Navy Blue Kitchens

I repainted my entire house probably two or three years ago.  I got really overwhelmed trying to pick out paint colors for every room because I was trying to keep them "husband approved".  Had I just been able to pick out colors without his opinion it would have been a cinch! 
For some reason I had the hardest time with my kitchen and dining room, which are basically one room.  My husband wanted them to be two different colors, but obviously they had to look good together.
Long story short, I had a mini breakdown in the paint store and my (very patient) husband ended up picking the colors.  He chose a navy blue for the dining room and I was quite skeptical, but too over the process to select something different.
I have to say....I love it!  We just did it on one wall, so it doesn't make my dining room too dark at all.  It's also quite neutral and it goes really well with my walnut dining room table and china cabinet. 
In a kitchen I think it looks great with white cabinets (so clean looking) or a darker wood like walnut.  It's a good wall color or cabinet color.  If you would like your countertops to be navy blue consider Blue Pearl granite, Soapstone, Pietra Cardosa or Deep Ocean CaesarStone.
Don't be scared of navy blue, if you like this color there are a lot of ways to use it in your kitchen.  Be it a little or a lot.
Check out these beautiful kitchens using navy blue.

traditional kitchen design by seattle architect knowles ps

Photo: House Beautiful

eclectic kitchen design by other metros architect Birdseye Design

Photo: Classically Modern Nest

contemporary kitchen design by san luis obispo architect Leonard Grant Architecture

Photo: The Enchanted Home

modern kitchen design by san francisco interior designer Gioi Tran

traditional kitchen design by new york architect Neuhaus Design Architecture, P.C.

So tell me, would you use Navy Blue in your kitchen? 

Happy Memorial Day

Slab Sunday: Jurassic Green granite

I hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend!
Today for Slab Sunday we are featuring Jurassic Green granite.

Jurassic Green is quarried in Brazil.

Photo: Alicia B. Designs

Jurassic Green is similar to the Verde Marinace, but it's a lighter green and the conglomerates in it are a little different.

Photo source.

Photo source.

Photo: Viper Granite and Marble

Photo source.

Jurassic Green is available in 2 cm and 3 cm slabs.

Reader's Kitchen: Bianco Romano granite

I love when reader's send me pictures of their finished projects.
Recently a reader named Katharine from Raleigh, North Carolina sent me pictures of her beautiful kitchen.

Here are the Before photos...

It's in need of a good update right?

Here are the After photos!  Isn't it beautiful?

Garnet & Grey General Contractors did her renovation.  The fabricator and stone supplier was Design Surfaces. 

 I asked Katharine a few questions about her project, here are her answers.

• Why did you select Bianco Romano?  Were you out looking for this particular color or did you come upon it while looking in the slab yards?   "I was looking for something like to keep the room open and airy and to match the furniture we already have, which has a lot of tans in it, so I didn’t want anything too gray.  I thought about Calcutta Marble, but didn’t want to deal with the upkeep.  I wasn’t looking for this particular color- I know sometimes it can have a lot of purple in it, which I was trying to avoid- but when I came across this slab, I knew it was the right one."
• What is your favorite part of your kitchen?   "Everything!  I’m so glad to have new cabinets, countertops, lighting and floors.  It’s made me feel completely different about my house- I love coming home to this new space."
• Any regrets?  "That we didn’t do this 5 years ago when we bought the house."
•  What are you using to clean your countertops?   "409 Natural Stone Cleaner."
• What is the thickness of your granite and what edge detail did you select?  Are you happy with it?   "I’m actually not sure about the thickness, but we did the pencil round for the edge and I am happy with it."   (Her slab thickness is 3 cm, we call this edge detail a Half Bullnose.)
• What type of sink did you use?  Are you happy with it?   "We chose a sink that has the same size bowl on each side.  Originally I wanted a farm sink, but our kitchen really wasn’t wide enough to accommodate it, so the most important thing to me was being able to fit a 9x13 casserole dish flat in the bottom of the sink, which I can do in both sides now.  And I like the symmetry of it. The faucet is one of my favorite things because it is so simple and has such clean lines- it’s Kohler Simplice."

