Crystal Calacatta Silva quartz worktops in the kitchen of a perfectionist
Today we are visiting Rait to find out about the process of renovating his kitchen with solutions that are months ahead of the trends.
Why did you choose a stone with such a large pattern? What do you think are the reasons for choosing stones that have very strong character in general?
I knew for sure that my kitchen will have stone worktops, as they are much more durable than counters from any other material. I found Crystal Calacatta Silva in my search for a stone that would match the floor tiles as exactly as possible. It wasn’t easy at all and required a lot of effort. I visited a lot of companies and didn’t find anything close to what I wanted. The kitchen furniture manufacturer also offered this and that, but those options weren’t suitable, though I understand some people prefer these ready-made solutions due to convenience.
I’m a little different kind of a person, I want everything to be perfect to the point of being a little bit of a slave to the detail. I found the Calacatta stone and my research about it took me to the Granitop website. I then called to customer service and straight away got myself a visit to the factory to take a look at the stones. That was a great opportunity! I was really hoping to see the material as a whole, before it got cut and finished because you really don’t get a good idea of the stone from those small samples.
That’s right. We always attempt to get the patterns of different stones on all our 10×15 cm sample pieces, but especially with stones that have bigger patterns it can be quite tricky.
Seeing the whole big slab made it clear to me that this was the stone I had been looking for. For a moment I was afraid there might even be too much Calacatta going on in the kitchen. The original plan was to get tiles for the backsplash, you know the space between the counters and upper cabinets. But then I decided to take the risk and order the backsplash made from the Calacatta quartz after all to get a cleaner finish with as few seams as possible. When you get the backsplash from stone everything is much sleeker and keeping the surfaces clean is easier too which enables everything being just right every day.
When all the Calacatta got installed eventually the only thing I could think was, “Wow!” – getting everything from the same stone was really the right decision. It doesn’t look too much of anything either, since the stone itself is light in colour and rather serene it made for the ideal look in the end.
Our experience tells us that the bigger and bolder the pattern on the stone, the more difficult it is to pattern match properly. Luckily Crystal Calacatta Silva is available as both left- and right-handed patterns, which makes the matching a little easier. Would you say you’re satisfied with how the pattern matching worked out, especially at those corners where vertical walls and horizontal surfaces meet? Were our stone pros up to the task?
For me it’s given that if something’s about to be done, it better be done properly. In my own work and life, I want everything to be done just right down to the last millimetre for that perfect result.
I am definitely very satisfied with the quality of work, and your men from Granitop worked hard to get every bit of pattern to match exactly. One detail needed some fixing, which made me a little worried, maybe that fine tuning would cause offset at other places, but in the end there was no need to worry at all. Everything turned out beautiful without any problems.
By now you’ve had some time to get used to your new kitchen and try everything out. Having a kitchen that pleases the eye is one thing for sure, but do you think the choices made have also been the right ones when it comes to practicality? Nobody wants a model kitchen, after all we need to be able to use our kitchens too.
It was one of the big wishes and requirements of mine from the beginning, that everything should be both beautiful and practical. I’m building a home, not a museum. Then again, making all those hopes and plans fit together takes a lot of time and research. I did consider other options for the worktops for a considerable time too, ceramic counters for example, but quartz seemed to me the most carefree of options. And while quartz might not be completely heat proof it doesn’t take much work to simply use a trivet.
What was the most difficult part of this kitchen renovation?
The renovation was quite a long process. It was important that everything is thought through and naturally things didn’t come easy. Since kitchen was the first room to be renovated, I had to keep the rest of the apartment in mind and think quite far ahead. The planning and brainwork take a lot of time and finding the right things and fitting them together requires a ton of energy and effort. And I had to rely on my imagination too, since I couldn’t see every material and tone in real life before deciding on them.
If it’s perfection you’re after you will need to pick every element individually. Some challenge arose from needing to have every piece of metal in gold or brass tone for a matching result. And I really mean everything, from the legs of the chairs to pots and pans. Luckily, we have the internet, that helped me out a lot.
How would you advice others who have some difficult choices ahead of them? Is there a way to make the process easier?
I might not have the easiest personality, and my standards are rather high and requirements specific. I would remind others that you can always take the easier way out and compromise on some things. Perfectionism definitely doesn’t make anyone’s life simpler.
Is there something that you’re especially proud of in this kitchen?
I can really say that this kitchen is made by me. The first benefit of doing things on your own is getting exactly what you want. The second one is, that when you do something yourself you are also giving the work a soul of its own – and that, to me, is the most valuable thing.
As the last question I’d like to ask, how do you manage to keep ahead of the trends? Olive green was named the trend colour for 2022 only in the late 2021, which was also when these different metallic colours for fixtures and cutlery and so on started gaining popularity. Your kitchen was already finished by then...
I don’t know, but since childhood the colour green has had a special place in my heart. I also live among nature and greenery, and it felt logical to me to continue those same shades indoors and in the interior design too.
Of course I knew that green is a timeless and luxurious colour, one just needs to find the right shade to harmonize with everything. I got to say, I’m very proud of my choices!
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