Shelf & Co. or Composites in Your Kitchen and Bathroom

Once upon a time, in the ancient period of gloomy PRL, when lucky tenants received keys to an apartment in a housing cooperative – their so-called own M – it came with standard kitchen and bathroom finishes. Floorings and windowsills made of an ugly terrazzo, a metal sink and bathtub. The uniform grey of PVC floor tiles in the rooms harmonised with the hideous stone in the kitchen and bathroom and bleak blocks of flats outside the window.

Houses were built by political class representatives and private business owners. The non-privileged who undertook such a task faced a considerable challenge when buying kitchen and bathroom fittings, as nothing was available in the market.

Comparing the past with the present, we may come to a conclusion that back then there was nothing while today there is an overabundance of everything. Therefore, we need to make reasonable choices when planning how to furnish spaces used for preparing and eating meals or for personal hygiene purposes.

Each kitchen requires a sink. Usually, a worktop is located right next to it. A very good choice both in ergonomic and hygienic terms is to seamlessly join the sink with the worktop using a homogeneous material, such as a composite. Such a solution has both aesthetics and easiness to keep clean in its favour. Composites may come into contact with food, and their advantage is the fact that they can be cleaned with chemical or eco-friendly products, both of which kill bacteria and easily remove dirt. Nowadays, kitchens often hold islands, tables or bar counters. These also may have composite surfaces that ensure spatial order and form a harmonious whole.

The same solution can be applied in a bathroom. A washbasin might be integrated with a countertop made of the same material. This countertop can be as long and wide as we please, providing space for necessary accessories. Composites can be used for shelves, windowsills and shower trays. It depends only on the owners’ imagination and taste whether they choose materials in uniform subdued colours or in vivid and contrasting ones.

We should bear in mind that kitchens and bathrooms are spaces quite often renovated, altered or rearranged. Renovating composite surfaces is quite easy. They can be abraded and reconditioned with specialised equipment, but this material proves its worth even in difficult circumstances, when tiles must be removed due to some plumbing issues – it is easy to replace any missing fragments, as the blogger had an occasion to find out.

Although composites have been known for a long time, they are not as popular in the interiors in question as ceramics, wood or stone. Still, it is worth considering their numerous qualities when designing your kitchen or bathroom. They can be a good choice for users who care about cleanness, order and original solutions. Designers are not limited by the shape, size or texture of composite elements. So it is all up to their ingenuity and imagination.