Mitered Island in New Venetian Gold

Shaker Style Cabinets

Shaker style furniture is known for being simple and functional. Take a look at how these clean-lined cabinets pair with the dramatically veined marble, and high polished faucets.

That’s Yours Truly in the reflection, by the way

Call Countertop Solutions today for your free quote. 239-961-0663

 

Pietra Imperiale Vanities in Marco Island

We installed these vanity countertops in Marco Island recently. The stone is 3cm thick “Pietra Imperiale” with a 1/4″ bevel edge. The cabinets have a busy pattern, but the solid brown tops complement them very well.

Give us a call today for your free estimate: 239-961-0663.

Add a Soap Dispenser and Water Filter to your Sink.

So you’ve recently had new stone countertops installed in your kitchen. The tops look stunning, the new faucet looks great, all is said and done when… suddenly you realize it would have been nice to have a soap dispenser or a water filter installed (or maybe both?).

 

No need to panic- all it takes is a few minutes to drill the holes in the stone. The process is noisy, but not dusty at all, and the cost is very reasonable.

 

We installed these tops a few years ago, but the water filter and soap dispenser are new.

Do you need to add gadgets to your sink? Call Countertop Solutions today 239-961-0663

Travertine Fountain

C for Countertop Solutions? Maybe, but we’re so much more than that! We work with every kind of natural or engineered stone in any application! Tabletops, fireplaces, tub decks, shower walls- we do it all.

This giant letter “C” on the floor is actually part of a travertine fountain we are making for a home here in Naples. The other pictures are the parts of the fountain that the water flows into and spills over. Visit us again soon to see the finished product.

Do you have a special project in stone? Call Countertop Solutions today for a free estimate: 239-961-0663

His and Hers Vanity Tops

In a perfect world, everyone would have a bathroom all to themselves. Sharing one can be a hassle sometimes, especially in the morning when you’re getting ready to go somewhere.

A “his and hers” vanity can make things a whole lot more comfortable and efficient. Take a look at this chic setup with porcelain vessel sinks over black granite. I like the lighting built into the mirrors.

Image courtesy of HouseToHome.co.uk

At Countertop Solutions we have a large inventory of remnants that you can choose from to get this in your own bathroom for a phenomenal price. Call us today! Our number is: 239-961-0663

www.CountertopSolutionsFL.com

Interview Continued…

The second question I asked Linda the designer was:

How do you pick the right sink for new countertops?

She said that when you’re trying to decide on what sink to get, you should consider appearance but not forget function. That is, make sure it looks good, but also make sure it works as a cooking tool.

How will that sink hold up to a bowl of piping hot spaghetti water? (look for the amount of chromium and nickel in the sink. Higher concentrations means better quality steel). Will it bother you if your stainless steel sink gets a scratch? (they can!) Do you need the large bowl on the right, the left, or do you want both bowls to be the same size? How many bowls should it have? Is it insulated (an insulated sink is less noisy and gets less condensation buildup underneath). Can it take a hit from a dropped pot or pan? (Look for the “gauge” number. The lower it is, the thicker the metal.)

…and you also need to think about looks. Granite composite sinks have become very popular these days. They come in different colors, are very resistant to shock and heat and can really complement stone countertops very well. Take a look at our latest installation.

The countertops are Silestone “Coffee Brown” and the sink is a Blanco Silgranite.

You can also go with a contrasting color. Instead of matching the tops, you can try to match the floor, for example.

Stay tuned for more tips!

You can contact interior designer Linda King at LindaKingDesigns@aol.com

www.CountertopSolutionsFL.com

Interview with the Designer

Hello everyone! I’m back after a grueling few weeks that left me with no time for the blog, so I thought I’d post something really good.

Last week, I sat down with Linda King, an interior designer brought to us all the way from “Faboulous Las Vegas, Nevada”- (I lived in Vegas myself for several years, and if you haven’t been there, you really should visit sometime).

She has many years of experience and I could tell right away by chatting with her that she loves what she does, and really knows her stuff!

I asked her the 5 most popular questions we get from our customers about how to make their kitchen countertops look amazing. I’m a granite guy, not a journalist, so I didn’t have a recorder with me, but I’ll paraphrase:

#1 on the list:

How do I pick the right color?

– There are several elements that have to work with each other: flooring, cabinets, counter tops, the wall finish- even the kitchen appliances.  Anything the stone will be seen against comes into play. Counter tops are parallel to the floor, so the cabinets have to be lighter or darker to provide a contrast between the two. The idea is to make them seem as separate entities.

The easiest way to ensure this separation is to choose a countertop and flooring material that have the same value.

A good test is to lay a sample of the countertop on the flooring material, back away several feet, squint your eyes, and see if the two materials “blend” together; that one material is not significantly lighter or darker than the other.

Linda explained to me the idea of “value” in colors. It’s a slippery concept to explain, so I got this definition for “value scale” from the Art Glossary at About.com:

Definition:

A gray scale or value scale is a sequence of tones from light to dark that can be made between black and white (as the darkest and lightest tones respectively). A gray scale is a useful tool for a painter as you can use it to accurately judge the tone or value of the subject you’re painting.

So value has to do with the amount of light or darkness in a color. Now try to imagine you’re painting a picture of the perfect kitchen. What is the “value” of the color of the cabinets? If you can pinpoint that,  then you know to look for a contrast and have a better chance of picking the right color of stone for your project.

I hope you found this helpful. Stay tuned for the next 4 tips!

Need an interior designer?

Contact Linda King at LindaKingDesigns@aol.com.

Glow in the Dark

I’ve had the privilige of making one of these before. The one I made was a tub deck, but it had the lighting installed underneath too. The stone you see here is Caramel Onyx, but it comes in white, green, blue and pink. Onyx is translucent, so when you put a light behind it, it glows!

http://www.arizonatile.com

During the day…

http://www.arizonatile.com

At night!

Pretty cool, right? There are strips of LED lights that you can buy cheap and they work very well for this because they last a long time, they are very energy-efficient, and they run cool.

We’ve had a bunch of interesting projects this week. New photos are coming soon, so stay tuned!

Call now for a FREE QUOTE: 239-961-0663

CountertopSolutionsFL.com

 

Don’t Call it a Comeback

Again and again I see white marble as the designer’s first pick for stone surfaces nowadays! Like I’ve said in previous posts, it’s always been around- since ancient times! That clean look just never goes out of style.

Here’s a picture of a shower done almost completely in white carrara.

Image courtesy of http://www.HousetoHome.co.uk

Call now for a FREE QUOTE: 239-961-0663

CountertopSolutionsFL.com