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Is a brand-spanking new kitchen at the top of your home wish list? Do you pore over the photos in the kitchen and bathroom magazines? Are you keeping a binder with pictures of sinks, faucets, and door styles?
The expanded kitchen, with its attached family room, has become the hub of our households as entertaining has become more casual. Guests just love to gather in the kitchen and get in the way of the cook! Cocktails and hors doeuvres are often served right from the kitchen counter.
Undertaking a major renovation in this tight economy just isnt in the cards for many people but there are some clever ways that you can update your kitchen without going whole hog. You can spruce up your cabinets with new hardware. For something a little different take a look at an eye-catching oil-rubbed bronze finish. Change your kitchen faucet to the same finish to tie it all together.
The most dramatic quick makeover is to change the kitchen counter -- youll feel as if you have a new kitchen! As in all design elements, there are trends in stone counters and the current trend, according to Rob Padula, owner of Everest Stone, is towards marble. Customers are leaning towards lighter colors for their counter tops. Carrara marble, from Italy, is our best seller. Its a classic, very elegant look." Marble requires more maintenance than granite, because it is a softer stone, so it should be sealed every 6 to 8 months. Red wine spills should be wiped up immediately and never cut lemons on the marble . . . the acid will etch the stone.
If youre not into high maintenance in the kitchen, then take a look at the amazing new finishes on some granites. Gone are the days of polished versus honed surfaces. Now you can have your counters "brushed," which gives the stone a softer, almost antiqued look. Or you can choose a Venezian finish, where the stone is torched and then brushed for a soft, slightly uneven finish that will make you think youre running your hands over time-worn statues in Italy. Another option is a "leather" finish which feels, well, yes it feels like leather!
Rob Padula travels all over the world to select the slabs for his warehouse. Youll find literally hundreds of options, from the classic Italian Carraras and Calacattas to beautiful Blue Bahia from Brazil. Everest Stone has its own factory in Brazil where 50 ton blocks of raw stone are cut into approximately 50 individual slabs over a three day period by a machine that works 24/7.
Everest Stone, located on Martin Luther King Boulevard in Norwalk, is open to the public for stone selection only. If you need assistance with locating a fabricator to turn your stone into counters, you should contact an interior designer or a kitchen designer.
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