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Stainless steel is wonderful for Hospitals or Laboratories but useless for kitchens, it is a nightmare to keep looking free of water stains .. it needs to be polished everyday ..lots of work. That is of course if the kitchen is being used for cooking and not just a show piece.
We redid our kitchen not very long ago. Since our house is older ,like 1900s older, it had a small kitchen. Instead of trying to figure out how to cram everything in we hired someone to design it for us. And I can say he designed a kitchen that was 1000% better than anything we could have done with such a small space on our own. He gave a lot of options in regards to counter tops but ultimately decided to go with granite and stainless appliances.
We use our kitchen and cook a lot. Granite takes a beating with little maintenance. Marble was the very first thing off the list. Our friends niece left a cup of cool aid on their marble counter top and there is a ring that will ,despite her best effort, just not go away. They look beautiful but that pink ring drives me nuts and just couldn't imagine spending the money and having that happen to me.
After that soapstone, concrete, butcherblock, etc were either wildly expensive or didn't fit in our home or the design of our kitchen. Concrete was the biggest contender but we felt it just would have looked off. The house has a pretty good flow and felt the concrete looked too modern.
We ended up with a medium grade granite with a medium price and put the extra money toward nicer appliances. It's a little plain jane but looks great.
I honestly think people are obsessed with showing off and getting that "wow" factor from friends when it comes to kitchens. I'd rather get a "wow" factor from the food that comes out of the kitchen though. And since it's small when I start cooking I tell them to get out cooks only!!
I offer the generic advice of do what looks good, that you can afford, and fits into your space/home. A quality look is a quality look after all.
people are obsessed with showing off and getting that "wow" factor from friends when it comes to kitchens. I'd rather get a "wow" factor from the food that comes out of the kitchen though.
No, zinc and copper aren't trendy, and I would actually classify those as classic, but very specific to certain types of homes and design styles. But I knew the background of it.
I wouldn't do an entire kitchen in zinc or copper (and pewter also), but they're great for islands. I don't think it's particularly practical for the entire space, however.
I thought I clarified the two that are trendy, but upon rereading my post, I see I did make a blanket statement and for that I apologize.
I ask questions, that's not arguing. And, forgive me, but some of the experts here tend to be a bit suspect sometimes. Like, if you say you haven't specified granite in the past 2 years, that immediately makes me wonder. Especially someone that works in high end design. On the other hand, maybe you don't do a lot of kitchens. I can only go by what is said, so that's why I ask questions.
Maybe the designers I know are weird . . .
Soapstone is classic, like marble and granite. However, it's on the expensive side, and it's something that people remodeling or designing their kitchen will specifically ask for. The average person wouldn't ask for soapstone. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that a person desiring soapstone has better taste than most. Of course, there are exceptions.
Quartz, is trendy, but not in a be here today, gone tomorrow kind of way. The thing about quartz is that it's more expensive than class A & B granites, and that sort of makes it exclusive to people with money to spend. I think the more it's specified, the more the prices will decrease, but it's man made and virtually indestructible, so the cost is somewhat justified.
Concrete is a more modern item, and if you want concrete counter tops, you're going to pay for them because there aren't many fabricators out there. It's a very specific skill set, so that's why it's expensive. However, I could see it used in some homes and it would look great. But I'm never going to buy a modern home or have a modern/contemporary kitchen.
I wonder what all of the granite haters would select if they redid their kitchens. I'm hoping they would pick some form of solid surface or natural stone.
Thank you for saying that you made a blanket statement, that is truly how it came off.
I wont beat the horse, you raise some valid points....and yes, a lot of designers ARE weird, lol......myself included.
I will take what is construed as a modern material and put in a "classically traditional" setting, just to put a breath of fresh air into what otherwise might be a boring setting. I spin it, I am sure you understand what I am trying to say.
In other words, I will put a triple ogee edge on a concrete countertop, and have it honed to a high sheen in an otherwise traditional kitchen...."nuff said?
Granite is just too practical for me to discount it. I guess if you never cook and are just into some latest cool look, some of the exotic stuff might interest you. However the balance of form and function of granite truly trumps other materials.
I haven't read this entire thread, but I'm happy to hear that granite is on its way out; I'm not a big granite fan (although I agree it can be nice in some situations, and there are certainly practical benefits) but I am so sick of the kitchens that seem to have granite counters/stainless appliances/cherry cabinets trinity. It wouldn't bother me one bit if that's what people put in their own homes -- I think people should do whatever they like, and forget about trends or the latest fashion -- but I've seen too many "updated" kitchens that people put in before putting their home on the market. I don't want to pay for someone's recently remodeled-for-selling kitchen, especially if it's not to my taste.
Haven't had time to read every post, so others may have said this...
Kitchen cabinets and countertops should not be subject to designer whims. They are way too expensive and should last for much longer than the design trends. That having been said, trends are fun and new materials that improve function and design are welcome, but a smart person is not going to rip out a perfectly good high ticket item in a kitchen unless they personally dislike it or it never suited the house to begin with.
I feel that these big statements about things like granite being the thing to have or being so OUT that they will devalue the home are a big scam. Thats a helluvalot of money to change. Buy what you can afford thats of the level of the house's finish (ei. don't put a fancy high end counter is a small dated kitchen/house)and buy a quality product that suits your lifestyle and the look of your kitchen. Some kitchens look great with granite, some with concrete , some even are suited by nice laminate.
I think that if you are re doing a kitchen it is better to get what you like and want to live with rather than go with a trend. Trends come and go and may look dated. better to have something classic that will stand the test of time....
white oak, and laquer was so 90's, regular oak was so 80's....better to have had transitional, it never go out of style.
Granite can be pretty. I used Corian and I'd use it again, although I saw a beautiful quartz that I might go for instead. My mom had new tile and it's striking....really. I'm glad for so many choices and resent anyone who tells me this one is ok but that one is not. Listen up HGTV!
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