It sure seems strange that in all my years of blogging, I've never posted specifically about the kitchen. Yes, there have been glimpses of it along the way, but no show and tell. Not sure why that is because the kitchen is the heart of the house.
The impetus for this post? Why, new marble countertops which were installed a few weeks ago. The marble replaced Caesarstone (Blizzard White), which despite claims otherwise, did not age well -they yellowed in high use areas. The worst discoloration occurring on either side of the sink, where dishes were often left to dry on a towel.
Now, obviously carrera marble is notorious for being prone to staining and etching so it might seem ironic and insane that I opted for this surface after my disappointment and criticism of the more durable, manufactured Caesarstone. Here's the thing. I got honed marble, which has a more organic feel and look. If you've ever looked at old marble, it has a patina. Whereas I am taking care not to trash my new countertops with citrus and vinegar, I am expecting them to age over time. I'm good with that.
This kitchen is 10 years old and style-wise, I think it still looks great -it's utilitarian and authentic, which fits the architecture and feel of the space. I attribute this mostly to the stainless cabinets, lack of upper cabinets, and the so called top notch appliances (more on that later).
The cabinets were custom made by a local commercial kitchen maker. This is the second kitchen that this fabricator has made for me and I'll probably never design anything but a stainless kitchen for the rest of my life. The great thing about stainless cabinetry is that it is super sturdy and durable and high quality and less expensive than custom wood casework. The cabinets are really well made, with pull out shelves in all the cabinets, glass fronts, super sturdy hinges, and indestructible roller mechanisms. I also love that stainless cabinets are easily lifted off the floor with legs so that that sometimes clunky toe kick situation can be avoided.
This look -classic industrial, will probably never go out of style for this architectural space. My main floor is a loft -26x60 ft with 10 ft ceilings and minimal trim. The kitchen occupies the center of the space with the dining at the front of the space and the living area at the back. My interiors are pretty curated but very casual.
As for the aging of the other components of the kitchen, things have been mixed. I'm sorry to report that every appliance, with the exception of the Wolf range (which itself has had its oven ignition switch repaired twice) has had to be replaced in the last year. I'm going to repeat that. Every appliance in this kitchen, stove excepted, has had to be replaced in this 10 year old kitchen! That's obscene. I might as well really wag my finger. That's 2 Bosch Next dishwashers and a GE Monogram 42" side by side refrigerator which cost over 10 grand 10 years ago. That sucks.
We replaced the fridge with a Sub-Zero, which has the best track record for longevity and which I also really like for it's interior layout. The Bosch dishwashers were replaced in kind. The (honest) salesman said they'd last seven years. Derp.
The small block marble backsplash has held up pretty well. It is a little discolored above the stove but that does not bother me as we use that stove for far more than boiling an egg. For sure the walls and ceiling could use fresh paint but did I mention that there are 1500 square feet of ceiling? That is a hire it out sort of job.
I'll tell you what does bug me. The discolored canned lights. They are Juno. Some remain white as ever and some have yellowed. Weird. I plan to spray the whole lot of those white one of these days.
We keep everyday use items like tea, oil, salt and pepper out on a tray on the counter. Same with the toaster (which also kicked the bucket this year -no joke, although it was just a cheapie from West Elm). We also keep a cutting board out to the right of the stove. This is our tea making station. We drink a lot of tea and this is a good place to pour it out without spilling it all over the counter. My son's friend made that adorable kitten t-cup, which I use to hold my tea strainer.
*Note to those not familiar with my philosophy on 'styling'. It is generally my MO to present design and life in an authentic way. Of course I tidied up a bit but to me the real real is just far more interesting and inspirational than an overtly styled photo. I realize that that bright green plastic spatula is probably really bumming some pinners out right now!
Speaking of style, I can't get enough of these ceramic kitchen pieces made by my older son last year. For me, they are just to the right side of witty. I just adore them.
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