Choosing the Perfect Countertop for Your Style
Sprucing up your space can be as simple as a can of paint and a new set of drapes. When you’re ready for a bigger update, however, it’s important to select the right materials for the job. For example, whether your redoing your kitchen, bathroom, laundry or other workspace, selecting the right type of countertop can set the tone for the rest of your design. Before you delve too deeply into storage space and paint swatches, let’s talk countertops.
Natural Stone
There’s a certain beauty and elegance inherent in natural stone countertops. The most popular of this type is granite. It has become a favorite for its durable, scratch-resistant surface, as well as the fact that no two pieces are alike. Going granite ensures your kitchen will have a completely unique look. Granite, however, does require annual resealing to ensure its ability to ward off stains and handle heat and water.
Marble is also a gorgeous natural option. If you’re looking for an elegant, distinctive look, consider a countertop of white marble. Marble is naturally cool to the touch so it holds up to heat well. It’s also one of the more affordable natural stone options on the market today. Even with sealing, marble can stain and scratch easily. That may not be a turn-off for you, however. These countertops will take on an aged, patina like finish that you may find appealing.
Other natural stones include soapstone and slate. The former is porous and needs to be sealed with mineral oil to avoid staining. The latter is comparatively soft which means it can be scratched, but some due diligence with a bit of steel wool will buff slate back to its smooth glory. Both soapstone and slate come in deliciously dark hues.
Engineered Stone
If you love the look of granite but not the maintenance, take a look at quartz. These countertops are made by combining ground quartz or quartz chips with a combination of polymers, resins and pigments. The resulting countertop is extremely hard and durable with a glossy sheen to boot. Quartz countertops are non-porous which makes them stain resistant. They’re also crack resistant. All this without the need to seal or reseal.
Concrete
If you’re looking for a customizable, unique look, consider concrete. By adding components like recycled glass, stone, tiles, color and texture, you can tailor these countertops to your own personal style. Although concreate is considered very durable, it must be sealed in order to be so. These countertops must also be resealed regularly to keep them resistant to heat, water and stains. Cracking is a risk, so be careful about overloading the surface or dropping heavier objects on your concrete countertops.
Butcher Block
The right type of wood with a proper sealer applied can make a beautiful countertop. Further, wood countertops are a great work surface for cooking and baking, so home cooks and avid bakers may be big fans! Creating a craft room and need workspace? Wood countertops might be a great fit as a cutting surface. You will need to keep up with periodic resealing and regular oiling with linseed oil to keep your counters looking good and limit risk of bacterial growth. If you’re not ready to commit to a room full of wood countertops, consider using it for an island or other small section. Then finish off the rest of your space with a countertop of another ilk.
Visit the Holistic Spaces Store
Finding Your Just Right: Do’s and Don’ts of Sampling Paint Colors
Tired of staring at the same old walls? It happens. The good news is that a new look is just a paint brush away. Before you crack open a can of paint, let’s talk about how to pick the right color. Properly sampling your new hue before you spread it on the wall will prevent any painter's remorse from setting in after the last drop of paint has dried. Here are tips to get you started on the right path.
Do consider the big picture.
Your room is one of several nestled inside your home. You may want to spiff up your personal space with a new palette, but don’t go too far off your own beaten path. What rooms will be visible from the room you’re painting? For example, will the color of your living room complement the shade of your kitchen walls? Think about what mood you’re looking to strike. Do you want a serene bedroom, an energized rec room or a focused in-home office? How about the existing furniture and accessories in your room; what color family is going to match those best? Start searching for your new paint in color ranges that work with the answers to those questions. Then hit up your favorite shop to purchase small sample-sized containers of your favorites.
Don’t paint your sample directly on your wall.
You picked up a container of paint to sample, which was a good move; just don’t swath it on the wall itself. This presents two distinct problems. First, your painted on sample is limited to a single view. You won’t know how the color looks in the recess of the corner of your room when you’ve painted the swatch on the wall opposite your large picture window. Second, painting your swatch directly on the wall creates more work for yourself. In order to achieve a smooth finish for your newly painted wall, you’re going to have to sand and prime that sample space before you paint the whole room.
Don’t settle for the 2x2 inch sample from the hardware store either.
The solution to not painting your sample on the wall isn’t to rely on the small wedges of color on a strip of color wedges. To make a truly informed choice of what the color looks like on your wall you need to see the bigger swatch size than those chips are going to give you. I know what you’re thinking, “If I can’t paint my swatch on the wall and I can’t rely on that little paint chip, what exactly can I do?” You can create your own paint swatches using the sample paint you picked up and poster board or self-adhesive sheets. (You’ll find those at a paint store.) Apply your sample paint to the board or sheet and then hang your self-created swatch in the room. And don’t limit yourself to one space, either. Live with the sample on the wall across from that beautiful picture window for a day or two. Then move it to another wall and see what the light does to the color throughout the day.