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susiegrneyes

susiegrneyes

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 4, 2008
Messages
302
I'd consider myself a pretty opinionated person, but in this case I don't know what I want. We have settled on granite countertops for our kitchen. We've been to three different stone warehouses and I just haven't fallen in love with anything. I've been all over the color spectrum too. At first I thought black (too hard to keep clean), then light like Giallo Ornamental (maybe too brown), and now I just don't know. As I currently have no kitchen, I need to come to a decision soon.

Anyone have any color suggestions for me? What we are doing with the back of the island is also in question, mainly because we don't know what we are doing with the countertops.

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Have you been to the marble warehouse and seen slabs in person?
are you going to live here forever or is this an upgrade before you sell?
What is the balance of hte rest of your house in terms of colours?
are you comfortable with a bold or subtle focus?
Does it have to be natural stone - would you consider concrete?

A - view slabs in person - the chunks they show you in a smaller showroom, don't highlight the unique veins and speckles/rivers of colour running thru the slab and with a slab, you can determine wher eyou want it to be cut from

b - living here forever - pick what YOU love, but if it is to fix, then flip/sell - go neutral

c - make sure the kitchen flows with the rest of your home - too jarring to make a 'statement' if it is out of character with other design elements/colours in your home

d - for me, I don't mind some punch, but I could not have a bold colour/pattern and live with it comfortably, over a long term. My personality may be wild and crazy, but I need calm and soothing at home! Yet- there are BOLD people who just need to continue to be bold at home too - which do you feel you & DH are, personality wise?

e- concrete is a new and cool option that can be made in any colour but requires some care (all surfaces do) as do any of the silestone/zodiaq options.

I can offer more ideas once you answer these... if you want more help! I'm a decorator, not a designer but have owned my own business for 10+ years and have done a few kitchens ;))
 
The cabinets are white? What color is the hardware and what color fixtures? If silver metals go with a grayish/black slab. I like the varigation myself. But if you're going with bronzes and warmer hardware/fixtures, Id get brown/tan, and midrange. I wanna say the one my brother got that I want is Harvest Gold or something and it's divine. It's light tan with lots of nice range of browns and some bronze flecks.
 
1)I have been to the warehouses to view the slabs.
2) Not sure about forever, but at least for the foreseeable future
3) We have the same cabinets in the laundry room, which you can see from the kitchen if the door is open. We went with black mosiac aka river rock granite in there. I thought it was a fun color for a small area, but wouldn't feel comfortable doing the whole kitchen in that color.
4) I would like the countertops to compliment all the other things in the kitchen, not clash with them. I think that's probably my biggest concern because we've got so many different things going on. The cabinets are white, the fixture over the sink is silver, the appliances are stainless steel, whereas the pendants over the island are bronze with pen shell shades.
5) I'd say my DH is pretty well set on granite.
6) I'd say we're pretty traditional (boring lol). We have stained oak trim and doors throughout the house. The house is painted in neutral colors (fox trot, raffia cream, organic field). As far as floors go, we have medium oak floors in the kitchen and the adjoining family room and dining room.
The cabinets don't have hardware yet. Our house has a bit of everything in the metal department. Most of the faucets and light fixtures are satin nickel, but our house has antique bronze doorknobs (not sure why).

Here's another picture of the kitchen (before the pendants were up) so you can see more of the floor etc.

kitchen_0.jpg
 
If you like black granite, but are afraid it will show fingerprints, get honed instead of polished. We have a beach house with white cabinets, similar color floors, and a honed black/gray granite. It's a very classic look, and it shows crumbs but that's it.
 
Hi susie!
I went thru my pile of granite samples - and they are only 6" x 6" squares so in NO Way represent the complete picture of what each granite is - but there were 3 that stood out in my collection that would work with your room. I'm only basing this on the photos you have posted which are highlighting the white cabinet, the stainless steel appliances and the ORB accessories, plus the floor. What strikes me is to go with a polished granite. It is a classic and you say you are more traditional - sometimes honed can be a bit too much of a stretch for those not in that modern zone. Fun in a laundry room is one thing, but granite is a pricey commitment so not always the place where traditionalists want to go wild on!

Knowing you don't foresee an immediate move, I'd stay with a look in your comfort zone. I have 2 darker gray granites and 1 that is 'white' (with a base similar to the gallo ornamentale) but has flecks of burgundy - like paint drops in the granite - just very subtle but enough to add a safe punch, if cranberry is a colour you'd accent with.

