10 Gorgeous Scandinavian Inspired Kitchens You'll Love

Post by: Camila | Source: My Domaine

Is there anything more satisfying than scrolling through beautiful kitchen after beautiful kitchen, dreaming of all the remodeling you'd do if time and budget were no object? While we admit to swooning over kitchens of all styles, there's something about Scandinavian-inspired kitchens that really resonate with us. Maybe it's the clean lines, functional furnishings, and a neutral color palette or the emphasis on texture to add interest, rather than a lot of bells and whistles. Whatever it is, we find that looking at a few Nordic-chic spaces is as relaxing as an hour of our favorite yoga class. Just me?

However, what seems to come so effortlessly to the design-savvy Swedes (and Danes) isn't always as intuitive for us Americans. The less-is-more mentality takes some getting used to, so we're always looking for cool kitchens that remind us to pare down and embrace our inner minimalists. Or at least try to.

Swapping oodles of cabinets for open shelving isn't always easy, but we can all but guarantee the airy vibe achieved by doing so is more than worth any stress that Mari Kondo-ing your kitchen might cause in the meantime.

Here are some of the most serene and sophisticated Scandinavian kitchen ideas I've found lately. Take a look and you'll be feeling calmer (and more inspired!) in minutes, I promise!

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Clean Contrasts

The contrasting-island trend is something we've been seeing for a while, but nowhere is it as striking as in this ultra-sleek, natural wood kitchen. The black granite island brings surprising warmth to the space (and serves as a de facto focal point.)

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Scandi Industrial

A little industrial, a little nordic, and all-around chic, this kitchen makes use of a variety of juxtaposed textures—poured concrete, wood, leather — show off the unique bones of this rustic brick building. I love how the open upper shelving doesn't hide the character of the old stone, but rather frames it as a feature.

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Shades of Greige

This muted kitchen color scheme is nothing short of stunning. Light grey cabinets by Christopher Peacock play off of variegated countertops with veining, subtly stained upper cabinets, and modern shelving. I've never loved this "non-color" so much.

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Black & White & Scandi-Cool

High-contrast black and white spaces always say "Scandi" to me, especially when they're anchored in natural wood flooring. Modern statement pendants bring a funky touch to the island area, while super skinny subway tile puts a fresh spin on a classic backsplash.

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Checkerboard Vibes

Why choose between black marble and white marble when you can have both? This is the dramatic counter, Nordic kitchen of our dreams thanks to its ultra-high-impact juxtaposition.

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Shelf Up

What is it about Scandinavian kitchens that make them look so much more soothing than us, American counterparts? Eliminating upper cabinets. A few open shelves (or even just one ultra-long one) gives a more airy feel to the space.

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Cabin Look

Designer Emily Henderson describes this kitchen's vibe as "rustic-modern-Scandinavian-contemporary-minimalist"...so it's a true multi-hyphenate if there ever was one. And even though it's not located in a mountain house, it does incorporate some rustic elements.

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Open-And-Shut Case

Hardware-less cabinets feel undeniably modern, especially when clad in a smoky shade of light grey. But if you're missing your chance to show off favorite objects with some open storage, don't despair—add open shelving at a lower level on your kitchen island, like this clever design shows.

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Wild Tile

When your whole kitchen is finished in neutral black, white, and light wood, it's okay to go a little crazy on the floor tile. I love the playful touch that this whimsical pattern lends to even a petite kitchen—it's a true lesson in maximizing style in a small space.

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Understated Sophistication

This minimalist kitchen design proves that less really is more. Dark cabinets, sleek flooring, and light wood furniture make this a no-brainer style that will never fade with the times.

The Kitchen Counter Challenge

Post by: Camila da Paz | Source: The New York Times

Choosing a kitchen countertop can be an exciting process. Not only will it establish a beautiful-looking kitchen with clean lines and a sleek finish, but picking the right natural stone for your kitchen will make it that much easier to put those fantastic inner chef skills to work.

Your choice of a natural stone kitchen countertop should make your life easier in the long run. Not only will you have a chic and stylish kitchen area, but choosing the right stone will make care and maintenance in your kitchen a breeze.

So why does the countertop cause so much consternation? It’s flat. Its job is simple: to provide a clean, even surface for food preparation and serving. Really, how difficult could it be to choose the right one?

It turns out, going to a good natural stone provider will make your life simpler, saving you time and money.

Start with the budget: Depending on the material, your counter could represent a considerable part of your budget. Then there’s the appearance: In the contemporary kitchen the counter is a defining feature that telegraphs personality.

Are you a reserved minimalist who prefers an absolute white marble, or a more adventurous type who goes for wildly wavy Fusion quartzite?

And what about maintenance? Some materials will stain and scratch more easily than others, which will bother some people more than others.

And last but not least, there are the finishes and the way the material is fabricated into a countertop, with a particular finish, edge detail and seams, the look of a kitchen can change drastically.

