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FYI since I am also doing an undermount sink I still went with stainless, two bowl low divide. Trying to save a bit, as well as I have stainless appliances.

I went with a polished nickel faucet since it has the warm color finish. It works well with the satin brass cabinet handles.

here's our slab. As cousin Eddy would say, "she's a beaut, Clark"

Betty,,,i'm keeping my copper sink i've had for years. it's a darker, hammered double bowl. They did an undermount w/the gray quartz . (See second pic). The copper is warm but it compliments the wood accents, like all of the walnut I"m using.

I'm making some custom open shelving out of walnut (over my little coffee bar corner) and I also did a walnut open cubby on the island. (for cook books and such)

so I had the walnut put along the bottom of my hood

your entryway is very pretty. love the stairs. are you changing out your doors? Would look so pretty w/something like these

or,, (this color is Behr Watery. So pretty)

Since you have so much wall space above the door, can you do a transom window? would let in more light. I'd also get a nice chandy

Transom window above double doors w/similar iron work like your stair case, and an iron chandelier, would look something like this:

Here are pics of installed leathered Taj mahal

I love it!

@typeandrun, your counters are gorgeous! Are you enjoying them?

I have a couple quick questions when you have a moment...I can't tell from the pics...

1) 2cm or 3cm or ...?

2) leathered or polished or ...?

3) did you need a seam and, if so, is it very obvious?

4) do you feel like you have to baby it at all with the kids?

I fell in love with a 2cm polished slab today. We would need a seam and they're recommending it somewhere on the sink area (so short section in front and behind sink). We have teens who cook, but might slide a pot across it or make a mess and not clean up right away...

Thanks!

Whitney

We are finally done!!! We used the same quartzite in kitchen, laundry, pantry and guest bath as the slabs were so large. We ended up having everything leathered and love it! (they were purchased polished)

and laundry!

@Whitney Lemons here are some answers

1) 2cm or 3cm or ...?

3cm

2) leathered or polished or ...?

Leathered finish. I love it! We did not care for the polished look as overhead lighting creates a glare. I love the feel, the not smoothness. You really get the authentic feeling of stone.

3) did you need a seam and, if so, is it very obvious?

We did not have any seams. We purchased two slabs

4) do you feel like you have to baby it at all with the kids?

I have never had stone before so I am pretty vigilant about wiping up. I only use water to wipe countertop, but am looking for a mild cleanser that will not affect the sealant. Def get it sealed! We are big wine drinkers so I make sure red wine bottles are in a wine coaster

@typeandrun, thank you!!

@Betty Topping, they do look gorgeous! Your’s look leathered, too. I touched some leathered yesterday and it IS beautiful, but DH is not a fan so we’re sitting on that choice for now and I’ll get him to a stone yard/showroom soon.

Is your backsplash bedrosians cloe?? We are thinking of doing the 5x5 cloe tiles in white with a warm white grout behind the Taj Mahal...

yes - i love the Cloe!! I put the 5x5 in laundry room - last picture I posted. We used a warm grout in all the Cloe. it looks amazing with the quartzite as it pulls out the white sections but is also is very warm and rustic.

My husband was on fence about leathered too but since the Cloe is pretty glossy he is glad we went leathered. It was sealed with a color enhancing sealer so the veining does not get washed out. The counter has surpassed every test- spaghetti sauce, olive oil, wine. nothing causes rings or stains.

the only seam we have is at the sink- sink side and range side are both book ended. My stone guy did a fairly good job at matching up the book ends. But did an amazing job with the edging to all edges around stone have a perfect waterfall look.

I have never had stone before so I am pretty vigilant about wiping up. I only use water to wipe countertop, but am looking for a mild cleanser that will not affect the sealant. Def get it sealed! We are big wine drinkers so I make sure red wine bottles are in a wine coaster

Taj Mahal is virtually bulletproof. You don't have to worry about spilling wine, lemon juice, etc. It's a quartzite, not a marble. If it were marble you'd have to worry. I have a different quartzite with a polished finish and nothing bothers it. Taj is the same way.

I use a cleaner meant for stone which is available in supermarkets and BB & B.

@Betty Topping, I DID notice your edges are beautiful...are they mitered for that waterfall?

Thank you for letting me know about your DH‘s feelings as well as the color enhancing sealer! A reservation we both have is that as beautiful as it is honed, a lot of the gorgeous pearlescent depth is lost and most of the movement is so toned down. I’ll show him your pics tonight. Thanks, again!

