2015

After the New England winter we had this past year, we know you’re ready to bring on the outdoors now that summer is here. For many, this means the addition of an outdoor kitchen!

Outdoor kitchen by Christopher Grubb, Arch-Interiors Design Group featuring a Costa Smeralda granite countertop. Photo by Greg Weiner. 

If you’re looking into options, we know you have many questions. Specifically, you need to know which materials will stand up to the elements through all the elements and the changing seasons we experience in this part of the world. One of the most important elements of your outdoor kitchen is the countertop. Here’s a primer of the various options available, along with some pros and cons to help you decide:

Granite Slabs

Although Greece and the country’s escalating debt crisis is front-page news these days, it’s hard to think about Greece and not think about the nation’s rich history of marble quarrying. In fact, some of the most popular natural stone materials we offer at Marble and Granite, Inc. originate from Greece. Though the country’s financial future may be uncertain, there is no doubt about the beauty found beneath the earth in the form of the world’s most beautiful marble.

Once reserved for the interiors of grand palaces and estates, today white marbles such as Bianco Statuario are readily available and add the perfect touch of elegance to homes, restaurants, hotels, offices, lobbies, shopping malls, restaurants, cruise ships, building exteriors, and more.

Though granite is the most popular choice for kitchen countertops today, there is no reason your countertop should look just like your neighbor’s. There are as many options in granite as there are for cabinet styles and colors. Combine that with the variety of finishes available and you’re guaranteed to have a look as unique as you are.

Occasionally adding an existing hutch or dresser into the kitchen or bath has evolved into building actual kitchen and bath cabinets that look like pieces of furniture. The secret is in the details.

While there is an overall trend toward simplicity and function when it comes to cabinetry, at the same time cabinets are more elegant than ever before. Not only do consumers want cabinets to perform at a higher level in strength and durability, but they also have to look the part. Incorporating exquisite furniture-style details into the mix provides the personality consumers are looking for.

It’s true that we in New England treasure our colonial roots. We proudly trace our heritage back to the first English settlers who sailed from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Massachusetts, through the brave Patriots’ protest against the British Tea Act, right on through 1775 when the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired at Concord. We love our history and tradition. And when it comes to design, we embrace elements that remind us of this proud heritage. But we really love it when something gently harkens back to old times, yet celebrates modernity. Colonial Cream granite is one of those materials.

Not exactly. But shades of beige, taupe, cream or off-white paired with black cabinetry is a hot look right now!

Here’s a great example using stunning Fantasy Brown Quartzite with dark bathroom cabinets:

It’s no surprise to us that HGTV has named Neolith to their “DIY Hotlist” for ultra tough countertops. But you may be surprised to see the ways they try, in this video, to mark or damage a Neolith countertop.

http://videos.hgtv.com/video/neolith-counters-make-hot-list-0212148

As Thomas Ozello from Stone Design tells DIY host James Young, Neolith is “the most indestructible thing you can put on a countertop.” The pair then proceeds to scrape it (hard!) with a screwdriver. This makes sparks fly, but leaves not a mark. Next, they remove spray paint with a swipe of acetone. And, finally, they take an actual blowtorch right to it. The result—nothing!

Statistics say that only 30-percent of marble quarried ends up as a finished product. Italian designers Paolo Ulian and Moreno Ratti have set out to do something about that.

The designer duo makes a line of products from rejected marble. Their latest collection is Little Gerla, a collection of four vases. Each one is made from a single tile and yields zero waste.