We will now be carrying Radianz by Samsung exclusively in Utah County.
It's priced very competitively with other quartz brands.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Radianz Quartz by Samsung
We are excited to announce a great new addition to our quartz selections here at MGS by Design.
We will now be carrying Radianz by Samsung exclusively in Utah County.
I'm excited about Radianz for a couple of reasons. One is that Samsung is a trusted and established brand name. And two is the thing I'm most excited about....the slabs are larger than other quartz brands. I think this will make a big difference for some client's who barely go into another slab due to the slab size.
It's priced very competitively with other quartz brands.
They have a great color selection. You can see the color options here.
Contact us today for your free estimate!
We will now be carrying Radianz by Samsung exclusively in Utah County.
It's priced very competitively with other quartz brands.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Walker Zanger Croco Tile Fireplace
We recently completed a beautiful tile job for a very sweet client.....I really enjoy working with sweet people.
She was originally referred to me because I'm DYING to do a job out of CaesarStone's Motivo slabs and she was considering using the Crocodile (pictured below).
She was debating on using the CaesarStone Motivo or Walker Zanger's Matouche Collection Croco Tile in Charbon (pictured below).
She ended up selecting the Walker Zanger tile and I have to say I think she made the right choice. She now has one the prettiest fireplaces in town.
She was originally referred to me because I'm DYING to do a job out of CaesarStone's Motivo slabs and she was considering using the Crocodile (pictured below).
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Beautiful Soapstone Kitchens
Yesterday I posted an interview with a homeowner who has had Soapstone in her kitchen for over a year now, you can read it here.
While we're on the subject of Soapstone I thought I'd post more photos of beautiful kitchens with Soapstone countertops.
Photo source.
Photo source.
Photo source.
Photo source.
Photo source.
Photo source.
While we're on the subject of Soapstone I thought I'd post more photos of beautiful kitchens with Soapstone countertops.
So tell me, what do you think about Soapstone? Would you use it in your own home?
Monday, August 30, 2010
An interview with a Soapstone Countertop Homeowner
Soapstone is a very misunderstood countertop material, so I thought it would be fun to do an interview with someone who has Soapstone countertops in their own home.
I have been reading Rachele's lovely blog, The Conscious Kitchen, for awhile now. Rachele lives in Portland, Oregon and has had her Soapstone countertops for just over a year now. We did not do the fabrication and installation of these countertops, we had nothing to do with her kitchen. I'm just a reader of her blog.
So without further ado, here is my interview with Rachele from The Conscious Kitchen...
Steph: Who was your fabricator and where did your beautiful Soapstone come from?
Rachele: Shadley's Soapstone, headquartered in Sun River, OR.
My stone source was Dorado Soapstone. My slabs were officially procured through the Denver warehouse, however, my lot of slabs was intercepted at port in Northern California and then brought straight to Oregon.
I highly recommend both Shadley and Dorado! Both were very experienced and knowledgeable, not to mention patient and helpful.
Steph: I LOVE your island. The veining in the Soapstone is amazing. Did you pick out your exact slabs? Did you lay out your slabs with your fabricator?
Rachele: Yes, it's actually a pretty good story! I was going through some photos sent by Dorado which showed me everything that was in stock at the moment. None of the slabs "spoke" to me so I called up Dorado to see when their next shipments were arriving. I happened to get the president on the phone, and he personally emailed me pictures he had taken of some slabs that were still on the ship. I opened the attachments and immediately fired off an email to both Dorado and Shadley's telling them that I had to have that stone!
After the fabricator templated my island, we went together to lay the template on the slab (which was sitting in my driveway) and found the exact right spot. We were limited somewhat by the slab itself, of course, but I was really happy with the result.
I also felt like the veining could be a different mineral/inclusion and I wanted to be SURE it wouldn't stain. It was July and very hot outside. With Shadley's permission, I took a bottle of balsamic vinegar and poured about a cup right on the veining. I came back an hour later to wipe it off and of course, no stain! I then gave Shadley the go-ahead to cut the slab as we had identified with the template.
