Designer Chris Druschel
We continue the The Tale of Two Kitchens with the chapter on finding just the right finishes – a daunting task!
With the wonderful floor plan agreed upon it seemed like the renovation could move forward quickly. However, the clients had very specific ideas about the finishes they wanted. They liked white, but not stark white, for the cabinets and they wanted soapstone counters, but they had to be black.
Soapstone varies in color, with many varieties having green or blue undertones. After months of searching the internet and getting samples from all over the country, a true black was finally found in Colorado at Dorado Stone. The official color is Black Noire. Five huge slabs were used in these kitchens. Above is one of the slabs in its raw state. The beautiful veining can be seen on the counter below.
The Cabinets were also tricky. It took two and a half months to get exactly the right color and finish: a custom color pearl with brushed glaze in sepia and antique distressing from Dynasty by Omega. The cabinet hardware strikes just the chord in oil-rubbed bronze.
The design required quite a lot of modifications to the standard cabinet sizes, especially around the bar area and pass through to the family room. The big reveal will be tomorrow as we see how these details come together in two truly spectacular kitchens. Check back then for the full look.
Project photos by Rickie Agapito of aofotos.com.