The number one question I always get when I am traveling the country is what countertops should I install in my kitchen? There are so many choices that it becomes confusing. I have literally installed them all from natural stones to quartz materials. A material that has been around forever, but has not received a lot of headlines is porcelain. The company I am working with for my home is SapienStone. They are a European company with over 50 years experience in the ceramics serving more than 100 countries. Their USA manufacturing facility is based in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee with a 700,000 sq.ft. manufacturing facility.

SapienStone’s slabs are crafted from ceramic clays and mineral colorings. With its unique manufacturing process the slabs will not be altered by heat, light, chemical cleaners, and disinfectant products. There is zero maintenance and you can rest assured knowing that the product will look and function the same for its entire life. The product can also be used in bathrooms and outside.

Some of you might be asking what is the difference between Porcelain and a Quartz material? The largest difference is that the SapienStone product is light resitent and can be used outside. That means if you have an outdoor kitchen this product can deal with the hot and cold seasons along with direct sunlight.

From an aesthetic point of view there is no product that looks as intriguing and exactly like a marble product. If you took a natural Calacatta marble and put it side by side with SapienStone product you would not know which was the porcelain product. I have used the product before for many other clients and it continues to blow me away with its characteristics and overall design.

I love natural stones like marble and granite, but they are a lot of maintenance. Once I install something I do not want to have to worry about it anymore and that is what SapienStone does for me. We all live very busy lives and to constantly be thinking about sealing my counters, bathroom tile, and stains from over-use is something that I do not want to have to worry about.

The pictures above are from a recent kitchen that I just finished for a client. They wanted to have marble, but have 2 kids and needed to have something with no maintenance. When I took them to the showroom they freaked out and fell in love with the Calacatta Light material. I knew this product was going to make big impact in the kitchen and my clients could not be happier with the results. To see more pics of this kitchen go to the Design tab on my website and you will see them there.

For my home Jenn and I wanted to use 2 different types of material in the kitchen area. The island is the main focal point and HUGE. We decided on using Calacatta White in gloss, which has very large gray veining in the material. With the size of the island (10’6”) the veining will be prominent and really stand out. We also have 4ft. sink with a commercial style faucet by Elkay. With seating for 5 people the island is going to be a place where everyone gathers around and will get the most use in the inside the kitchen.

The “L” section of the counter is going to be something that is polar opposite and will look much more contemporary in nature. It is called Grey Earth and looks like a concrete material mixed with stone. With the backsplash from Walker Zanger and the black island cabinets this is a material that makes a big statement inside the kitchen. I like having a little of the “old world” Calacatta and then something contemporary like this. The picture below shows the material with our hexagon backsplash and black island color. Make sure you read the kitchen blog so you see all the details about the ktichen.

Next is the bathrooms and for the girls bathroom we went with Light Earth that will be used around the 24” vanity. Since the girls bathroom has the pink and white triangles this grey will balance out the bathroom and give it element of a stone that is contemporary. This is a lighter version of the Grey Earth that we chose for the kitchen.

The last is our master bath and we are doing something very special with the material we chose. We chose Bianco Lasa for the sink area. Our vanity is 48” and we are going to have one large trough sink that is going to be made out of the Bianca Lasa. Since the porcelain material will never change with direct water constantly running over it, this is going to give a very unique look to our bathroom. We cannot wait for this install to happen and will be the 1st time I am attempting this! YIKES!. I have aways wanted to have the counter material made for the sink, but I could not find the right material. I know this will be a show stopper in the bathroom especially with black faucets that will be mounted on it.

My installer from Faithful Countertops is the leading installer in our area and will make our visions come to life. I will be detailing more of their work as we get closer to the templating and install process. I will be taking you over to their offices and warehouse in Paterson, NJ so you can see how counters are laser cut. It is a really cool process!