Steph: Your main sink, do you like the single basin? Why did you decide on this design vs. a double basin sink?
Rachele: I LOVE the single basin. I do not use a dish rack and I don't need another basin for washing produce (that is done in the island), so I have no obvious need to split up my main sink. I can put my widest pots, or even sheet pans, in the sink to soak. With the off-center drain, I can have lots of dirty dishes accumulate in my sink yet still have free and clear access to the drain and disposer. (I would like to load my dishes promptly in the dishwasher, and not have dirty dishes in the sink, but that's just not my reality!)
Steph: I noticed a hot water dispenser, do you use it? Was it worth the money?
Rachele: We use it all the time. It is SO worth the money! My husband likes it for his tea. I warm up my baby's milk bottles in bowls of hot water. I get a bit of hot water on a cloth for cleaning up sticky spots in a flash. We use the hot water to make oatmeal quickly in the morning. Those are the main uses in our house.
Steph: Also, is that a soap dispenser? We install a lot of soap dispensers and then people tell us they don't use them. Do you use it?
Rachele: Yes, that is a soap dispenser. We use it, however, I'm not happy with it. I had soap dispensers in previous houses (I think they were Grohe dispensers) that worked great. I have three soap dispensers in my kitchen now -- two Blanco and one Kohler -- and I only like one of the three (one of the Blancos). The other two seem to stick a lot. In fact, the two Blancos are identical except for color, and one sticks but the other works great. Soap dispensers can be expensive and I can't bring myself to spend the money to try out some other ones (it's always harder to bring yourself to spend yet more money at the end of a remodel!).
Steph: How often do you oil your soapstone?
Rachele: At first every two weeks, and now every two months. I would like to do it every month, but life is busy. I keep an oil rag in a sealed ziploc baggie next to my oil can. My understanding is that when my stone is several years old, and has oxidized more, then I won't "need" to oil it at all. I quote "need" because soapstone does not need to be oiled -- it's just a cosmetic preference.
Steph: I saw the picture of the chip on your blog. Do you know what caused the 3-4 chips that you have?
Rachele: I do not know, but I suspect that I was emptying a stock pot into the prep sink in a rather clumsy fashion, and hitting the sink rim with the edge of a stockpot. I have never noticed a chip as it has happened.
Steph: On a scale of 1-10 how bad does the scratching and water rings bug you?
Rachele: If 1 is not at all, and 10 is the worst, I would rate it as a 3. Neither of them occur very frequently. We've had about 3 scratches in the year we've had the stone, and all were easily oiled out. We have water spots weekly, but I have noticed as the stone ages, they are gradually less pronounced. (Or, maybe I am just getting used to them.)
Steph: What is your favorite part of the soapstone?
Rachele: Despite the drama of the veining, that I do love, I feel overall that it's a very humble, unassuming, low maintenance, healthy, functional stone. I just love that. I guess I can't pick one single attribute. :)
Steph: What is your least favorite part of the soapstone?
Rachele: I'm not too keen on the fact that I had to have it shipped via boat from Brazil. I focused on local sources for my kitchen where I could, but I just really wanted soapstone. There are domestic soapstone options also, but those were 20%-3% more and thus, out of my budget.
Steph: What do you use to clean your countertops?
Rachele: Most of the time, I just use my instant hot water with a microfiber rag. Sometimes I hit with a homemade cleaner of simply diluted vinegar, because that is what Shadley recommended to me. If I get raw meat on the counter, or anything else that gives heebie jeebies, then I will use a stronger cleaner, but that is pretty rare.
Steph: I love the vertical soapstone piece at the cooktop. What caused this design decision?
Rachele: We HAD to have two cooktops -- a gas griddle and an induction top. With the size of our kitchen, and wanting to buy just one venthood, they had to be installed side by side. The griddle is a very commercial industrial aesthetic. The cooktop is sleek, Euro, minimal. Quite a design challenge! It was impossible to make the griddle sleeker, so instead I chose to add some heft to the induction top with the "apron front" of soapstone. I had wanted to fabricate a steel countertop with the exact same edge profile as the griddle, but that was surprisingly very expensive. So I got the idea for the soapstone apron while driving around one day, and I called up Shadley immediately to propose the idea. They were game to try it. It required a lot of communication and coordination between my cabinetry installers and Shadley.
