Some of you may already know that I'm working on one of my sister's most recent projects; a new home renovation. In result of this renovation, she and her husband have been living with us for the last month and probably for another two. At first, I really thought it would be torturous. It brought back memories of when we used to live with each other before we both moved out of our parents place and it was really one fight after the next. Luckily, without the teenage hormones present, we're actually having a lot of fun.
I wanted to bring up her renovation because for one thing, I will be documenting it on my blog and I also wanted to share our first hiccup that relates a lot to the blog that I just recently wrote about choosing the right countertop.
My sister, Sophia, and her husband, Tim, bought an older home that is in excellent condition but definitely needs a facelift because nothing has been renovated except for the floors and maybe the beautiful wainscotting that frames the main floor. The project consists of a full kitchen renovation, we're also starting from scratch in the master bathroom, powder room and adding a third full bathroom in the basement.
I'll be posting the before picture shortly since we lost them when the listing was taken down. Once posted, you will see that it was kind of like walking into a time machine since everything was dated but in great condition.
They get the keys in about ten days and until then, we've been working on plans and ordering all of their finishes. Sophia absolutely wanted a natural stone countertop. She's sick of seeing quartz and for some reason, whenever she doesn't like something she'll refer to it as being "too condo". It's kind of funny how she associates everything that she's seen too much with condos, it's probably because she's one of the first among her friends that's making the transition from condo life to purchasing their first house and she wants it to feel like a home.
We reviewed her options and found that she absolutely loves the look of marble but of course, my sensible self could not allow my OCD sister to choose a product that will surely stain over the years and most likely give her nightmares. So I suggest going with a quartzite to achieve the look and feel of marble but with the durability of granite. We started shopping and I absolutely fell in love with a slab that I found at a local supplier. The name of this quartzite is Fantasy Brown but as you will see in the image below, the slab I chose is not very brown. If I chose a colour to accurately describe it, it would be taupe, and maybe even a grey-taupe, with a pink undertone.

Once approved by Sophia and Tim, I picked up a sample and went on to creating a beautiful palette for their kitchen that was carried through to the rest of their home. Everything was done, we were all so happy with our choices and then I get a call from my installer to tell me that the slab I chose has a defect and I absolutely had to choose another one.
I was kind of disappointed because I was so happy that I found the perfect slab on my first visit, but I just thought that I would search for a similar slab elsewhere and that would solve that issue. WRONG. I went to at least another 3 suppliers asking for Fantasy Brown and every slab I saw was completely different. Some were too dark, some of the veins were too busy and most were too brown. Here are just a couple examples, and really I only took images of the slabs closest to my original.


Can you imagine that this is the same stone? I clearly could not settle since that would mean changing the look and feel of the space.
This is where I started to panic and realized that this changes EVERYTHING. Since I couldn't find anything I like in Fantasy Brown, we decided to go with our plan B quartzite, which was Super White.

This meant that I had to re-shop her kitchen tiles, backsplash and even change her cabinetry colour. Being my sister/best friend who I'm living with and who has done so much for me in my life, I'm not charging her, so this didn't mean much to them. But if this was a client, it would mean at least another full day of work, if not more. All of this because of one little uncontrollable hiccup.
Anyway, all worked out, really, we loved Super White from the start, and we chose beautiful finishes to bring it to life in her new kitchen. Construction is starting in mid June and I think we're all anxious to see this project start.
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