So first things first, understand the materials. Counters can be made from a variety of materials, and there are advantages and disadvantages to all of them. Among the most popular at the moment are dolomite and quartzite.

Dolomite is not only high-end surface visually stunning, its hard texture makes it very resistant to scratches. It comes in a wide variety of patterns and colors, is budget friendly, durable, and widely available. That is why dolomite has become a favorite for kitchens in America.

Quartzite is for those who love the look of marble but want something with a little more resistance. This natural stone countertop is created strong with the ability to resist chips, heat, scratches, and other damage. Quartzite is a durable choice that can contains veining that closely resembles the luxe appearance of marble.

Granite is incredibly hard and durable, which is why it’s such a popular building material. It is extremely resistant to knife scratches, chipping, and acid erosion. So, it can pretty much withstand anything you can throw at it, and it’ll stay beautiful for ages (litearlly!) to come.

Marble is used in palaces across the world, and is world renowned for its rich appearance and the luxurious style it can bring to any room. Marble is calcium carbonate, and acids eat that calcium carbonate, which creates etching, so is also relatively easy to scratches and stains, so it requires a little more maintenance than other stone countertops. Sealing and regular maintenance a must to keep it looking pristine.

If you still can’t decide, choose several! There is no rule that says you must use a single material for all of your counters. Architects and designers often mix it up by using one material for the majority of the counters, a different material for the island, and yet another for the backsplash.

“Very often, we pick a nice-looking stone for the kitchen island, because that’s where people will sit and touch the marble. Then, on the back counter, where we have the sink, dishwasher, stovetop, more grease and dirty dishes, we choose a more durable material, like quartzite” says West Chin, an architect from New York. In an apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, he designed a kitchen with a Statuary marble island and a Corian counter along the wall behind it. For another apartment, in the Flatiron district, he designed an island with a concrete top, then installed black granite counters by the range and sink, and a backsplash of white Statuary marble. For nervous homeowners, he said, “the backsplash is often the best place to put marble, because it’s hard to spill on a vertical surface.”

If you still have questions, come pay us a visit at our warehouse/showroom and our stone specialist team will gladly assist you!

Scary Stones - Why Stones rule Cemeteries

Halloween edition

Post by Camila

When you think about Halloween what are the first images to come into your mind? Most of us associate this spooky holiday with trick or treating, pumpkins Jack-o' lanterns and all sorts of costumes, especially those of the ghostly variety. Many of us decorate our front yards with cemetery graveyard decorations and tombstones.

Did you know that tombstones, or grave markers as they were more commonly known, are believed to date back as far as 3,000 B.C. to the Roman and Celtic cultures? In earlier times cemeteries did not exist and people instead had burial plots near their homes where all their family members would be buried together. As such, the need for individual gravestones wasn't there, and instead markers would identify a group burial site. And what is the preferred material used to make tombstone? Granite!

Any visit to a cemetery should provide a clear indication that granite is the preferred stone for monuments. The elemental composition of this durable product is primarily feldspar and quartz. This is why you never see color imperfections, visible flaws, or fractures in slabs used in cemeteries. Other stones that are used to create headstones are inferior in their ability to remain intact and legible after the first few years of weather exposure.

Granite Is Dense and Durable

People tend to group marble and granite together as though they are the same, but granite is considerably stronger. Diamonds are a great material to use as a comparison tool because it’s one of the hardest, with a rating of 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.

A slab of granite is going to range between 6 and 7, and the man-made products are considered a 5. The actual task of cutting, polishing, and carving granite is more difficult because the molecules are packed tighter than marble, but it’s worth the investment in a headstone that will last. True granite headstones also resist natural discoloration and deterioration between different seasons. Marble tends to be softer than granite, falling into a rating of 3 in the Mohs Scale.

Aesthetically Pleasing

Granite is available in various natural colors. The majority of granites possess patches of gold, blue, gray, or green, depending on the kinds of minerals present in them. Granites are aesthetically pleasing because no two granites can ever be identical, as they are removed directly from the quarry bed and hold many variations based on different locations.

Simple Maintenance

It’s effortless to clean and restore the original beauty of a granite headstone in case it gets filled with hard water, moss, lichens, and debris. It be can easily cleaned using a little amount of water, dishwashing liquid, and a clean cloth.

So why there is marble in cemeteries?

Older cemeteries that feature monuments dating back to the mid 1800’s contain a lot of marble. It was the most popular choice because the tools used in that time period could easily work with marble.

Unfortunately, marble is a calcite structure that is prone to erode when exposed to acid rain and other pollutants in the air over the year. This is why the ancient memorials are barely legible and highly deteriorated compared to granite monuments being exposed to the same weather conditions.

So there you go! Once again Natural Stones proving can be versatile, long lasting and scary!

Happy Halloween!

We wish you a fun and spooky night filled with lots of yummy treats!