Steph: Any regrets as far as the countertops go?
Rachele: None!
Steph: Do you like the square edge detail on your countertops? Would you change it if you were to do it again?
Rachele: Yes, I do like it. You don't really have many other options with soapstone -- unlike some other stones, the bullnose or other rounded edges actually chip more in soapstone. But, as you can tell from my kitchen, I have a very square aesthetic, so the square edge is my first choice.
Steph: Would you recommend soapstone to your friends and family?
Rachele: No, because I don't think it's a universal stone. I do have some friends and clients who I am sure, would love it. I will get it again in a heartbeat. But, it's certainly not for everyone.
Thank you so much Rachele for being a willing participant in this interview!
Also check out Rachele's post A Year in Review where she talks about all the aspects of her new kitchen, not just the Soapstone.
*All photos from The Conscious Kitchen..
I have been reading Rachele's lovely blog, The Conscious Kitchen, for awhile now. Rachele lives in Portland, Oregon and has had her Soapstone countertops for just over a year now. We did not do the fabrication and installation of these countertops, we had nothing to do with her kitchen. I'm just a reader of her blog.
So without further ado, here is my interview with Rachele from The Conscious Kitchen...
Rachele: Shadley's Soapstone, headquartered in Sun River, OR.
My stone source was Dorado Soapstone. My slabs were officially procured through the Denver warehouse, however, my lot of slabs was intercepted at port in Northern California and then brought straight to Oregon.
I highly recommend both Shadley and Dorado! Both were very experienced and knowledgeable, not to mention patient and helpful.
Rachele: Yes, it's actually a pretty good story! I was going through some photos sent by Dorado which showed me everything that was in stock at the moment. None of the slabs "spoke" to me so I called up Dorado to see when their next shipments were arriving. I happened to get the president on the phone, and he personally emailed me pictures he had taken of some slabs that were still on the ship. I opened the attachments and immediately fired off an email to both Dorado and Shadley's telling them that I had to have that stone!
After the fabricator templated my island, we went together to lay the template on the slab (which was sitting in my driveway) and found the exact right spot. We were limited somewhat by the slab itself, of course, but I was really happy with the result.
I also felt like the veining could be a different mineral/inclusion and I wanted to be SURE it wouldn't stain. It was July and very hot outside. With Shadley's permission, I took a bottle of balsamic vinegar and poured about a cup right on the veining. I came back an hour later to wipe it off and of course, no stain! I then gave Shadley the go-ahead to cut the slab as we had identified with the template.
Steph: The prep sink in the island, was it custom made by your fabricator? How do you feel about the size of it? Too big? Too small? Just right?
Rachele: The prep sink is not stone -- it's a Blanco Silgranit sink, installed undermount with a very slight negative reveal. The size is perhaps a couple inches too small in width. I can easily use it for all of my functions (for example, it's just right for rinsing off a chicken or spinning my salad greens), but I would like it to feel a bit bigger. A very minor nit. I would not want to actually upgrade to the larger Silgranit.Rachele: I LOVE the single basin. I do not use a dish rack and I don't need another basin for washing produce (that is done in the island), so I have no obvious need to split up my main sink. I can put my widest pots, or even sheet pans, in the sink to soak. With the off-center drain, I can have lots of dirty dishes accumulate in my sink yet still have free and clear access to the drain and disposer. (I would like to load my dishes promptly in the dishwasher, and not have dirty dishes in the sink, but that's just not my reality!)
Rachele: We use it all the time. It is SO worth the money! My husband likes it for his tea. I warm up my baby's milk bottles in bowls of hot water. I get a bit of hot water on a cloth for cleaning up sticky spots in a flash. We use the hot water to make oatmeal quickly in the morning. Those are the main uses in our house.
