Kitchen Reveal

 

Back in August, I made you aware of some changes that I had planned to make to my kitchen, along with expressing some fears as how it was ultimately going to turn out. Fears, I might add, that were justified because I tend to be one of those people who buys things online, sight unseen; that’s just the way that I operate. There are shoppers, and there are non-shoppers, and I fall into the latter category. When you get to be my age, you’re shopped out, at least I am. I do not want to go from place, to place, to place, taking up my time, my energy, and my gas, and still not find what I’m looking for.I am happy to report that all of my selections worked out unbelievably well. The countertop was installed first, and it was lovelier than I had anticipated. It’s very hard to photograph, but it is a rich mix of colors, with tiny gold flecks throughout.

The whole process, however, was not without its issues. As happens, when you get a new countertop, you need a new sink. Cha Ching. When you get a new sink, you need a new faucet.  Cha Ching. When you’re replacing your sink and your faucet, you might as well replace your 12-year-old garbage disposal with a new one. Cha Ching.

I do love the sink. It is an under countertop mount that is beautiful. It is one large sink rather than the one large and one small one that I had previously. It has a rack on the bottom to keep things from scratching it, a built-in strainer and cutting board, both of which are removable, and I couldn’t be happier.

The new countertop allowed me to make the ceramic tile mural, that I had fallen in love with four years ago, a reality. Back then, my builder, Joe, told me that there was no point in attempting to add a mural or tile the backsplash until I got a new countertop. As soon as the countertop was in, Joe came over to measure. He told me exactly the size mural I would need, and I placed my order. Cha Ching. Before shipping, the company both called and texted me to make sure I had ordered the proper size. I assured them that I had, that my contractor had been over, measured, and he told me what I needed. Fine. It shipped, it arrived, it was beautiful. It was also too big.

I mentioned this to Joe and who told me that, no, it wasn’t too big, that he had measured it all the way down to the counter, but in reality that meant that one row of mural tiles would be hidden behind the stove. That would have seriously/negatively affected the look so, do I have to tell you what that meant? I ordered a new stove. A backless one. Did I need a new stove?  Probably not. The stove that I had was a contractor’s model so it not a particularly good one, but it worked. Would it have continued work for the next 5 to 10 years? Probably. Nonetheless, Home Depot delivered my new backless stove on Tuesday, September 10. Cha Freaking Ching!! I will say I’m excited about the stove because it has a built-in air fryer as well as a griddle on top. I think the griddle excites me more than anything because it will allow me to get rid of a griddle appliance that I have, plus I see pancakes, French toast, and a wide variety of toasted sandwiches in my future.

With the mural purchased, that meant I needed to buy backsplash tile. I ordered samples from an online site, found one that matched perfectly, better, in fact than if I had gone locally because Joe went locally for me when we found out that the shipping for this tile was going to be a whopping $100!!! But nothing at all matched or even came close to the mural as beautifully as the rustic Spanish tile that I ended up purchasing. Cha Ching. Cha Ching. Cha Ching.Am I worth it? You bet I am! This was my birthday gift to me for a rather large milestone birthday that had been looming ahead all year long, and that I am celebrating today.

This post is inked to Metamorphosis Monday.

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What have I done???

 

Photo: Stone Trends, LLC

 If you’ve seen a drawing like this, then you know what’s going on at my house. After 12 years of living here with an existing laminate/Formica/whatever the heck it is countertop that, over the years, has begun to look horrible, I am getting a new one. Cambria. This is no easy task. First of all, I have an open floor plant. I love my open floor plan, but what this means is that all of the colors need to coordinate in the three rooms, otherwise it’s going to be like a dissonant chord.  Second, it’s really impossible to know, despite your research, if you’re really going to like what’s on your countertop once it’s in place, and these things aren’t cheap.

Photo: Amazon

I chose this Houzer stainless steel undermount workstation sink with dual platform kitchen accessories.

Photo: Amazon

  

I chose this Kraus stainless steel faucet because, crime show lover that I am, it reminded me of those I’ve seen in pathology labs. Heh heh.

I wanted a dark countertop. I like things that are moody, evocative, and exotic. My style in the three rooms is a sort of global bohemian in neutral shades.  You do not, by the way, have to have nothing but bold colors in order to be bohemian. That’s a misnomer. So when I went to look for countertops, I was surprised at how few of them are dark. I had only found four different patterns that were dark, however, a number of them were way too dark, one ended up looking almost solid black, the other was dark black with white feathery streaks in it, and the other was just mottled black, none of them would do. Then I happened upon this one.

Photo: Stone Trends, LLC

Now in the sample, it looks to be exactly what I wanted. It’s described as:

"Earthy hues of rich browns, warm tans, and deep blacks create a canvas of captivating contrasts. A grand statement is made complete with hints of white and a veil of gold glimmer adding to the sophisticated charm."

So, this is what I ordered. Oh, the power of words! However, in rummaging around on the Internet (like you do), I came across the Cambria website and saw this pattern on a full countertop and it definitely gave me pause.

Photo: Cambria USA

Oh, dear. This is bold, isn’t it? Welp, I’ve done it now. Money has been spent, measurements have been taken, and in eight working days, that’s going to be in my kitchen. Part of me is very excited; the other part of me is scared to death.  I have a milestone birthday coming up this year, so I decided to treat myself to this countertop in celebration. I’ll show you before and after pictures once the deed is done, and you can decide whether I made the right decision or not.

  To give you an idea as to what I’m working with here, here is a picture of my kitchen before my builder, Joe, had an opportunity to work his magic on it.

Photo Joe Rogers

Here is an updated version after Joe had made a few changes.

 

Photo Joe Rogers

What do you think? Big mistake? Perfect choice? Or, suck it up, girl, and learn to live with it?

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