The darker 2 samples I have are 1) Blue Pearl and 2) Grey Pearl. They have what look like 'shards' of iridescence in them. The Blue Pearl is not "blue" in my mind, but more of a medum gray and would look AWESOME with your stainless steel appliances and the fixtures. Grey pearl has a hint of rich brown in it to enhance the flooring, but overall, a charcoal/asphalt gray, not a man's suit kind of light gray (which is more what the blue pearl is like) Oh - descriptions totally loose it compared to the actual visuals!

I think you could do the cabinet hardware in the pendant ORB (oil rubbed bronze) finish to tie them together and it would work with all 3 of the granite options I've pulled out.

Paint colours that would work amazing in here (with any of these 3 granites) as well as your Raffia Cream, from Benjamin Moore, I'd suggest Inukshuk CC460 or Smoky Taupe CC490.

I'll try and take a picture of them, but not sure if they will be effective... Can you go back to the marble shop and ask to see samples of these?

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mogster|1356038356|3336756 said:
Have you checked out pictures of Cape Cod kitchens for inspiration? I know you've decided on granite and this is wood, but I rather like the color scheme: http://www.hckitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/trans_10.png
Click to expand...

I love that kitchen! I want white-ish cream-ish cabs and wood counters but with paprika red walls.

Can't wait to see how it turns out-it's going to be lovely!
 
I would definitely do honed black. It would almost look like soap stone.

imageuploadedbytapatalk1356053590.jpg
 
Thank you for all of the replies! So far, I think I like the grey pearl the best. I'm going to go have a look at it in person later today and I'll report back.
 
Enerchi said:
Have you been to the marble warehouse and seen slabs in person?
are you going to live here forever or is this an upgrade before you sell?
What is the balance of hte rest of your house in terms of colours?
are you comfortable with a bold or subtle focus?
Does it have to be natural stone - would you consider concrete?

A - view slabs in person - the chunks they show you in a smaller showroom, don't highlight the unique veins and speckles/rivers of colour running thru the slab and with a slab, you can determine wher eyou want it to be cut from

b - living here forever - pick what YOU love, but if it is to fix, then flip/sell - go neutral

c - make sure the kitchen flows with the rest of your home - too jarring to make a 'statement' if it is out of character with other design elements/colours in your home

d - for me, I don't mind some punch, but I could not have a bold colour/pattern and live with it comfortably, over a long term. My personality may be wild and crazy, but I need calm and soothing at home! Yet- there are BOLD people who just need to continue to be bold at home too - which do you feel you & DH are, personality wise?

e- concrete is a new and cool option that can be made in any colour but requires some care (all surfaces do) as do any of the silestone/zodiaq options.

I can offer more ideas once you answer these... if you want more help! I'm a decorator, not a designer but have owned my own business for 10+ years and have done a few kitchens ;))
Click to expand...
I gotta say Enerchi, I have never found you more sexier than now. Rawr~!

Susiegrneyes, I'm not a decorator so I don't really have any helpful tips but I'm always excited to see remodels of kitchens so I will be checking in! How exciting to get a new kitchen!
 
rainwood|1356041729|3336812 said:
If you like black granite, but are afraid it will show fingerprints, get honed instead of polished. We have a beach house with white cabinets, similar color floors, and a honed black/gray granite. It's a very classic look, and it shows crumbs but that's it.
Click to expand...

Rosebloom said:
I would definitely do honed black. It would almost look like soap stone.
Click to expand...

We have honed black granite and it looks beautiful. Not hard to keep clean at all and a very classic elegant look IMO. And I can easily keep it clean vs the granite we have at our beach house which is not honed and marbly cream. You cannot see dirt and it drives me mad. Hate it. But the honed black is a dream and it wears very well. Almost 9 years and looks as good as when we first had it installed. Good luck and have fun with this! I wish I had a redesign job to do. It is so satisfying when you get to design from scratch!
 
I love that Kashmir. Then do a backsplash with copper or stainless steel accents.

Is that an island where there is a bar? I would consider white beadboard or wainscoting on it UNLESS people are going to be setting there then I would want something darker that's not going to show shoe marks.
 
You basically have my kitchen! If mine was cleaner, I'd snap a pic. ;)

We have white cabinets, stainless steel, and brown wood floors. We ended up with Giallo Veneziano. It's pretty common and if you google it, you'll see tons of samples. Be sure to check the slabs, there are some with a pinkish cast that are absolutely gorgeous. It's a medium overall tan tone, but with flecks of white and black, nice texture, but not overwhelming. There's also a little mica, which makes a nice shimmer. The white brings out the cabinets, the black will work with your bronze, the tan brings in the floors.