Rachele: Yes, that is a soap dispenser. We use it, however, I'm not happy with it. I had soap dispensers in previous houses (I think they were Grohe dispensers) that worked great. I have three soap dispensers in my kitchen now -- two Blanco and one Kohler -- and I only like one of the three (one of the Blancos). The other two seem to stick a lot. In fact, the two Blancos are identical except for color, and one sticks but the other works great. Soap dispensers can be expensive and I can't bring myself to spend the money to try out some other ones (it's always harder to bring yourself to spend yet more money at the end of a remodel!).
Rachele: At first every two weeks, and now every two months. I would like to do it every month, but life is busy. I keep an oil rag in a sealed ziploc baggie next to my oil can. My understanding is that when my stone is several years old, and has oxidized more, then I won't "need" to oil it at all. I quote "need" because soapstone does not need to be oiled -- it's just a cosmetic preference.
Rachele: I do not know, but I suspect that I was emptying a stock pot into the prep sink in a rather clumsy fashion, and hitting the sink rim with the edge of a stockpot. I have never noticed a chip as it has happened.
Rachele: If 1 is not at all, and 10 is the worst, I would rate it as a 3. Neither of them occur very frequently. We've had about 3 scratches in the year we've had the stone, and all were easily oiled out. We have water spots weekly, but I have noticed as the stone ages, they are gradually less pronounced. (Or, maybe I am just getting used to them.)
Rachele: Despite the drama of the veining, that I do love, I feel overall that it's a very humble, unassuming, low maintenance, healthy, functional stone. I just love that. I guess I can't pick one single attribute. :)
Rachele: I'm not too keen on the fact that I had to have it shipped via boat from Brazil. I focused on local sources for my kitchen where I could, but I just really wanted soapstone. There are domestic soapstone options also, but those were 20%-3% more and thus, out of my budget.
Rachele: Most of the time, I just use my instant hot water with a microfiber rag. Sometimes I hit with a homemade cleaner of simply diluted vinegar, because that is what Shadley recommended to me. If I get raw meat on the counter, or anything else that gives heebie jeebies, then I will use a stronger cleaner, but that is pretty rare.
Rachele: We HAD to have two cooktops -- a gas griddle and an induction top. With the size of our kitchen, and wanting to buy just one venthood, they had to be installed side by side. The griddle is a very commercial industrial aesthetic. The cooktop is sleek, Euro, minimal. Quite a design challenge! It was impossible to make the griddle sleeker, so instead I chose to add some heft to the induction top with the "apron front" of soapstone. I had wanted to fabricate a steel countertop with the exact same edge profile as the griddle, but that was surprisingly very expensive. So I got the idea for the soapstone apron while driving around one day, and I called up Shadley immediately to propose the idea. They were game to try it. It required a lot of communication and coordination between my cabinetry installers and Shadley.
Rachele: None!
Rachele: Yes, I do like it. You don't really have many other options with soapstone -- unlike some other stones, the bullnose or other rounded edges actually chip more in soapstone. But, as you can tell from my kitchen, I have a very square aesthetic, so the square edge is my first choice.
Rachele: No, because I don't think it's a universal stone. I do have some friends and clients who I am sure, would love it. I will get it again in a heartbeat. But, it's certainly not for everyone.
Also check out Rachele's post A Year in Review where she talks about all the aspects of her new kitchen, not just the Soapstone.
*All photos from The Conscious Kitchen..
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Slab Sunday: Verde Marinace granite
This week for Slab Sunday we're talking about a very interesting granite....Verde Marinace.
Verde Marinace comes from a boulder quarry in the state of Bahia in Brazil.
To make things really confusing there are many names for Verde Marinace they are: Calypso Green, Colipso Green, Green Marinace, Marinace, Marinace Green, Marinace Verde, Marince Verde, Mosaico Nativo, Verde Marinachi.
Owing to the petrology of this material it is a very hard granite to process and if rushed can lead to warped slabs and tiles. If you see this material priced low and you think "it's too good to be true", it probably is. The slabs are probably warped.
