Q and A with Sarah Beeny about creating her ‘New Life in the Country’ – Spring 2022

We were excited to chat with TV’s favourite home refurbisher extraordinaire, Sarah Beeny, during the installation of our etherium® By E-Stone surfaces into her kitchen, utility area and in several bathrooms and en-suites at her new Country Farm in Somerset.

You may have tuned in to her TV show ‘New Life in The Country’ that aired on Channel 4. Whether you were inspired by the beauty and practicalities of her kitchen and bathrooms – or are looking to tune in on catch up, here’s the conversation where we picked the brains of her design expertise…

Why use our etherium® By E-Stone engineered stone instead of a solid piece of granite or marble? Several reasons really. The problem with natural stone worktops is that they mark with oil or wine and even with water!  This worktop is not only hard-wearing but it is also more affordable and visually consistent.

How long did it take for the worktops in the kitchen and utility room to be fitted?   It took just 3 days – the kitchen worktops went in really quickly and easily with no fuss.

Is it important to you that the products themselves are made from recycled and sustainable materials? We all know we need to reuse as much as humanly possible whenever possible.  It’s important to consider how we can reduce our impact and reuse and recycle as much as possible – so 1. Reduce, 2. Reuse and 3. Recycle. In that order.  I believe that when building a home, you must consider these options and then when you do make a decision on a product choose one that will last, thereby ensuring you won’t require a skip to be used to rip anything out in the foreseeable future

Granite and TREND Transformations have completed quite a few of your bathrooms over the years, in both Rise Hall and your London apartment, using our etherium® By E-Stone surfaces instead of traditional tiling – how has this product held up over time? We have worked with Granite & TREND Transformations for years and have always been really impressed by the durability of the product – the less grout lines the better for maintenance and longevity.  We have never needed to replace any of our TREND bathrooms which is more than can be said for other tiling we’ve had. Also refacing is a genius option as it doesn’t involve high costs of plumbers and electricians and is far less disruptive overall – and of course, importantly, from a sustainability perspective, reduces waste going to landfill.

Sarah chose Statuario for her bathrooms, as she had used it previously on her London apartment and absolutely loved it. Within this bathroom you will (or maybe not see) that we cladded the cupboard doors on the vanity unit to keep the continuation of the marble patterning, giving it a clean, sleek look.

Similarly, you will notice the bathroom panel, to hide the toilet brush. This was something Sarah had specified in her brief to give a cleaner look and hide all the nasties in the bathroom without an ‘obvious’ door.

Both bathrooms have the same chosen colour on the floor too completing the top to toe look.  With minimal grout lines and discreet connections, this durable and hygienic surface is ideal for flooring, walls, bath surrounds, shower enclosures and wet rooms.

Keen to mirror the design and functionality specifications of one of the UK’s top property developers?  Then get in touch to find out how we can transform your kitchen or bathroom while reducing the impact on the environment. You can download a brochure to view our range of surfaces and cupboard doors, visit a showroom to experience the quality of our products for yourself.