White was prevalent in the models.
Several Valley residents met up with Sally Silvers, a textiles designer from Los Angeles, to talk about choosing styles and colors to remodel a kitchen. As part of our adventure, we took a tour the new Esencia Del Webb homes in the Rancho Mission Viejo. These gorgeous homes, from the mid 600’s, offer many designer amenities. Silvers, a resident of San Juan Capistrano, had been looking forward to the tour for some time, and we were anxious to get her take on the design aspects of the models.
Not surprisingly, granite is still the most popular counter material by far. Not just granite countertops, but custom designer granite countertops. Silvers was particularly enchanted with the honed granite featured in one of the models. In fact, every visitor who passed through the model while we were there took a moment to stroke the honed granite countertop and remark upon it.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to feel honed granite, it’s a fantastic tensile experience. A couple of the visitors looked back at the kitchen counter on their way out.
Many of the models were decorated in one or more variations of white, tan, or a subdued blue, presumably to appeal to the minimalist crowd. We asked Sally to walk a decorating newbie through the process of choosing a style and color for remodeling a kitchen. She explained the process.
Basketweave backsplash
“Have a talk with yourself. This is very important: using three adjectives, describe the feeling you want to create. Is it sophisticated, elegant, homey, welcoming, tranquil, happy, etc? Before you choose the various elements in your kitchen, ask yourself if it will help create that feeling.
“Work with your favorite colors and textures that go with your choices. Decide if you want the room to be bright, or be more muted with small, bright accents. It generally works out for the best if you have a lot of the main color (which would be the countertops in a kitchen) and small amounts of a lesser intensity of other colors.
White basketweave behind this kitchen niche.
“For walls, get paint samples and put them up on the wall, either paper samples, or splotches of paint. Live with them for a few days so you can look at them at different times of the day to show you different effects of the light. Since paint looks different depending on the direction of the light, put them on different walls, if possible.”
It was undoubtedly enlightening for us to have it laid out in such simple terms and the plan provides a way for a homeowner to envision a bathroom with a countertop and a specific backsplash or tile. Whether it’s granite, marble, Wilsonart or something else, learning to put it together in a kitchen or bath may be as simple as having a talk with yourself.
Our thanks to Ms. Silver for her gracious hospitality and sage advice!
If you’ve already had that talk and decided on a remodeling theme for the kitchen or bath for your home, business or rental property in the Metro Phoenix area and are considering upgrading with granite countertops or other stonework features, call JDM Countertops at 602-461-7559
