Sometimes all your kitchen needs is a simple refresh. Remember that black and white wet room feel bathroom remodel we did? These are the same clients and home. While we remodeled their bathroom, they also wanted us to give their kitchen a little update.
They liked the overall kitchen layout and were happy with their cabinetry, but wanted to brighten up the space a bit. We all decided new countertops, adding a backsplash, and replacing the faucet and sink would give it a new feel.
The before…
And what we ended up with…
Just by adding lighter countertops and a bright backsplash it completely brighten up the look of the space. It even made the cabinetry look lighter.
Countertops
The biggest and best decision we all made together was going with quartz countertops. Our clients weren’t sure if they wanted to go with granite or quartz. We always recommend quartz for all of our kitchen projects. Why? Many reasons.
Most importantly the quality. It’s nonporous, which means it won’t stain, you don’t have to seal it regularly, no maintenance, and lifetime guarantee. We also prefer the look of it, to us it looks very classy and high end.
In most all of the projects where we’ve installed granite, we’ve also had issues. It’s been cut wrong; edges got chipped on install, we could go on and on. And when they fix the issue(s), they don’t bring you a new slab, they add, seal and caulk. We’ve never had any damage on any of quartz install.
For this countertop, we chose Brittannica from Cambria, our favorite. We love this design. We used this same design in the kitchen we remodeled before this project as well, and it’s one of our favorites.
Sink
Whenever you’re replacing your countertops, we usually always recommend replacing the sink and faucet at that time if you’re even a little bit questioning it. Now is the time to do it.
The former sink was over-mount and our clients wanted under-mount. We went with the Elkay Crosstown 16 Gauge Stainless Steel 33″ x 18-1/2″ x 10″, 40/60 Double Bowl Undermount Sink. I was excited to incorporate this sink into the design as I love the lower divider in the new Elkay sinks. Having a lower divider means you can still fit your pans into the sink yet have the water divider. Genius!
We put an Elkay Crosstown into our home, but we opted to go with the single bowl. Their Crosstown designs are the ultimate mix of beauty, function, and modern design. We always put Elkay sinks into our homes and our clients’ homes. Beyond quality, their customer service is something else. They’ll even do custom designs for you. The geometric aesthetic has universal appeal and makes an impact in any space.
Faucet
For the faucet we went with the Trinsic Pro pull down touch single handle with and MagnaTite® Docking and Touch2O® Technology. The clients loved the commercial look and for a fraction of a cost. Having a sensor for the water to turn on was a must on their list too.
Our clients also wanted a water filtration system. So our plumber got that easily hooked up for them.
Backsplash
The backsplash was the biggest challenge we had. We always have our clients pick out their countertops first, because that is something that they’ll probably invest in and have for a very long time if not forever, and the backsplash is a low-cost to exchange if they get sick of it.
So once we got the countertops picked out and installed, we chose the backsplash. After many selection choices, we brought them all to their home so they could visually see them in their space and against the countertops and cabinetry. In the end, we chose a Hampton Carrara Marble Mosaic backsplash, and we couldn’t’ have thought of a more perfect selection.
It was the perfect amount of white and gray to tie in the countertop and then splashes of brown to bring in the cabinetry.
Faucet | Sink | Countertop | Backsplash
Just wondering if the countertop you ended up using is the Brittannica or or Brittannica Warm? My cabinets are almost identical, and I love how this kitchen turned out.