Why I Chose Granite Over Other Counter Top Options.

When we bought our new house a year ago, I was so thrilled I was going to be able to remodel the kitchen and make it exactly what I wanted. The thing I disliked the most about the house was the kitchen. The house had been a rental for several years and the kitchen was well worn. The builder basic kitchen had not held up well. The cabinets weren’t really functional and the appliances didn’t work. (The range oven was 50° off and only 2 burners worked). I knew we were going to do a complete remodel. I had a few ideas of things that I liked and a couple of inspiration pictures that I liked.

I just needed to figure out how I was going to turn this into my inspiration.

I thought I had a couple of months after we moved in to put my plan together, then one week after we got the keys, my contractor called and said he had some open time. Did I want to start – well I had to say yes. I told my hubby to stop unpacking boxes – we were going to be remodeling NOW.

Here’s the way my brain was working to figure all of this out. I needed more cabinets and I wanted the whole kitchen to look updated and classic.

First thing first was to figure out the new cabinet arrangement. My contractor said we could rearrange a few, add a few new ones and then add in tons of trim and paint to get the look I was after, so that became the game plan. New cabinets were brought in and the work began.

After that – One of my first major decisions to make was counter tops.
Well, I totally surprised myself when it came time to shop for the counter tops. I looked at all kinds of quartz and then at granite and even marble. I didn’t find a quartz that I really liked at all, just too plain. So I then looked at marble – hubby was not at all on board because of the upkeep. That meant that granite was next. There are some really pretty granite slabs to see. There is one called white marble, however the veins have a purple tint to them. At least it looked that way to me, so that was out. Then I looked at some really plain ones, and hubby didn’t like them much. He just thought a white room, white cabinets and white counters was a bit too much. He wanted pattern. So I agreed to take a look at some pattern.

I loved this kitchen- cabinet detail, crown molding and over all design was definitely fabulous. This also gave me a peak at different counters. White marble or black – they both looked fabulous. Just not sure it was me. My small kitchen needed some character – something to add a jolt of punch.

There are some really pretty granites with a lot of gray and a lot of beige. Then we saw this one that has a little gray, a little gold color, some brown and the same white as my cabinets. It is a lot more pattern than I thought I wanted, but hubby was in love. So the more I looked at it the more I agreed. With the white cabinets, stainless appliances, gold hardware and medium brown wood floors, this could be a great piece to tie everything together. It is called Kashmir White.

I think this was what I was looking for. I know marble and quartz are what everyone seems to be putting in these days, but this adds so much character to this tiny kitchen. It definitely adds that surprise element. I think an all white or even all black would have also worked, but I am glad we chose this granite with some pattern. Small spaces need something unusual and the granite in this kitchen is just that.

I love it when someone sees the kitchen for the first time and they say “Wow, your granite is gorgeous.” Pictures don’t always relate the true feeling of a room, but I do think the pattern in our granite is a plus in my kitchen.