The kitchen is the center of the home. I usually pick the countertops first. Then I present the options to the client. Once that is set, you can choose the cabinet finish, floor stain, and paint colors, in that order.
Countertops are probably number one for aesthetic because natural stone is like art and it has a lot of life to it. People are getting away from granite because it is too harsh looking. They are looking for a durable finish with tones that are softer and friendlier. A natural stone can’t change color because it comes out of the earth that way. It is the grounding factor for the colors of the room.
Here are five countertop materials that completed the style and determined maintenance.
COUNTERTOP 1
This client lives on Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, California and also has a home in Hawaii. He loves color and we picked this super amazing gemstone counter to represent the tropical blues of the ocean. There is also a small amount of amethyst in the gemstone, so we painted the hallway to the kitchen a light pinkish lavender amethyst color. It’s a peaceful strong stone and more than beautiful to look at all day.
COUNTERTOP 2
This kitchen is on Balboa Island in Newport Beach at The Wedge. The client wanted a relaxed casual but elegant beach cottage look. We chose soapstone for its durability and forgiving nature. There are differences about this stone compared to all others like granite, quartz, marble, limestone, and travertine. It can be oiled every month to maintain a darker color and to remove dull scratches. The price of soapstone is between marble and granite. However, it can be more than granite depending on the size of the slabs. If not careful with heavy pots, the edges of soapstone may chip. But that’s part of the casual look.
COUNTERTOP 3
The style of this house is 1940s cottage and is on a little street called Belvue Lane in Newport Beach. The front yard faces a sidewalk and not a street, so you have to drive through an alley to get to the house. The homeowner makes pottery and wanted a neutral natural looking stone that’s organic in color, easy on the eye, and low maintenance. We picked green limestone for its natural strong beauty. There are more white veins in green soapstone than blue soapstone, so it has a little more character. It has an amazingly timeless elegance for a beach cottage.
COUNTERTOP 4
This client lives in the Back Bay in Newport Beach and the light inside the room is very bright and warm. They wanted the look of Carrara marble, but they also did not want the hassle of the maintenance of marble. We went with white granite, which is bulletproof maintenance-wise and has the same grays in it as Carrara marble. White granite is 15 to 25 percent more expensive than Carrara marble per slab, but the cost upfront saves in maintenance in the long run.
COUNTERTOP 5
This home is in the wooded area of Coto de Caza in Orange County, California. The client wanted a very barn-like rustic warm look. We chose blue soapstone, which turns charcoal grey when oiled. Again, soapstone is a very durable and forgiving stone. You can oil it once a week or once a month or before you have a guest. It’s an easy maintenance stone with lasting beauty. I also chose it for its natural color to go with the rocks we actually pulled out of the front yard to make that massive two-sided fireplace at the end of the kitchen. Soapstone went fabulously with the hand-painted vintage Malibu tile backsplash that I used in the kitchen. The terracotta floor with Malibu tile inserts on the floors and soapstone was a perfect neutral charcoal black.
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