This is the shade that's closest to mine; http://www.tileforlessnw.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=98&idcategory=3

On the front of our island, we have white beadboard, but we also have that on the walls. On the front of your island you might consider a sheet of (SEALED!) copper, if you're going for a craftsman look. Or even a textured formica (they are very convincing now) in a bronze to match the sconces. Have you considered crown molding to raise the pot shelf a bit?

I wish we had done the full granite under the cabinets, all the way up, instead of six inches. Then I would have used the granite switchplates that I found on the net, to blend those in.

On the sink, we ended up with one of those new black granite sinks, they are awesome! They show no dirt, and go beautifully with the counters. http://www.faucetdirect.com/pegasus-al20-33-x-22-granite-double-bowl-kitchen-sink/p1109392?source=gg-gba-pla_1109392____12480313163&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!!!38964390923!g!!12480313163&gclid=CIv0_Z_2q7QCFQGvnQodg1YATg

I used to wash out the sink constantly and stainless drove me batty, but this stuff is fab!
 
iLander|1356104691|3337310 said:
You basically have my kitchen! If mine was cleaner, I'd snap a pic. ;)

We have white cabinets, stainless steel, and brown wood floors. We ended up with Giallo Veneziano. It's pretty common and if you google it, you'll see tons of samples. Be sure to check the slabs, there are some with a pinkish cast that are absolutely gorgeous. It's a medium overall tan tone, but with flecks of white and black, nice texture, but not overwhelming. There's also a little mica, which makes a nice shimmer. The white brings out the cabinets, the black will work with your bronze, the tan brings in the floors.

This is the shade that's closest to mine; http://www.tileforlessnw.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=98&idcategory=3

On the front of our island, we have white beadboard, but we also have that on the walls. On the front of your island you might consider a sheet of (SEALED!) copper, if you're going for a craftsman look. Or even a textured formica (they are very convincing now) in a bronze to match the sconces. Have you considered crown molding to raise the pot shelf a bit?

I wish we had done the full granite under the cabinets, all the way up, instead of six inches. Then I would have used the granite switchplates that I found on the net, to blend those in.

On the sink, we ended up with one of those new black granite sinks, they are awesome! They show no dirt, and go beautifully with the counters. http://www.faucetdirect.com/pegasus-al20-33-x-22-granite-double-bowl-kitchen-sink/p1109392?source=gg-gba-pla_1109392____12480313163&s_kwcid=PTC!pla!!!38964390923!g!!12480313163&gclid=CIv0_Z_2q7QCFQGvnQodg1YATg

I used to wash out the sink constantly and stainless drove me batty, but this stuff is fab!
Click to expand...

We bought a black granite sink too. It sounds like we must really think alike. The back of our island is curved, so something flexible like the copper would be good. We were also cosidering tiling the back of it with mosiac tiles.

We have crown molding for the top of the cabinets and light rail molding for the bottoms to hide the undercabinet lighting.
 
It's already been quite the transformation. This is what it looked like when we bought our house. We reused all of the base cabinets and all but two of the upper cabinets. So we only ended up spending around $2,500 on new cabinets. All the appliances were purchased from the scratch and dent section. I think we spent around $3,000 on those (double oven, warming drawer, dishwasher, microwave, downdraft, cooktop, and refrigerator). The granite is going to be the most expensive part. That new dream kitchen may be closer than you think :)

cimg3675.jpg
 
Update: we ended up deciding on midnight thunder. I'll be sure to post a picture once it's installed.
 
Here's one of our two slabs.

cimg5029.jpg
 
I LOVE it susie!!! that's a gorgeous slab of granite!! Good choice - it will look stunning - and what was the backsplash decision? are you putting it there as well?
 
Enerchi|1356971219|3343602 said:
I LOVE it susie!!! that's a gorgeous slab of granite!! Good choice - it will look stunning - and what was the backsplash decision? are you putting it there as well?
Click to expand...

We are doing a tile backsplash. Not exactly sure what we are using for field tile, but we're going to use pen shell accent tiles to match the light fixtures. The are doing the template for the counters on Friday and install could be as early as the end of next week. I'm so excited.
 
That looks awesome!
 
These decisions are so difficult, aren't they?
 
Countertops were finally installed today. What do you think?

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Oooooh! It looks so nice!!!
 
WOW!! that turned out awesome! Great choice in granite slabs - i like the contrast - really dramatic :appl:
 
I LOVE it.
 
susiegrneyes|1358560948|3359286 said:
Countertops were finally installed today. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Late to the party & love remodels, so I was frantically scrolling through this thread to see what you'd decided and YAY, it looks FABULOUS! :appl:
 
LOVE that granite sink!! yay

And Enerchi? your advice was so helpful, so professional and so complete...
I :love: PSers!

What a great forum! :))
 
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