To make things really confusing there are many names for Verde Marinace they are: Calypso Green, Colipso Green, Green Marinace, Marinace, Marinace Green, Marinace Verde, Marince Verde, Mosaico Nativo, Verde Marinachi.
Owing to the petrology of this material it is a very hard granite to process and if rushed can lead to warped slabs and tiles. If you see this material priced low and you think "it's too good to be true", it probably is. The slabs are probably warped.
Verde Marinace is available in 2 cm and 3 cm slabs as well as tile.
Friday, August 27, 2010
FAQ Friday: Is limestone soft and chalky?
Today's question comes from Kathy in New Mexico...
"I love the look of limestone kitchens. I honestly have only seen limestone in photos, never in real life. My question is sometimes it looks soft and chalky? Is it?"
No, it's not soft and chalky at all! I have limestone in my Powder Bath and my Laundry and I actually like how it feels better than my granite.
There are some limestone countertops that are very hard and dense, nearly as hard and resistant as granite, and extremely non-porous. Keep in mind, though, that these very hard limestone countertops are still calcium-based and anything acidic that gets on them will etch the surface.
Have a great weekend!
"I love the look of limestone kitchens. I honestly have only seen limestone in photos, never in real life. My question is sometimes it looks soft and chalky? Is it?"
No, it's not soft and chalky at all! I have limestone in my Powder Bath and my Laundry and I actually like how it feels better than my granite.
There are some limestone countertops that are very hard and dense, nearly as hard and resistant as granite, and extremely non-porous. Keep in mind, though, that these very hard limestone countertops are still calcium-based and anything acidic that gets on them will etch the surface.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Orange Colored Kitchens
I've never been a huge fan of orange, but it's my husband's favorite color. So I have to admit it's been slowly growing on me.
While searching for orange colored kitchens today I was surprised how much I really liked a lot of these rooms.
Some shades are so fresh and clean looking.....like in this photo below.
Photo source.
While other shades are really warm and go great with warmer colored wood cabinets.
While searching for orange colored kitchens today I was surprised how much I really liked a lot of these rooms.
Some shades are so fresh and clean looking.....like in this photo below.
While other shades are really warm and go great with warmer colored wood cabinets.
Does anyone remember CaesarStone's orange countertops called Tequila Sunrise? I really liked them, but I understand why the color was discontinued in the US....I can see it not really being a hot seller.
I think this kitchen below would look great with Pebble CaesarStone.
So what do you think? Would you put orange in your kitchen?
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A few things...
My mind is sort of all over the place this morning and I haven't been able to focus on one thing to talk about today. Therefore I will just be sharing some of my random thoughts today...
*I'm loving this white kitchen that I saw today on Signature Kitchens and WoodCrafters' blog today. Carrara marble countertops and a killer backsplash. Love it.
*This isn't stone related, but I really enjoyed this post from AB Home Interiors blog How to Achieve a Well Appointed Home.
*I think these paintings are pretty amazing.
*There is a great Alice Lane giveaway on 6th Street Design School's blog, check it out!
*To continue on my randomness this Banana Bunker is random....and weird....and hilarious.
*I read this book over the weekend and it was awesome. If you have an inkling of interest in geeky stuff like this I would highly recommend this book.
Also, coming soon is a pretty awesome interview (if I say so myself) with Rachele at The Conscious Kitchen about her soapstone countertops.
*I'm loving this white kitchen that I saw today on Signature Kitchens and WoodCrafters' blog today. Carrara marble countertops and a killer backsplash. Love it.
*I think these paintings are pretty amazing.
*There is a great Alice Lane giveaway on 6th Street Design School's blog, check it out!
*To continue on my randomness this Banana Bunker is random....and weird....and hilarious.
*I read this book over the weekend and it was awesome. If you have an inkling of interest in geeky stuff like this I would highly recommend this book.
Also, coming soon is a pretty awesome interview (if I say so myself) with Rachele at The Conscious Kitchen about her soapstone countertops.
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