OMG... that stone is to die for!

Your island is a real show stopper!! Looking very nice.

The quartzite is a real focal point...dramatic and timeless. Fantastic!

What a lovely kitchen! That honed quartzite is stunning. I think you will really enjoy working/cooking on that surface.

Beautiful stone in a beautiful-so-far kitchen!

The island is gorgeous! I've never seen that stone before. Are your perimeter counters pietra di cardoza? We almost got pietra and then switched designers and ended up with the easiest option for us (which was honed AB, which I love), but I still think about the pietra sample we have...

November & all - Thanks for the compliments on the island. I got cold feet before they cut it and had to go back and look at it again so I really appreciate the positive feedback. Sometimes taking in different opinions can be confusing -- I had some feedback that two different cabinet colors & counters would be "too much" but I think it all works. Honestly - if I had to do it again I probably would add more color/textures (thoughtfully & complimentary I would hope :)

And yes, the perimeter is Pietra Del Cardosa. I kept stopping in my tracks as I walked by it at the stone yard and the sales woman would say "you don't want that." Once we found the island super white, the Pietra was obvious (though we did seriously consider a honed black such as AB, which is beautiful and probably a lot more practical.) I suspect I will be crying in my Pietra as it gets beat up...and thinking about the AB samples :)

Absolutely love that island. The colors and style are outstanding. Look forward to the other pictures as you get your kitchen finished. :-)

vampiressrn - Thanks for the comments on the island. I went around the world on that one - most, including my architect, thought it was very odd that I wanted legs, much less four of them. I am really a table girl, but could not give up the storage an island provides. I changed the leg style and put the apron in last minute (thanks to a patient cabinet maker) and I am happy I stuck to my guns. I also wanted seating on more than one side of the island. I used to work at manufacturing shop where people lined up on one side of the table to eat - strangely anti-social - so I had to have at least one chair on the side. I find that as the cook I often want to sit down while I work (so I don't feel like a servant to my kids), so the seat on the end will be mine.

Sparklekitty I love the way your kitchen is turning out. The perimeter and island so nice. I quickly read you were doing backsplash in your other thread but I see a small soapstone backsplash. I have a 4 inch and was going to remove it when I could make the big decision of THE backsplash. I rarely see backsplashes on top of small counter material backsplashes and wondered if that was what you were up to. I'm asking because still pondering my own kitchen and GW's always have ideas I can't think of!! Thanks.

Oh the gray swirl patterns in a soft honed look are
graceful.
You made a brilliant choice. I can not imagine a better
stone for that island. Lovely.

What color stain or not on the floors? I ask because
this way I can help come up with ideas for a backsplash.
And what about the walls, are you thinking of a specific
color? And the Hardware for the cabinets and faucet?

I love your gracious space.
~boxer

Love the quartzite on the island! Thank you for sharing. I look forward to more pictures as you finish the project.

Love the Super White. We honed our White Princess and it has those same sparkly areas that look like Mica. I had a polished granite before and since I am totally obsessive about my clean counters, it was a maintenance nightmare for me--no longer do I need to wipe 50 times a day! So glad yours turned out wonderful. The kitchen is looking wonderful and it appears that it's making huge progress. Show us some closer pics of the perimeter--looks lovely!!

Boxerpups and all -

The floors are natural matte maple (to match the rest of the 1st floor) the walls have been painted BM revere pewter which is a light gray with a slight green undertone, the window trim is now BM white dove, the cabinets are dove wing. I don't know where others get the little photo of color to insert in the discussion - please share. I looked hard for something that was more of a color - a slight yellow or green but all seemed to compete with and not compliment the cabinets & counters. Color person at store even suggested red, which I was too chicken to until I fell in love with antiquesilver's kitchen...so possible fun for the future.

Our house is from 1900, give or take 5 years, simple shingle style. We are doing a complete renovation, not a restoration (due to money & house quality not warranting it) but have kept much of the old character as we could at the same time trying to make the space more functional. We opened up the kitchen to the dining room, which I struggled with due to noise concerns, but it really was the best use of space. Dining room furniture natural cherry & two sets of warm brown stained french doors, but have not chosen wall color. The living room has french doors from the foyer & to the dining room, which we kept. Probably more than you wanted to know, but it helps me think. Our style and falls transitional to contemporary, though I have purposely shifted in this house to try and keep consistency with the original period/aesthetic.

Stuck on cabinet hardware, but know I will do some combo of basic pulls (not cup) and round knobs. It will be either ORB or satin nickel, but I think the SN is maybe too contemporary, though looks great with the red birch. Concerned that ORB might stand out too much. All door knobs/hinges in the house are ORB. Love the "color" of pewter but all I have seen is rustic finish.

I have a 2 inch pietra backsplash right now - really as a placeholder. Call me a weirdo but sometimes I think that tile butting into the counter looks a little naked. I guess the 2" is my attempt at molding :) but it may come out all together. I knew I didn't want the 4-6" molding made out of the counter. Too much dark.

My unreasonable concern with the kitchen is to keep it warm with all the gray...then I look at the cabinets & think what could be warmer. I also spent time reading through the kwirky kitchen post (which is great) and am concerned that I am creating this super sterile space - absolutely not my goal. I love a kitchen that looks lived in... When I look back at my inspirational photos I think I got a little sidetracked. The red birch cabinets were a little lighter than I expected, the island went striking/wow which I really like but pulled from warm/homey to slightly elegant.

