maintenance. They have one of the best marble-like designs, and the largest selection of book-matched styles that are resistant to heat, scratches, stains, and UV light.” 

Aside from creating a showstopping kitchen island for your culinary space, you should also consider the design of the walls that you are pairing it with. An understated island could go splendidly with an eye-catching feature wall, such as the popular selection from Versace Ceramics, which is produced by Italian manufacturer Gardenia Orchidea. One of the standout collections is Maximvs, a range of surfaces with patterns that draw inspiration from the beauty of natural stone varieties.

Another popular pick is the Manifesto collection, which represents Versace’s graphic motifs in a wide array of colours and effects. Measuring 120cm by 280cm in length and width, and with a thickness of just 6mm, these large-format surfaces feature a wallpaper-like effect.

“This Versace-branded collection comprises kitchen and vanity tops, and wall features that can help create that designer look in your home. The kitchen and vanity tops also feature heat, stain and scratch resistance for the ease of maintenance,” says Heng.

One of the most unusual products from Bellus Group is the selection of Gardenia Slabs cooking surfaces. It appears like an actual marble slab or porcelain surface, despite concealing a cooking system—it combines a slim 20mm Gardenia sintered surface with an induction cooktop hidden underneath. “The beauty of this fuss-free hob is that you don’t see it. With the preference for versatile areas these days, this is the perfect choice for homeowners. We had orders queuing for this product even before it was officially launched,” says Heng.

The manpower crunch still continues to affect the construction industry, and that means delays are still expected for upcoming and ongoing renovation projects. One of Bellus Group’s brands Ximula helps provide a solution to this problem.

“Ximula furniture is designed and manufactured locally; it is a pioneering aluminum furniture system brand that has been around for 20 years. They are among the first to manufacture wardrobe-pole systems that are distributed internationally and widely used in many condominium developments,” he says. “Ximula furniture can be clad with the surface products from Bellus, be it a door, a kitchen top, island, or shelving materials. Our products works hand in hand. By adding Ximula to our portfolio, we can provide seamless steps to provide customised furniture without having to wait for other carpenters who might be lacking in manpower now.”