diff --git a/GUI/coregui/Models/LayerItem.cpp b/GUI/coregui/Models/LayerItem.cpp
index d377089964d7f423b19045387f6564dcb17a2d5d..d43b3b44158e235beb46542f116049a97685380b 100644
--- a/GUI/coregui/Models/LayerItem.cpp
+++ b/GUI/coregui/Models/LayerItem.cpp
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ LayerItem::LayerItem()
     addProperty(P_THICKNESS, 0.0)->setLimits(RealLimits::lowerLimited(0.0))
         .setToolTip(QStringLiteral("Thickness of a layer in nanometers"));
 
-    addProperty(P_MATERIAL, MaterialItemUtils::getDefaultMaterialProperty().getVariant())
+    addProperty(P_MATERIAL, MaterialItemUtils::defaultMaterialProperty().getVariant())
             ->setToolTip(QStringLiteral("Material the layer is made of"));
 
     addProperty(P_NSLICES, 1)->setLimits(RealLimits::lowerLimited(0.0))
diff --git a/GUI/coregui/Models/ParticleItem.cpp b/GUI/coregui/Models/ParticleItem.cpp
index 5ca46822597d01f65f880b30eb085e33d82a78fe..309c515ba8b1ffbc215798081bf359660b790cfe 100644
--- a/GUI/coregui/Models/ParticleItem.cpp
+++ b/GUI/coregui/Models/ParticleItem.cpp
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ ParticleItem::ParticleItem()
     : SessionGraphicsItem(Constants::ParticleType)
 {
     addGroupProperty(P_FORM_FACTOR, Constants::FormFactorGroup);
-    addProperty(P_MATERIAL, MaterialItemUtils::getDefaultMaterialProperty().getVariant())
+    addProperty(P_MATERIAL, MaterialItemUtils::defaultMaterialProperty().getVariant())
         ->setToolTip(QStringLiteral("Material of particle"));
 
     addProperty(P_ABUNDANCE, 1.0)->setLimits(RealLimits::limited(0.0, 1.0)).setDecimals(3)
diff --git a/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialItemUtils.cpp b/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialItemUtils.cpp
index 1373a042eed0e9f9e9d9623e37a70a1473c71665..371380c11ba4b829668bfc3555c0dff944a3880e 100644
--- a/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialItemUtils.cpp
+++ b/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialItemUtils.cpp
@@ -48,12 +48,11 @@ QColor MaterialItemUtils::suggestMaterialColor(const QString &name)
 }
 
 
-MaterialProperty MaterialItemUtils::getDefaultMaterialProperty()
+MaterialProperty MaterialItemUtils::defaultMaterialProperty()
 {
-    if(MaterialSvc::instance()) {
-        return MaterialSvc::getDefaultMaterialProperty();
-    }
-    return MaterialProperty();
+    auto materials = AppSvc::materialModel()->topItems();
+    return materials.isEmpty() ? MaterialProperty() :
+                                 MaterialItemUtils::materialProperty(*materials.front());
 }
 
 
diff --git a/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialItemUtils.h b/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialItemUtils.h
index 88c26b92ee48b703db57fa353dfc0632412eb482..86b51fca0ac7086de16b39d9704a0ea5396b4ced 100644
--- a/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialItemUtils.h
+++ b/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialItemUtils.h
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ namespace MaterialItemUtils
 {
 
 BA_CORE_API_ QColor suggestMaterialColor(const QString &name);
-BA_CORE_API_ MaterialProperty getDefaultMaterialProperty();
+BA_CORE_API_ MaterialProperty defaultMaterialProperty();
 BA_CORE_API_ ColorProperty suggestMaterialColorProperty(const QString &name);
 BA_CORE_API_ std::unique_ptr<Material> createDomainMaterial(
         const MaterialProperty &material_property);
diff --git a/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialSvc.cpp b/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialSvc.cpp
index efd537b82c40930e3a3300832c09ebc70d7c203a..fd0afd8227166af04e34e13d5250c76afeae9065 100644
--- a/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialSvc.cpp
+++ b/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialSvc.cpp
@@ -40,28 +40,6 @@ MaterialSvc *MaterialSvc::instance()
     return m_instance;
 }
 
-
-MaterialProperty MaterialSvc::getDefaultMaterialProperty()
-{
-    Q_ASSERT(m_instance);
-    return m_instance->this_getDefaultMaterialProperty();
-}
-
-//! Returns default MaterialProperty which is the signature of the first
-//! MaterialItem in the model.
-MaterialProperty MaterialSvc::this_getDefaultMaterialProperty()
-{
-    if((AppSvc::materialModel()->rowCount( QModelIndex() ) ) ) {
-        QModelIndex firstIndex = AppSvc::materialModel()->index(0, 0, QModelIndex());
-        MaterialItem *material = dynamic_cast<MaterialItem *>(AppSvc::materialModel()->itemForIndex(firstIndex));
-        Q_ASSERT(material);
-        return MaterialProperty(material->getIdentifier());
-    } else {
-        return MaterialProperty();
-    }
-}
-
-
 MaterialItem *MaterialSvc::getMaterial(const MaterialProperty &property)
 {
     Q_ASSERT(m_instance);
diff --git a/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialSvc.h b/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialSvc.h
index f28eb293891135cfe006598ce72cb80d1252e9a6..2fa0f6dc819e7934625c2610b3206bc1b317b707 100644
--- a/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialSvc.h
+++ b/GUI/coregui/Views/MaterialEditor/MaterialSvc.h
@@ -35,12 +35,9 @@ public:
 
     static MaterialSvc *instance();
 
-    static MaterialProperty getDefaultMaterialProperty();
-
     static MaterialItem *getMaterial(const MaterialProperty &property);
 
 private:
-    MaterialProperty this_getDefaultMaterialProperty();
     MaterialItem *this_getMaterial(const MaterialProperty &property);
 
     static MaterialSvc *m_instance;
diff --git a/Tests/UnitTests/GUI/TestMaterialModel.h b/Tests/UnitTests/GUI/TestMaterialModel.h
index c367671c89968b82350ec64fb9dc147b5ca0643c..124b85588d4236c371ec83a204243027ce958410 100644
--- a/Tests/UnitTests/GUI/TestMaterialModel.h
+++ b/Tests/UnitTests/GUI/TestMaterialModel.h
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ inline void TestMaterialModel::test_defaultMaterialProperty()
     QCOMPARE(property.getIdentifier(), QString(""));
 
     // testing default material property from MaterialItemUtils
-    MaterialProperty property2 = MaterialItemUtils::getDefaultMaterialProperty();
+    MaterialProperty property2 = MaterialItemUtils::defaultMaterialProperty();
     QCOMPARE(property2.getName(), QString("Undefined"));
     QCOMPARE(property2.getColor(), QColor(Qt::red));
     QCOMPARE(property2.getIdentifier(), QString(""));
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ inline void TestMaterialModel::test_defaultMaterialProperty()
     // adding materials to the model, default property should refer to first material in a model
     auto mat1 = model.addMaterial("Something1", 1.0, 2.0);
     model.addMaterial("Something2", 3.0, 4.0);
-    MaterialProperty property3 = MaterialItemUtils::getDefaultMaterialProperty();
+    MaterialProperty property3 = MaterialItemUtils::defaultMaterialProperty();
     QCOMPARE(property3.getName(), QString("Something1"));
     QCOMPARE(property3.getColor(), mat1->getColor());
     QCOMPARE(property3.getIdentifier(), mat1->getIdentifier());