Maybe a little more simple than I really like, but it is the idea

Any thoughts/help would be appreciated.

Bump. I feel silly bumping my own, but hope it might result in more feedback on backsplash or hardware.

Oh how do I love thee? Your countertops are gawjus!

Boxerpups - We are in sync with the green idea for the dining room, but finding the right shade has been the challenge. The woodwork is cherry & medium brown. I wanted the dining room to be somewhat warm so was shifting way from the pure greens to a more yellow/green/grey. I am leaning towards BM Light Khaki. Only reservation is the neutral factor - all neutrals. My husband likes "bold" and I do as well but this house does not scream "bold" to me. Everytime I try to make the dining room color more interesting - it goes toward true green/sage, gold or retro avocado (which I like but my husband does not.) The dining also opens to the living room which will be a gray with a little purple/blue (yes - odd, but it is a color I have been loving forever so I am just going to try it) so keeping it neutral is probably a good idea.

For the backsplash I like the idea of the marble - some running bond in some size (from tiny to large.) I was looking at Calcatta originally. If that is too "elegant" I think I will look for some lovely ceramic tile. I am glad I went through a few exercises of looking at different stuff so I feel confident in my choices.

Thanks !

Your island is beautiful. Would you mind sharing where you found your quartzite. ( which stone yard and who was the fabricator?) Thanks. Also, what is ( are ) the name(s) it goes by

Sparkle -- somehow I missed your original post. This is beautiful! Can't wait to see the finished product!

I have found it called super white and supreme white - but also heard of white princess and white fantasy. It can be more white or more gray, more "swirly" or more chunky (our reminds my DH of seeing icebergs from an airplane.) I am in the boston area and the slab was from Marble and Granite. I also know that the Boston Granite Exchange in Haverhill carries it. I am pausing with recommending my fabricator, we have had some issues that are being resolved. I would recommend calling area distributors & fabricators to find slabs - have them send photos or call asking questions regarding what it looks like - as a pre-screen. But we went and saw every piece we found. Definitely work with a fabricator that is a partner with the distributor if that is where you find your slab. Our was not and think the pricing was not as good as it could be. Good luck.

Hi Sparklekitty-
In your previous post about backsplashes (referenced above), what was the last one you showed? (the one where you'd be selling a kidney to pay for it) Our colors are similar and I am waiting for the soapstone countertops to be installed before I commit to anything, but I really liked that look.

Your island is gorgeous.

Definitely like the small marble tile that Boxerpups posted....very nice!

Leela4 - The kidney selling tile is "hand chopped field" 2.0 cm polished Calcutta Tia from New Ravenna mosaics. It is custom configurable - I saw some 2 x 2" as well as the less than 1 inch I showed in the photo and we considered mini brick like boxerpups showed (1 x 2"). The hand chopping gives the uneven edges which is lovely and a nice foil when your kitchen is somewhat streamlined like mine. The color is beautiful. They may also offer a version that is not hand chopped which might be less expensive. Their website is cryptic and you may not even find any of it there (I did after much snooping but it was in a combined mosaic.)

I have not heard of Calcutta Tia before - I think it maybe a New Ravenna thing but overall it is a calcutta marble with lots of variation - white, gray, browns, taupes - but more "color" and less white overall than other calcutta I have seen.

We just moved in and are going to hold off a bit before picking the final back splash choice, but we are leaning toward white, light gray, taupe - stone or ceramic. It definitely helped to narrow down what I was looking for based on ideas & opinions from GWers so I could pick out other colors and finishes.

I look forward to seeing photos of your kitchen - I had a hard time finding images of similar colors when we were designing.

Thanks Sparklekitty-
I'm also holding off until countertops are installed-Monday-yea!! I know I'm lucky but it seems like this has taken forever. But now I think I see the end of the tunnel (if we don't take forever to decide on this backsplash and then find it backordered for 100 weeks)

I will eventually post some before and after pictures, maybe even before the after happens.

Hi-just came across your post and love your color selection.
Since it's been several months since your new kitchen was installed can you tell us how the countertops are holding up? Do you have to "baby" the pietra at all? Does it stain?

Also I'm wondering if you could tell me the clearances around your island. I'm working with a very similar layout and feeling like the room is too tight, although yours looks very roomy.

Thank you!

Hi
I am also in Boston and am purchasing super white this week for my bar. Do you still like the honed vs polished now that you have lived with it? Is there scrathes, stains or etches? I heard the honed shows less. Im also looking for a fabricator and saw you would not recommend yours, wondering if you can email me so I can stay away, I am looking at 3 different fabricators now.

Hi emmadesign,

I just saw your post, and don't know if you've made your decision, but I would say stay far away from Glenn Murray in the Boston area regarding countertops and fabrication, and stay away from Athena Marble & Granite.

I had a terrible experience with them. If Glenn Murray walks through your door, be very very afraid. He was recommended by our cabinet person, and the GC said they always used Athena Marble & Granite, and I caved into all of the "men" around me, contrary to everything I'd ever read on GW.

Feel free to email me privately if you want more details.

--Lee

• Sparkle kitty I know it has been several years but Can you please comment on any downsides with either the white fantasy or pietra del cardosa? the oil stains on the sample piece of PdC the fabricator gave me have me reconsidering. What's it like in real life and do you have any regrets with etching or staining ?