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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

My Kitchen Counter Tops Have Been Chosen

   

Another decision has been made...

After much deliberation we made the decision to go with natural stone. Nothing that we looked at had the beauty of a natural stone.

I read copious amounts of material on the down side and, the upside of marble versus a manmade product like Quartz.

With all the thinking, research, and discussions we decided to go with Carrara Marble.


To say I am excited and feeling very fortunate to be able to do this, would be an understatement.

Hubby and I went to a couple of marble yards yesterday.
 
We looked at several white marbles. This particular yard specialized in white marbles, and it had more than I could have hoped for, or imagined.

In the end it was a toss up between Oro and Select Carrara.

The Oro was amazingly gorgeous in fact too gorgeous for my sweet little kitchen. It had a grandeur to it, that to be frankly honest, just did not feel like my home.

We have Carrara in our home already, and once we saw a full slab it just said, “HOME!” to us both.

I love an understated elegant look for my home, and the Carrara just fits the bill.

So without further ado ………….

I would like to introduce you to my future new countertop….
Slab #1

Da Vinci marble (800x600)


Slab #2

Davinci Marble (800x600)
The reason I went with these slabs is they have a more white-ish background with some clouding, and soft grey veining.

It is very soft on the eye, and it totally reminded me of my entry floor, and guest bathroom floor.

Both slabs came in the same lot so they both have very similar veining. I think having some pattern will be more forgiving if we have any etching or staining in the future.

Honed vs. Polished 
I wanted a soft, flowing, veining ,and this gave me just that. The slabs are honed. After all the reading I did, the homeowners that had marble said it is better to have it honed than to have it shiny, due to possible etching in the future.

BACKSPLASH
The back splash will be a white handcrafted, pillow edged subway tile in a 3X6 size. 

I have two possible choices to ponder. The difference between the two is the tone of the whites.  

One is a brighter warmer white and the other is a little softer with a touch of grey undertone. I will live with them for a week, and then make that decision.

This is a dream come true for me, and I am so very grateful to be in the position to be able to do this.

I promise I will write a post about Quartz products, and all the information I gathered in this process. 

Hopefully what I learned will help you in your future decisions if you are replacing your counter tops!

For now I am just dreaming about my new future kitchen counter tops that will have this polished nickel Rohl faucet…...


Rohl kitchen faucet

I will be getting this sink……..

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This is a Kohler cast iron, self trimming farmhouse sink, single bowl Whitehaven K6489-0.

Or

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A single basin Rohl RC3618WH fireclay sink

The deciding factor will be made by what the contractor tells us about how the sinks will be installed. 

More on that later, so until then.....

to be cont

 
 

16 comments:

michele said...

exciting! love your marble choice--i have quartz which is fabulous to live with, but i agree there is nothing like natural stone!

best to you as you renovate.

michele

Teresa Hatfield ~ Splendid Sass said...

I am so happy that you found what you love! It is absolutely stunning. can't wait so see it all installed!
Teresa
xoxo

Nancy said...

its always nice to finally reach a decision :) marble will look fantastic! btw we used the kohler Whitehaven instead of the rohl and have been very happy with it. we also have the rohl perrin and rowe bridge faucet but honestly I wish we'd used a different one. the finish is not holding up AT ALL. very disappointed in it.

A Perfect Gray said...

yeah! marble! you'll love it...donna

SHERRY HART said...

Lucky lucky lucky.....I would so love to do all of that!!! Can't wait to see it come together.

Toy Carli said...

That is my favorite too. Great choices.

Tiffany said...

It's going to be beautiful!

La Dolfina said...

Great choices!
I am thrilled for you!
Everything is really coming together!
I remember when we replaced our tile kitchen counters.
I wanted marble but couldn't afford it.
I have been very happy with our butcher block countertops though.
It is going to look great next to your newly renovated family room:)

Victoria said...

You will not be sorry about the marble. I chose Calacatta Oro for mine and I love it, etches and all. I have the Rohl fire clay sink and it is ideal for washing big pasta pots. I also chose polished nickel for my faucet. No regrets about any of it. I know how important your home is to you so enjoy your new, exciting journey. I look forward to following along.
XO, Victoria

Patty Day @Pattys Epiphanies said...

Perfect choice! Love the gray tones. Can't wait for next chapter!

La Vie Quotidienne said...

I have marble and I love it for both it's beauty and it's classicism. when you think about how long it has been used commercially in restaurants and stores it makes you realize how durable it is. I haven't had any trouble with mine. What kind of edges are you having? For me that was where the big cost came in.

Julie Taylor and Danni Greenwalt said...

Its going to be beautiful!

Loretta Fontaine (EcoHappy Blog) said...

Kathysue- What nice countertops! And you cannot go wrong with either the fire clay or cast iron sinks. Both are so lovely and will be with you a long, long time! I wonder what your contractor will say?

Loretta

Unknown said...

Marble is so gorgeous and timeless!! I love it and want it for my kitchen too, when I get to the kitchen! Have fun. Cheers! Karen

Katherine said...

Our renovation is quickly coming up to the point where we must pick the counter top. Your description {quick and to the point} has helped, so thank you. I really want to go with honed marble.

You may like the Rubinet Raven taps - similar to the one you showed. Franke makes a fireclay sink called Manor House that has a really nice finish.

Rattlebridge Farm said...

I didn't realize that honed would be a better choice. The lady at the stone yard said that the slabs are honed on one side and polished on the other--all of them. Never realized that was possible! Thanks so much for pointing me towards more resources. For me, it's now or never for marble...and I'm thinking, yes, now! :-)