BTW, I LOVE your black hood! We’re hoping to have a simple hood surround made out of steel :)

Also, our island is about as narrow as your’s (29”), but it’s 13 feet long! I know that sounds crazy, but all the kitchen appliances and work surfaces are on one side so the kitchen is more like a galley in function with that island as a “wall”. The other side of the island is a walkway with a wall of glass on the far side...the light that comes in is awesome, but it’s also a reason I lean toward leathered (plus our LED recessed cans).

On the other hand, our home is from the 60s and is soft modern in architecture so we don’t have the ornate details you do. Part of me leans toward polished as “going” with the house more. No data to back that up LOL, just a gut feeling.

great feedback on the cloe! we only have one backsplash (due to the open-sided galley design), but it’ll be to the ceiling on the rangetop wall without uppers. Also across from the wall of glass so I think the cloe wilove pick up the light and bounce it around due to the variations in texture.

@cpartist, with your polished finish...would you *slide* a pot across it or would that leave a mark? If spills aren’t an issue, that’s the worst thing I can imagine my teenage boys doing when they cook and wash up. :)

Typeandrun, it all come out really nice. I bet you are really happy with your new space.

What was the hardwood floor brand and color you used?

@chispa we used Mirage solid hardwood. The color is Carmel, which might be a limited or special release? I can't find it on their website. The finish is cashmere which is no sheen. I love it! It hides everything. And it is indestructible, as well! We have a dog and her scratches show on our hardwood upstairs which has a sheen.

typeandrun, thanks! I am looking at Mirage and brought some samples home. Cashmere actually has a very very light sheen. The DuraMatt has no sheen at all and just looked too flat for me. Are you sure you have cashmere? Do you know the Collection your wood belongs to?

I also liked Betty Topping's floors.

Betty Topping also love your finished kitchen.

Can you share the brand/collection/color of your hardwood floors?

@chispa Thank you! my floors are California Classics Mediterranean color Calabria. I purchased the wood back in May as I suspected they were going to change their offerings. I visited so many show rooms and the color was exactly what I needed to compliment my current furnishings. Not to gray with some warmth to look more like a toasted wine barrel.

definitely have the cashmere finish, but I don't notice a sheen. However it does not seem flat to me, so maybe there IS a sheen to it? But scratches just do not show!

I am assuming Carmel must be part of some California named collection, since it is the place, and not the food. But I could not find it on their website. We did purchase it from an authorized dealer so I know it is definitely Mirage

I am wondering if it is this one?

https://www.miragefloors.com/en-us/hardwood-flooring-red-oak-select-and-better-smooth/

We did consider Savanna but decided it was too dark

https://www.miragefloors.com/en-us/hardwood-flooring-red-oak-savanna-exclusive-smooth/

@Whitney yes they are mitered but no sign of jointed edge - my stone guy did an outstanding job on the counters. Your kitchen sounds amazing. I wanted a longer and wider island but we opted for more floor space around work area and a got a new counter height table that seats eight (Costco.com). We definitely made the right decision for our floor plan. We also flipped the range and fridge to give the room a wider feel as it also felt like a galley. This allowed for the 48” range and plenty of counter space. We also have Cloe to ceiling as well. Hood is custom “Charcoal” to match island - it takes on a very deep navy in some lighting. Also loving my hidden fridge though what a pain to install! I can’t decide what my favorite part of the kitchen is LOL!

Betty and typeandrun, than you for the information on your floors. I added them to my floor files!

This kitchen is stunning. Can you tell me what color you used for your white cabinets? Also love the hardware!

@lily. we used a custom color - pretty much a creamy dove as I wanted a slightly off white but w/o yellow tone. The hardware is Emtek Jasper in Satin Brass.

Thank you. Your kitchen is my favourite! I also want to do a white kitchen, black island, brass hardware and taj mahal counters. Beautiful to see my choices come to life in your kitchen!

@lily- it’s a timeless look for certain. Our counters are in same family as Taj Majal but lighter version—Perla Venata. Hood and Island are a dark Charcoal gray but definitely look darker in the pictures than in person. Everything came together nicely. Besides counters my favorite part is the hidden fridge. it’s so quiet - nobody realizes its a fridge until we open it.

