Thursday, March 22, 2007

A Quick Look at the Countertops

Thursday, March 22, 2006
We're going to Chicago this weekend for a quick visit to Elizabeth, who is just finishing her OB-GYN rotation and has a little time on her hands. She has ruled out being a gynecologist, by the way, and wonders why I never told her that childbirth was so disgusting and traumatic.
Anyway, I wanted to get a few pictures of the new countertops posted for those people who have been following the progress of the kitchen. Our kitchen plan specified remnant granite, which is about as green as you can get in the granite area. Somebody else buys the big slabs of granite and has them shipped from India or someplace exotic, and the remaining small pieces are up for grabs. This has the advantage of being cheaper and the disadvantage of allowing for considerably less selection. Michael periodically visited the stone places waiting for just the right thing. Finally, he said he'd found it, but it was they. That is, there were three pieces of granite that he liked: one for each wall.
I was dubious. I had never seen this done before. I reverted to my three-year-old self and extracted a promise from Adam that I would like it. Although my more mature self understands that such a promise may not be binding, it comforts me, and after Adam promised, perhaps recognizing that a promise is not the same thing as a contract and is unlikely to lead to litigation, I stopped worrying about it.

Well, now that they're in, I don't see what the fuss is about. It's more interesting than having just one color throughout the whole kitchen, and the three different colors complement each other beautifully.
The darkest color ("Black Forest") is on the wall where the stovetop will be.

These pictures don't really do the colors justice--this is a deep black with hints of blue and with silver striations.
The next wall, with the sink, which also got installed, is a brown that picks up the black from the adjoining countertop.

The east wall has "Cashmere Gold" (Or "Kashmir Gold") countertops: pale brown with rosy gold. I think it will be very dramatic when the morning sun lights it up.

These pictures don't really do the colors justice. There is a big sign on the granite warning not to touch or place anything on the surface. Whenever I walk into the room, I have to slap my hand down so I don't touch anything; it's a very touchable surface.

8 comments:

jini said...

oh marie, it's gorgeous, and you are right.....it's original and you love it already! getting away for the weekend will definitely prevent your laying on of hands on the counter. :)

Anonymous said...

I've not heard of this green option before. It looks good together. At a museum in Oxford (Museum of Natural Sciences)the building inside is gorgeous. One of the most beautiful things they did was to use all different stones and marbles in Great Britain in the stairways, pillars and balustrades. The effect is stunning.
Have a good week end away in Chicago!
You really should have told her about childbirth, Marie!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for giving us our weekly kitchen drooling admiration fix before your trip! They're beautiful!!!
I can easily imagine how tempting to touch!
Gorgeous sink too!

It's kinda cool that your kitchen metamorphoses happens in stages, so each part is fully appreciated.

Maressa

pinknest said...

i really love that first black forest color. beautiful! and how interesting to do three different colors.

Marie said...

Jini,
Now that I'm back, I haven't been able to resist the laying on of the hands. It hasn't seemed to do any damage so far.

Melinda,
I love stone. I can imagine that the museum must be lovely; I'll have to put it on my must-see list. You know, I didn't think childbirth was that bad. But then I've never seen it.

Marissa,
I appreciate your comment about the different stages, but at this point, I'm really looking forward to the final stage.

Pink Nest,
The Black Forest is so beautiful! The pictures don't show the little silver and purple streaks that make it stunning.

Anonymous said...

its gorgeous. kitchen countertop really makes difference.

Anonymous said...

Wow your kitchen is looking awesome.

Anonymous said...

Good countertop returns your investment.