Photos courtesy of Jed Gammon Photography.

 

Thanks for sharing the pictures Katharine!  I love seeing how all of your projects turn out!

If you would like to show pictures of your finished project here, send me (Steph) an email.

Master Bath Renovation Part 2: The After!

Yesterday I showed the Before pictures of the very outdated bath that was just renovated and we did the marble.
Today it's time for the fun part, the After photos!
Here's the Before picture one more time as a reminder...

Here's the After!

HUGE change right?  I think this bathroom is so gorgeous!
As you can see they did move some things around (shower is now where the tub was, etc), but for the most part it's the same bathroom....everything is just now new!

The slab they used everywhere is a gorgeous marble from Walker Zanger called Ambrato.
The Ambrato slabs were used on the shower walls, the shower bench, all the trim around the shower entrance and the window, on the tub deck, tub skirt, tub backsplash and on the countertops. 

The Shower Bench was built with a Mitered skirt that goes to the ground so that it looks monolithic.  I love shower benches like this.

 

Notice how the backsplash piece from the tub deck goes straight through to the vanity backsplash and also into the shower, so it looks like it's one piece. 
This is a very clean look.

This countertop is across from the vanity.  It used to be a closet and they opened it up, so now they have more countertop space and it really makes the room appear wider.
The edge detail on this top and the vanity is a 1 1/2" Ogee Step Full Bullnose.

Beautiful square sinks give the vanity a modern feel.

The Master closet is adjoining to the bath, so the tile carries through.  We did a small countertop in here as well.  I wish I had a closet like this!

The designer was Jenny Slingerland of Black Ink Interiors.
The contractor on the job was Van Buren Inc.
They did such a great job on the renovation.

So what do you think?  Could you even tell it was the same bathroom?!?

Master Bath Renovation Part 1: The Before Photos

We recently completed a Master Bath renovation that was so dramatic I could hardly believe it was the same bathroom!

Here are the Before pictures...

Here is a hint at what the After will entail. 
Stay tuned, I'll post the After pictures tomorrow!

All photos from MGS by Design.

Slab Sunday: Antique Brown granite

Antique Brown is a dark brown colored granite quarried in Angola.

It is formed of unevenly shaped dark brown crystals often with metallic mica reflections.  There are some very thin veins in the stone that sometimes look like cracks.  They are not cracks at all though, it's just the coloring of the stone.
Overall this granite looks pretty uniform.  A lot of people choose this granite when they like marble but don't want to use it in their kitchen.

Antique Brown is also called Marron Cohiba, Brown Antique, Marron Antique, Marron Antico and Auckland Brown.

Photo: Lonnie's Stonecrafters

I especially love Antique Brown with a Honed finish.  A Leather or Satin finish is also really beautiful on this stone.  The photo below shows the Honed (matte) finish.  Also, notice the veins that I was talking about?

Photo: Arizona Tile

Photo: Ikea Fans

Antique Brown is available in 2 cm and 3 cm slabs.

Natural Stone on Sideboards & Hutches

By now you all know that I can find a reason to put stone on any flat surface in a home, it's how I make a living!  :)

An overlooked place to put natural stone is on the Sideboard (aka Buffet) or Hutch in the Kitchen or Dining Room.
This is a great place to use stone because it's more durable than the wood or even glass that is often seen on these furniture pieces. 
If you have an antique sideboard we can help recommend a stone and edge that is suitable for the timeframe the furniture was built.

Here are some pictures of Sideboards and Hutches with natural stone...

traditional kitchen design by boston kitchen and bath Mary Regan

Photo: Custom Marble & Granite

contemporary dining room design by other metros architect Leonard Grant Architecture

traditional kitchen design by atlanta kitchen and bath Teri Turan

modern dining room design by austin architect Webber + Studio, Architects

It's generally fairly inexpensive to add natural stone to a Sideboard or Hutch since they are usually pretty small, you can probably find a remnant in our yard. 

Also, if you are handy you can template and install the piece yourself.  So the only thing you would need to pay for is the stone and the fabrication!

Contact us today if you would like a price on a new countertop for your Sideboard or Hutch!