When we started designing this house my number one priority was an open kitchen where people could gather. Our last home also had a larger, open kitchen. The majority of our time was spent there, whether it was baking or doing an art project. However, this time around incorporating a white kitchen with quartzite countertop was on the checklist.
My Island with a Quartzite Countertop
My island is natural quarter sawn white oak. No stain, just a top coat to protect them. My island is 9'4" long x 5'4" wide. All of my cabinets are custom made by Foxwood. I went with their custom line so I could get exactly what I wanted. Plus, their custom line also included slow close doors and drawers! Can I tell you how nice it has been not hearing doors slamming?
I went with this size as it was the biggest I could get out of one slab. I didn't want to have a seam in my island.
My countertop is quartzite - not to be confused with quartz. Quartzite is a very hard natural stone. I wanted a light countertop with movement and my husband wanted to be able to put a hot pan on it. This was the perfect compromise. Our slab is called White Macaubas from Daltile. If you are in Utah make sure you take a trip to Daltile's slab showroom in Salt Lake City. They have so many options. You can walk through their warehouse and look at all the slabs. That way you know exactly what you are getting.
Accent Countertops did the fabrication for it. WOW, it was one big piece of stone. It weighed around 1200 LBS and took 6 guys to get it in here. Accent did a beautiful job on our countertops!
I have loved having my sink in my island. I went with a big farmhouse sink again. My sink is from Sinkology, it is a fireclay sink. In our last home I had a cast iron sink with a porcelain coating. It held up pretty good, but it did get a few scratches. So I did a little research and found that a fireclay sink is much harder to scratch or chip than the porcelain coating on a cast iron sink.
All of our faucets are from Great Western in Ogden, Utah. They have an amazing showroom, so if you are local and looking for something make sure to check them out. However, if you are not local I will link up my faucets as well.
Our kitchen faucet is by Brizo and it has the touch sensors. My kids think it is so cool that they just have to touch it to make it turn on. I have to agree, it is nice to be able to just touch it when my hands are all dirty!
The smaller faucet is for our Reverse Osmosis. We had it in our last home as well and I have missed it so much since we moved. Reverse Osmosis filters everything out of your water, add some ice and you have some amazingly cold, taste-free water!!
Barstools for My White Kitchen with Quartzite Countertop
For barstools I really wanted them to be dark to pull the charcoal and black accents out from against the wall. I don't think these barstools from Safavieh could have been any more perfect. The charcoal grey matches my fireplace perfectly.
These barstools are solid wood and so sturdy, I couldn't be happier with them! Get yours here!
Appliances in a White Kitchen with Quartzite Countertop
This is my husband's department. He does a lot of the cooking and cares more about the functionality of the appliances. I just care about how they look. 😉 Our fridge is the Cafe series by GE. It is 48 " wide x 28 ½ " deep. Since it is along the walkway to get to the garage and mudroom I didn't want the fridge sticking out.
I am pretty sure my husband is most excited about our ZLine stove though. There are 6 gas burners on top and one griddle. He ordered 3 more griddles so he could turn the top into one big griddle!
The griddles are really cool; one side is flat, and the other side is a grill. I didn't think we would used the griddle that much. But for the last week of living here the griddle has been used for hot dogs, hamburgers, stir fry, pancakes and more.
The oven is electric and we have loved the ability to cook several things at the same time. The small oven can fit a casserole dish perfectly. I love that is pretty too. Our hood insert is also from ZLine. Boy, oh boy does it pull a lot of air. That means when I burn something now I can hurry and suck the smell out before anyone knows, he he. We have also really liked having our pot filler.
Wondering where my dishwasher is? It is in my island. We ordered this panel ready dishwasher from Zline. A panel ready dishwasher allows you to put a panel of your choosing on the front. Our cabinet builders made us a panel to match our cabinet doors. It was surprisingly easy to install as well.
Lighting
There are no windows directly in my kitchen. But, we have several big windows in other areas that provide a lot of light during the day. I wanted my kitchen to be light and bright at night too! We added 9 can lights. One tip for can lights - when installing them, keep them in a line. You will be able to tell they are not uniformly lined at night.
Since my island is over 9 ft long I went with 3 pendants that were on the larger size. I wanted glass as to not obstruct the view. However, glass can get very dirty so to help with that I picked seeded glass. Plus, the seeded glass went with the cottage style of my home better. View them here
For under cabinet lighting we found these really cool outlet strips that also had lighting options. I love these strips for two reasons! One - you can't see them on my backsplash. And two - they are customizable, so I can add things down the road if I wanted to. The only problem... my electrician got them for me from his supply house so I don't have a link.
Storage
Spice racks were a must on my husband's list. Foxwood even had these really cool pull out spice racks that also hold my spatulas and a universal knife storage block for my knives. Talk about having everything in one place!
I organized my spices a few years ago and I have absolutely loved it. They are so much easier to find now. I used these jars. The shorter jars are sold out, but here are some similar ones.
Instead of cabinets I went with big deep drawers everywhere I could. See that snapware? They are my favorite. Not only do they seal really great, but the lids stack together and stay!
Our garbage cans are also hidden in our island. I have absolutely LOVED this. Not only does it hide them, but my dog can't get into them.
Next to the fridge we did a big pantry style cupboard. I love the shelves that pull out, it makes organizing our bowls and random appliances so much easier.
Decorative Elements for a White Kitchen with Quartzite Countertop
My backsplash is Light Grey Arabesque Lantern tiles from Daltile. I used white grout for a slight contrast. My back countertops are Silver Pearl granite from Daltile with a leather finish. This is more of a matte finish and it does have a slight texture to it, which I love.
For my drawer pulls I wanted them to be a flat as possible. We have ruined way too many pairs of pants getting stuck on hardware. I wanted round knobs this time around. I had square at my last house, and while I loved them, they were never straight.
Let's talk about those beautiful white oak doors. Jaron at Northern Edge custom build them for me. I wanted glass ¾ of the way down to match the rest of the doors in my home. I used the same knobs on them as the rest of my kitchen.
My flooring is Vintage Beige from ADM flooring. It has a wire brushed oil finish, the flooring does have a slight texture to it. So far it has cleaned up really well and I have loved it. Truth be told it hides the dirt really well too! View how we installed it here
We wrapped the wood beam with white oak as well to help tie all of the wood tones together.
Adding Decorations
Now that we have been in our house for a bit the decorating is coming along. I didn't want to go crazy in my kitchen. I hate when I have to move decor around in order to make something. So I kept it simple, and used kitchen items as decor.
Kitchen Sources
- Faucet
- Reverse Osmosis faucet
- Reverse Osmosis
- Pot Filler
- Black Knobs
- Black Handles
- Farmhouse Sink - Sinkology
- Progress Lighting Pendants
- ADM Wood Flooring
- Wood Pantry Doors
- Quartzite
Appliances
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