We choose a black granite with just a hint of brown flecks if you look at it closely. Why black? We felt that black counters would make the new black appliances that came with the house work instead of stick out. But more importantly, we chose it because it is versatile. If someday down the road we want to switch to stainless appliances, black still works. If we change our minds and want to paint our cabinets gray or white, black would look great with either of those. Black counters give us the flexibility to change our minds as we go, which is necessary for two headcases like us.
Why granite? We love that it's a natural element that works with the natural vibe of the house. Also, we preferred it to the solid black in other materials like quartz because they seemed really dull or had a matte finish, but granite has a depth that makes them much more interesting. From a far they are a solid black, but up close there's all sorts of unique elements that make it very interesting to look at. (If you're a complete wack job like me and think that looking at counters is interesting. My 18 year old self would be so disappointed in how lame I turned out.)
Yes, we definitely still need to work on a back splash, and it you're and good at Photo Hunt and Where's Waldo you may have noticed our sample piece in the photo above. I won't keep you in suspense, here's what we're thinking about right now:
We love this combination of clear glass, frosted glass and other stone which mixes in natural elements, a little white for sparkle and a little brown to relate to the cabinets. Plus there's just a hint of green , which relates well to my new accent color.
The funny thing is that one of the hardest things about planning this kitchen for me was figuring out how to make the natural wood cupboards and black appliances and counters work with my red kitchen accessories. Then one day the Hubby says to me, "Why do we need red in there again?" and I respond, "Because of my red KitchenAid mixer!"
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| Two for one- a picture of the mixer plus a reminder on how bad the previous counters and back splash were. |
It took me saying it out loud to realize how ridiculous I was being. Was I really planning an entire kitchen around a mixer? Jason and I both agreed that a bright apple green would look much better with our natural color pallet, and he reminded me that KitchenAids also come in an apple green, so someday down the road we could always sell our current one and do a little switcheroo. (I've already posted to Craigslist to see if someone wants to do a straight trade.)
My favorite thing about the new counters though might be this sink and faucet that we got for a great deal on Overstock:
I'm loving the super deep, modern, square sinks and the utility faucet that gives this side of the room interest, without being too big and bulky. I also love the subtle x detail on the inside of the sinks.
We had a little adventure installing the plumbing because this space started as a hot mess and I had to redo everything. This is the gross, disgusting under the cabinet photo from the day we moved in.
It almost makes me cry to look at it again. That was a really bad day. There were so many tubes and wires running under here, there wasn't even room for a trash can. But after a few trips to the hardware store to purchase the correct fittings (plus a few extra organization items), we had this:
Sometimes when I need a little pick-me-up I just open this cabinet and smile.
So there it is- what do you think? I can't wait to get the back splash up so that it can all come together, which may just be a weekend project. In the meantime, I'll take way too much joy in wiping down my beautiful new counter tops with out any gunk getting stuck in the grout joints. Have I mentioned its the little things that get me through the day these days?
Photography courtesy of Morgan Klinnert Photography
You're right, the faucets are a really close match! Loving your sink . . . drool. :)
ReplyDeleteThe backplash tile above .Is it available? And where can i purchase?
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