Quartz vs Concrete

Christine,

Quick questions for the Interior Design Guru if you have a sec:

Would you cover kitchen tile countertops with concrete?

Why or why not?

Quartz?

Thanks,

Lolly

(quartz)

Hi Lolly,

Let me start by telling you the pros and cons of both surfaces.  Neither quartz nor concrete have visible seams.  Quartz is more forgiving with hot pans and does not need to be sealed.

(concrete)

Concrete, on the other hand is more flexible with shapes, inlays, edge and color options.  Concrete needs to be sealed regularly, but when it is, it, along with quartz is stain resistant.  (Tobi Gairley- quartz)

Personally, I like, have used and would continue to suggest both surfaces.  

I like using  quartz when I want a light color and a clean look. It is far more stain resistant than other light surfaces like certain types of marble.  (This is for a kitchen- I feel comfortable with the stain resistance of marble for bathroom use).  The marble above, for example, is gorgeous, but I am way too practical to put that on a kichen counter.  If I wanted that clean modern look, I would probably go with quartz, even though it lacks the natural movement and beauty of marble.  I would worry that my client would hate me after the red sauce or red wine spilled and curse words associated with my name would be flying around the kitchen.  If they insisted on it, I would make them sign all kinds of waivers.  ;-) 

(concrete)

I like using concrete when I am looking for a more distressed “used” feel, or a more “industrial” feel.  I would pair concrete counters with a distressed hardwood floor, or a chiseled edge travertine, or a brick floor.   

(quartz)

Quartz is a surface I would use if I didn’t want the counter to be noticed.  If I had a busy backsplash, and other points of interest in the room, and wanted the counters to blend in and not stand out, I like using quartz.  (If the home is very modern, and I am looking for a bright unnatural color, like blue, this doesn’t apply- but for most homes- this would be my thought process.)  I would pair quartz with a clean straight edge floor.

(concrete)

I would consider concrete to be more casual and quartz to be more formal.  If low maintenance is of highest concern for my client, I would go with quartz.  If my client were looking for a lower cost, I would go with concrete.  (It is not always lower- but I could probably make it lower by making it very simple.)

I hope that was helpful.  They both come in very different looks.  It is a decision I would make in conjunction with selecting the backsplash, cabinets and floors.  Go select the backsplash first.  It might make this decision for you, by clearly coordinating with one surface better than the other. 

Backsplash Height

I am interrupting in red today

Hi.
I have previously written to you regarding my living room. I did make some of the changes you suggested but that is still in the works. Nevertheless, we have moved forward with getting granite countertops and a new backsplash in the kitchen. Let me start by saying this is not my dream kitchen by any means...that is a black and white vintage kitchen, but I am working with what I have and keeping it somewhat simple for resell purposes.
I am ecstatic about the changes, but choosing the backsplash is very hard. I have finally chosen the granite color

and glass tile pattern. Nice choices.
My kitchen layout (which I cannot change) has an odd area that seems it should have been a cutout to the living room. However, all I can do is hang artwork to make it not seem out of place. This is where my problem lies.
I have attached a current kitchen photo. I am not sure if the tile should be laid all the way up to the cabinets or only 8" up from the countertop as it is. The issue is the area behind the sink. I am not sure how that will look if the tile is even with the bottom of the cabinets.
I am leaning towards keeping the backsplash at approx. 8" like it is for several reasons:
The glass tile is very bold and I don't want "shine" overload. I wouldn't worry about that. I have seen many glass splashes all the way up- and they look great. Although my typical position would be to always have a full backsplash unless you cannot for budget reasons. I like the tile to go to the ceiling if you can. It says "luxury" to me- when your tile goes high. Your area above the sink does create a challenge- and I agree with you that the shorter splash is a good solution. Also- as you said- it is not your dream kitchen- so I wouldn't over-invest. Your area over the sink would look awkward if your tile went as high as the cabinets- and really doesn't gear itself to go to the ceiling. You could consider adding open shelves that match your cabinets- and put the splash to the bottom of the lowest shelf- but a short splash would certainly be the easier solution.
I like the way the sample looks of a "short" backsplash (although it is a bath). The sample does look great.
I am confused about behind the stove and if I keep it short, I do nothing. Behind the stove put in a full backsplsh- to the cabinets. This is very common- and especially with your style of stove- it is the thing to do.
But, please tell me what you think! I think you will like the area above your sink better with some new art work. I found a cool set for you from Uttermost that goes with your new surfaces. Once you have little squares in your backsplash- the squares in your art will be what I would describe as the wrong kind of repetition.

