How A Granite Countertop Is Made

I love this video demonstration from the good folks at Solid Rock Granite.

Were you, like me, one of those rock hound kind of kids who collected promising pebbles then put them in water to watch them transform from dull to shiny, humble to glorified? When I was nine I double-circled a photo of a rock tumbler in the JC Penneys Christmas Wish Book and dog-eared the page; Santa was good to me that year!

If you have trouble loading the video, HERE is the link. Enjoy!

Kitchen Trends 2010 (NKBA)

Design trends ebb and flow. The popularity of kitchen styles isn't subject to sudden, dynamic shifts, so when the National Kitchen and Bath Association reveals the results of its annual Design Trend Survey we designers don't expect to fall off of our swivel chairs in amazement. But we do pay attention.

Fieldstone Cabinetry featuring Shaker doorstyle inset into traditional face-frame. Hardwood floors and dishwasher drawers are riding a wave of popularity also. 

This is a national survey of Kitchen Designers, so allowance has to be made for regional tastes. What most appeals to folks on the East Coast often differs from what is desired in the Pacific Northwest. Architectural styles vary from one place to another. Vacation homes may require a different aesthetic appropriate to their settings.

Overall trends are useful to track, if only to reassure timid homeowners that the choices they favor will maintain value for the foreseeable future. Here are some of the NKBA's expectations for 2010:

Traditional cabinetry styles will continue to be most popular;  Contemporary style will be a close second.

Shaker is making a strong resurgence in popularity.

Cherry is the most favored wood species;  next is Maple;  Alder is trending upward on the list.

Medium to Dark stains and glazes are prevailing over lighter, natural finishes.

White and Off-White shades are still the major fave in painted cabinetry. Aside from beige and brown tones, other colors are on the decline, as are distressed finishes.

Hardwood is, more than ever, the lead flooring choice, followed by ceramic, porcelain and natural stone tile.

Granite is still in highest favor for countertops, but (and this excites me enough to do a happy spin in my swivel chair!) quartz is expected to "nearly catch up" in popularity. Backsplashes will mostly be adorned in tile, including ceramic, porcelain and glass.

Cambria Quartz countertops with a glass tile backsplash. Medium stain on cabinetry.

See what national trends the NKBA survey predicts for faucets and appliances in Part 2. Then I will report on how the Pacific Northwest is trending by comparison.

We just wrapped up a Give-Away Contest for a $65 gift certificate to All Modern.

Now to reveal the lucky winner ...

By the way thanks for all your entries...

Also by the way, glad you enjoyed visiting the All Modern website. Isn't it great?!

Oh, right, and the winner, by random integer selection, is...

Alycia Wicker

CONGRATULATIONS!

Alycia is an Interior Designer from Eastvale CA. Visit her cool site Casa Moxie here.

Countertops That Rock: The Ease and Elegance of Concrete

If you have ever dismissed the idea of concrete countertops with concerns about cracking or prejudged it as cold and unfriendly, it may be time for you to take a long second glance. Now, more than ever, this earthy and environmentally kind material may find a place in your home and in your heart. And oh, the places it will go; concrete is showing off its new-found versatility by turning up in the most unexpected venues.

Beautiful

Talk about mud pies with moxie. Who would have thought you could create such allure with a mixture of cement, rocks and dye? Color personalities go far beyond the classic sidewalk gray, to spicy earthtones, warm and subtly textured, and to polished black, as swanky and hip as a beatnik in a beret.

Versatile

Concrete is rocking it's style in home designs from rustic to contemporary, with intriguing applications in virtually every room of the house. Consider its benefits as a shower surround; minimal grout lines mean easy cleaning and the addition of inlaid tile or other decorative accents (think pebbles, shells, fossils, metals) bestows texture and personality.

In this master bathroom, an "eroded" edge detail adds to the distinctive character of the shower walls.

This elegant one-piece vanity top with integral sink and graceful curves would be right at home in a very traditional design setting.

Cement can be molded into virtually any shape or size you can conceive of. You want seamless? Cinchy. Curves? Can do. Choose any thickness, from thin and graceful to extra beefy. You may opt for a built-in raised drainboard or an inset butcher block for your kitchen.

Mossy green cabinetry, chocolate brown concrete countertops and a pebble-infused backsplash harmonize in this approachable kitchen.

Labor Intensive 
"Why does concrete cost as much as some granites?" is a question I have often fielded as a Kitchen Designer. I myself presumed that concrete should be more affordable until I watched the process first-hand. I sat at my desk in a kitchen showroom several years back watching, fascinated, as the fabricators returned day after day to complete the next stage in the eventual creation of a unique and sensual surface that would thereafter provoke visitors to appreciatively run their hands over it asking "Is this concrete? I love it. But I'm afraid it will crack."

Durable and Practical
It's important here to distinguish between cracking and "crazing". Crazing, or an occasional series of very fine lines in the outer surface of concrete, literally the width of a hair, is generally considered an enhancement to its natural charm.
Cracking, on the other hand, is happily a thing of the past. According to Bayard Fox, owner of Cement Elegance in Bend, Oregon, "New technologies have made it possible to make lightweight, crack free, and stain free concrete products. They also do not require any maintanence!" Fox has developed a system using just a 1/2 inch layer of concrete over a lightweight aggregate core which contributes to their "no cracking" warranty. And because worthy fabricators will stand behind their product, there's no reason to fear this user-friendly material. 

Environmentally Friendly
Fox lists these virtues which allow concrete to promote a happy habitat:

• Locally produced, reducing shipping and fuel.
• Raw materials are sourced locally.
• Made custom, reducing waste inherent in other solid surfaces.
• Can be repaired instead of replaced. Can be re-colored instead of replaced.

"The trend for unique products that have durability and longevity is exciting. Concrete has the flexibility to be made in any color or shape and can be made to fit any style of home. Contemporary design is making its way to the northwest. Concrete is perfect for this style." says Fox.
From Farmhouse to Modern, I think another reason this material transcends style is because there is just something endearing and unpretentious about such ambitious rock dust. And it sure cleans up nice.

Form meets function with chic, clean lines in this weatherproof concrete patio ensemble by Cement Elegance.

Top photo: courtesy Cocina Designs and Ruettgers Photography.

All other photos: courtesy Cement Elegance.