@Betty Topping Beautiful kitchen! Would you share what fridge you went with in your remodel?

one of my favorite appliances in kitchen. completely silent and keeps food fresh forever. far superior than a sub zero!!!

https://www.samsung.com/us/home-appliances/refrigerators/4-door-french-door/24-cu-ft--capacity-4-door-french-door-panel-ready-42--built-in-chef-collection-refrigerator-brf425200ap-aa/

and best feature is no more finger pints!!!

Did you consider SZ or have experience with one that leads you to your ranking of the Samsung?I am looking for a 36-inch panel-ready and was considering the SZ built-in but having it installed flush inset so I retain the cubic feet of a BI over an integrated model.

Is your compressor on the bottom (assume so) making your top shelf quite high? I'm 5'2" and probably shrinking so can't reach the back of the top shelves on those 84" models.

Yours looks very sleek - love it. Wish I had room for a 42.

we were originally looking for a 36” but the flush versions all seemed cramped so i gave up a little counter space. i am 5”4 and have no problem with the top shelf. the fridge has so much space and you don’t have to dig for anything since it’s wide. compressor is at bottom. i do need a stool to get in and out of the top cabinets but store mostly seldom used kitchen items up there - canning, dryer, etc

@Betty Topping Thanks for the info and pictures. I looked at the tall fridges at the showroom and on tiptoes, I could not reach the back of top shelf but if I stored items like greens in clamshells, egg cartons, etc. I could grab the end. Looks like you have 9-foot ceilings; I'm dealing with 8. And I can't afford to lose counter if I keep the fridge in place. But I think we would be OK with 36 - just the 2 of us an we have the extra fridge in lower level. Also adding a bev fridge in a bar area.

What are you reservations about SZ? Are you happy with your countertops? (Also contemplating the quartzite/quartz/marble/granite decision.)

if limited counter space and 8ft ceiling I definitely would not have selected this fridge. I absolutely love the quartzite we selected. cleans up easy....i did not want a solid white counter as it shows everything. Also we found the veining on most of new quartz items was a bit contrived. We like the natural look but it’s all personal preference. Good luck!

Betty, your kitchen turned out beautiful. I am looking at doing leathered Taj Mahal. Perla Venata is very similar!

Betty Topping, I am wondering how you are liking your new kitchen? I am still using your kitchen as inspiration as we chug along. Anything you would change? How is the countertop? Thanks! Lily

awesome! the counter top is holding up very well. It is so easy to clean and one of our favorite parts of the kitchen 😃

Thank you, good to hear. We are struggling with a faucet color. I want gold pulls but think a gold faucet might be too much. Are you happy with your chrome faucet?

I love my brushed nickel faucet and pot filler. All my appliances except fridge are stainless and I feel it brings a nice balance with the gold. Also feared overdoing the gold.

I went with a polished nickel faucet to complement satin brass handles. Polished nickel has a subtle warm tone to finish

Thank you! I will look at both polished nickel and brushed!

@Betty Topping, did you say your countertop is Perla Venata, not Taj Mahal? BTW, your whole kitchen is gorgeous

yes perla venata 😃

@typeandrun we are considering TM but want honed. It was recommended to not do honed but either leathered or polished. I am wondering if two years later you would still go with leathered TM in the kitchen. I have a 7, 9 and 11 year old and we/they are always cooking so there will be a lot of use. We also do homework at the island and I know we won't be able to write well on the non-smooth surface. Your kitchen is beautiful!

@amy1199 very happy with it still. No regrets at all. I LOVE the non-smooth surface. The surface is not that non-smooth that you can't write. I am working from home and use it all the time as a place to work. I have never felt hampered by the finish. One of the reasons we did not want polished is the glare you get on a polished surface from island or overhead lights.

@typeandrun, thank you for the response and feedback. Just out of curiosity, was honing an option when you were making your decision. This gives it the matte look but without the texture. We are going with a dark greenisland and warm white perimeter cabinets and I really like the Taj Mahal. I just want to make sure I get slabs that are more cream than beige. That's the toughest part b/c they look so different in the warehouses than they will in real life.

@amy1199 we took a cabinet door, our flooring and went to the warehouse and handpicked our two slabs. I knew I wanted leathered over honed as I saw it in a friends house, and really liked it. I love the organic and naturalness of the real stone and not a perfect smooth finish. The style of our house is traditional leaning towards formal. It really works for us.