Thanks!
Alison

Enjoy your new look!

XOXO

Christine

Lauren's New Home Part III

Today's post is a continuation of the last two on Lauren's new house. I had a few more thoughts for her today. I found a new rug option for her today. From- Crate and Barrel- the Sash Rug has it all- It has white, terra cotta and blue. There you go- you can look no further.

Secondly- furniture. I did not like the way the previous owner used a sectional in that room. Ideally the furniture would frame and face the focal point- and the sectional put it more off center than I like to see. I would use a sofa and have it right in front of the fireplace/TV alcove. (I wold do a built-in for the TV.) This will give you enough room to walk around the sofa on both sides. Add some chairs that bring in texture like the ones above from West Elm. I also like the idea of using a white slip cover on them. Your white cabinets will stand out more when you paint your walls- and repeating the white will make it stand out in a good way instead of a bad way. Small slip covers are easy to wash and not terribly expensive to replace. Use a nice long sofa - take advantage of the size of the room. The one above is from Pottery Barn. Pull in some more pattern with throw pillows that pull on your wall color and rug colors.

I have been giving your counters some more thought- and this is what you should do. Use the Silver Siena slab on the backsplash. The white in it will work great with your cabinets- but at the same time will give you color and contrast. I would use your stone here to pull out your paint color for the room- a nice neutral warm gray- with a hint of blue. I woulld look at Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray, Oyster Bay and Sea Salt. Remember- everything else first- then the paint color.

For your counters- use wood. You don't have wood floors, or wood cabinets- yours is the perfect room for wood counters. It adds warmth and charm so much more than granite or other solid surfaces. Sure there's maintenance- but sometimes it is worth it. Houses have maintenance- let's face it.

You have a tiny little three pendant light in your family room. What is up with the size of that? The nice part is you have the wiring for a better sized fixture- like the pendant light above from Lamps Plus.

Find a nice narrow table for your dining area- and bring in some warmth using a bench on the window side and then a couple of upholstered chairs on the other side- like the ones below from Crate and Barrel. You could go red and bring in some red accents- or keep it more neutral and go brown leather.

For your barstools- I would go backless. You want something that will slide under the bar and get out of the way. The stool below is from Sundance.

Congratualtions on your new home Lauren. Don't go off making your own decisions now- just do what I said to. :)

XOXO

Christine

Lauren's New Home Part II

Today is a continuation of my last post- on Lauren's new home. Lauren wants to replace her counters and backsplash.

First of all- you have a challenge here- and that challenge is blending the floors with the cabinets. It is not your most expected combination. Generally, tile floors like yours would be paired with wood cabinets- or a darker painted cabinet. This is not to say that we can't make it work though- the fact that you are replacing your counters is a great opportunity. Think of your counters as a "marriage." We want to marry your floors and cabinets. We need a unifier. You didn't give me a close-up of the deco tile in your floors- but it looks to me like it is a classic hand painted saltillo- probably with blue and white in it. If you love blue and want to use it in your decorating- that is one way to go- or you could downplay the blue.

At the top of the post is a travertine that would look really great- it is "Siena Silver"- One of the things I really like about it is the white in it. The gray tones are a terrific compliment to the terra cotta. Travertine is not a good kitchen counter material- as it is fairly porous- but you could pair it with a coordinating Silestone- and use the travertine on the backsplash.

This tile above is a great combination of neutral colors. It is Zapala by Walker Zanger. In addition to herringbone- it comes in a lot of different patterns. I like the beauty and neutrality of it. It pulls out the terra cotta color without being too terra cotta.

If you like the tile and deco look- I found a few that did a good "marriage job"- as they brought the white together with the terracotta and blue.

I like the idea of using them with a white handmade tile like the one above- and go with a terra cotta colored granite on the counter.

What do you think? Do you have any ideas for Lauren?