We are going to remove part of the left wall to open up the feel of the apartment which means no upper cabinets on the left hand side. I might include a set of open shelves on the remaining part of the wall but that is still TBD. I'd like to see how it feels completely open before I add those. I'm debating tiling the whole wall on that side. It's a bit of an expense and a painted wall might work just as well.
On the right hand side of the kitchen will be the real workhorse with almost all of the appliances so I have to keep the wall of cabinets.
The internal debate about marble vs. quartz is still raging in my mind so more to come on that but right now I'm leaning toward classic Carrara.
At the end of the galley, we will be keeping the eating area (its the only one in the condo). I'm debating about whether we should add a built-in bench at the end for both easier seating and storage. It all depends on the cost.
Naturally we haven't even started the work yet and I'm already aggravated at the poor response time from the contractors we are working with. Is it really so hard to get back to your customers on time?
Sounds like a great plan, I say go for marble I have it in my kitchen and have had it just over a year and love it so much. I have had no staining at all, I have honed and used a good sealer only have applied it twice so far as opposed to the suggested 4 , because I'm lazy and it has been great. Quartz is more $$ and never looks as lovely as the real thing I think...its nice don't get me wrong but its not the same, its like laminate floors and hardwood...real is real
ReplyDeleteGo for the marble!! Our builder would not install it because of staining but if it was an option I would totally go for it. I drool and cry everytime I see it in a kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThat's going to be stunning! I love the light fixture.
ReplyDeleteMarble vs quartz. I read a really good article yesterday on Houzz about marble. I can't remember the name of the article but I am sure you could search the site. There was a second article about choosing two different types of marble. I have built homes for many years but there was information in the article I wasn't aware of. I think the shore house is going to be great!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patty
Love that poster, and it will go so well with your Swim Party painting that is in the bath. You always find the best things!
ReplyDeleteI've coveted thy light fixture since you first posted. :-) We love our contractor -- not sure how busy he is right now (other than fixing our leaky roof this week!) but would be happy to send you his info if you're in a bind. Pretty sure you'd be in his coverage zone. Also curious to see what your counter decision winds up being. We're a few months away yet from a massive kitchen 'updo' (vs redo, haha) and are leaning toward marble but literally everyone is trying to talk us out of it. They all say Caesarstone.
ReplyDeleteI love the chandelier in this post. The design and style is mind blowing.
ReplyDeleteBlogs6
Quartz!!!! We just put beautiful Carrara slabs in our master bath, and while they're beautiful, they scratch like crazy. Definitely go with quartz in your kitchen. We used Pental Riverbank Brushed in ours and it's been fantastic so far.
ReplyDeleteI have the shaker cabinets in ebony and I love the simple lines. Of course I've only had them for 3 months but I figure that it's a design that I won't tire of. I like the direction you're going with the new kitchen.
ReplyDeletei live in jersey city and had a contractor from the shore do my bathroom. He was really good. On time neat work. The only reason there was a little delay is because Sandy hit and he had to go home to help his neighbors. Nice guy, pleasant on the eye too:-) His rates are reasonable and he gives all the prices no surprises.
ReplyDeletesteve from SPS Tile
www.spstile.com
732.278.TILE
We have the Cararra marble on all of our kitchen countertops. It is high maintenance, but we love it. Be prepared for etching, and be sure to get it sealed well before using it.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing I forgot to mention: If you go with Carrara, be sure to pick out the slabs personally. Don't do it from a photo or a sample. The pieces vary greatly. Also, we went with honed marble to eliminate the shine. I think it is a more classic look.
ReplyDeleteWe just renovated out entire kitchen (and house for that matter) and had the same debate over natural stone or Quartz in the kitchen. In the end we went with Caesarstone's new Quartz product- London Grey and LOVE it. It resembles a tight veined marble (color movements in the slab like a natural stone- not pebbles like other quartz products) and it has all of the low maintenace features of Quartz. You can see a quick shot of it on the blog (www.urbancharmathome.com). We love, love, love it so far. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHi, Stefanie! I also suggest to go for the marble. But if you want to be less expensive, you could choose subway tiles (white or any color you prefer). They look great. Also, if you plan to tile, I recommend you to use a tile adhesive like Bondera Tile MatSet in order to avoid getting messy and to finish your project in one day.
ReplyDelete