Ocean Reef quartz stone in a classic and romantic kitchen
We visited Dagmar and Rasmus to find out about the process of building their kitchen that boasts worktops made of Ocean Reef quartz.
This wasn’t your first time ordering stone worktops, right?
Not at all! We already have Jura limestone worktops from Granitop at our summer house in the kitchen and bathroom, and we’ve also ordered Azul Celeste marble slabs for our bathroom at home. Although calling it a bathroom might not be right, considering the relaxation area takes up half a floor and together with a steam sauna and indoors swimming pool I think it measures up to a real home spa.
Our experience with Granitop has been only positive this far. The guys who came to take the measurements and install the stones left a very good impression. And the people in your office deserve praise too, especially Helen, Liis and Andy. During the building process we’ve dealt with many companies and workers – when it comes to speed and professionalism Granitop is a clear number one! The whole time it felt like we’re going through the process with a friend who happens to be a specialist at housebuilding, that’s how easily all questions got answered.
So I won’t need to ask why Granitop… But considering your previous choices were marble and limestone, how did you end up with quartz worktop now? Where did the sudden turn to engineered stone stem from?
The type and name of the stone are not a priority for us. We approach these decisions logically, by considering what kind of end result we want, and what’s our budget like. Then it’s making plans and schemes, choosing cupboards and the placements of the furniture and appliances, planning the lighting, looking at colour samples, combining colours and textures… We moved ahead step by step, and naturally there were delays and obstacles on the way, as not everything we liked was readily available. And it can be said that some decisions were made based on the room itself, such as the shape of the kitchen (L-kitchen).
The question of a stone worktop came up quite late, when the general vision was already clear and set. That happened to be at the time when Granitop started selling ceramic worktops and ceramics felt like a fresh and interesting option (Granitop started selling the ceramic worktops from Bricmate, Porcelanosa, Dekton and Laminam in the spring of 2023, and had a special campaign for the duration of June-July.).
On one hand we liked the Bricmate ceramic stones with their limestone-like patterns and trendy greige colours, but on the other we were drawn to the bold patterns of Porcelanosa ceramics that were almost like works of art themselves. In the end the latter, that is the Porcelanosa stone design, turned out to be the main influence. Since we had gone for a more traditional solution for the furniture we thought a pop of contrasting colour in the worktops or backsplashes could suit a light and classical kitchen. True, instead of our first pick, Viola Rosse ceramic worktop, we chose the Ocean Reef quartz. Ceramic worktops are also available in 2cm thickness but quartz has prettier patterning on the edge. If going with ceramics we should’ve gone for a mitred edge to achieve the same effect, whereas quartz and natural stone have the pattern passing through the whole slab.
Also the ceiling in your kitchen seems interesting, wooden, just like the windows, right?
Yes, the paneling on the ceiling is meant to mirror that of the floor. Originally we planned to order cupboards that’d reach considerably higher, up to the ceiling, but decided otherwise. Playing through different options we realized the ceiling will get more attention if the tops of the cabinets are left empty. This also enabled us to use a traditional metal curtain rod and lace curtains to add to the romantic feel. An alternative would’ve been a roller blind installed in the window niche, which wouldn’t have been as pretty. Upper cupboards reaching all the way to ceiling aren’t practical either as one needs a ladder to reach the uppermost shelves. Better leave the tops of the cabinets empty, let there be empty space, air and openness… So nothing shades the natural beauty of wooden and stone materials.
Is there anything else you’re especially proud of and would recommend others?
With time we’ve only become more certain in the choices we made. For example, take a look at the transition from worktop to the windowsill, or the corner where the backsplash smoothly meets the window trims of the same stone! Even though the modern technology enables us to play through different options on screen, we weren’t sure the end result would have the stone pattern flow so beautifully. The window frame solutions, continuing pattern and seams are a sight to see in their own right! It’d be a sin to block them with any type of blind, airy lace is the only option here!
The tap is a special telescopic model – Blanco Linus S-F – the pull-out showerhead can be completely moved out of the way.
And the lit up corner is especially adorable, of course. Maybe if I’d need to bring something up I’d choose the importance of lighting. Light fixtures installed under the upper cabinets are both practical and beautiful. We chose ribbon lights as they go well together with the lighting of the display cabinet.
The sizes of the sink and stovetop occasionally attract questions and people ask us how we manage. We believe it completely depends on the inhabitants and for us a small sink (Blanco Claron 340 U) and a stovetop with two burners are well enough.
When was the last time someone even had pots on all four burners the same time? Why the gigantic stovetops? Better let the beautiful stone worktop shine! We are more garden people anyways, we move outdoors in the fresh air rather than spend hours at the stove.
Explore the selection of stones Granitop offers, familiarise yourself with the pros and cons of almost no-maintenance quartz and ceramic worktops, and calculate how much would the right stone worktop for Your home cost!
If your dream kitchen is already finished and you’d like to share it with others, please contact us or share your review and photos to Granitop’s Instagram or Google-account.
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