Because I went into labor the evening of the cabinet installation, I don’t have photos of them being installed. However, I’ll get back to talking about them a little later on. I want to focus on one of my favorite parts of the kitchen — the countertop.
Jordan and I wanted a sleek, streamlined look that helped break up all of the brown wood in the room, but that also matched the white upper doors we chose (in case you forgot, here’s the plan). Finding a counter surface that was not only stain-resistant, but chip, crack and scratch-resistant in the color we wanted was a challenge. We had our hearts set on a solid white, something that is almost impossible to find in natural stone.
Partnering with Caesarstone was pretty much a no-brainer. The quartz surface we chose was their Pure White polished surface from the Classico collection. We love that the surface is stain-resistant, scratch-resistant, and non-porous so you never have to apply a sealer. For our polished finish,we only have to clean with a damp cloth and mild detergent/non-abrasive cleaner.
We used a local fabricator, Delsea Marble and Granite, who pretty much took care of everything for us. Once they received the Caesarstone slabs, Delsea’s team came and templated. Less than a week later we had our countertops! Their team was very friendly and helpful, not to mention fast! We wanted those countertops in as soon as possible so we could install the sink and faucet — we had a new baby to take care of!
I am loving the new addition of this extra prep area next to the pantry. Now that it has a countertop, it adds so much extra space to the kitchen for making sandwiches, feeding the dogs, holding groceries and pouring wine (obviously, the most important task of all!)
Our island also has an overhang of 16″ for counter stools, which we needed to reinforce with L-brackets.
Here’s Jordan’s workspace with a nice solid desktop. We had a hole cut in the top for cords so that we could wrangle them nicely inside the printer drawer. We’re also going to get a grommet to put on it so you don’t see the rough edges. All in due time…
The edge detail we chose was a standard eased edge, which is just a plain square edge buffed so that the corners aren’t too sharp.
I’m aware that solid white and a baby seems like a terrible idea, but we’re confident in the quality of the Caesarstone material and its properties that we’ll have few problems with cleanup. Because they’re white, I’ve noticed more dirt than our previous countertops, but cleaning them has been super easy.
Next, I’ll share our faucet and sink (complete with sink accessories!) and then we’ll get to the icing on the cake – the appliances!
Special thanks to the following kitchen partners for donating product to the House Milk Kitchen Project: Electrolux ICON® \\\ Caesarstone \\\ Kohler \\\ modwalls \\\ Sherwin-Williams. Read more about our partners and the products we chose on our Kitchen Renovation Partners page.

10 Comments
Capreek on 12.07.2011 at 12:41 PM
Looks great Jaime!!
Jaime (post author) on 12.07.2011 at 15:00 PM
Thanks dude!
Jayna on 12.07.2011 at 16:30 PM
I love these updates. I hate renting!
Gerry Power on 12.07.2011 at 18:35 PM
A question;are the counters thinner than usual? They look pretty minimal.
And if you don’t already know them, mockett.com sells a huge variety of styles and sizes of grommets. I especially recommend the Hover model; I have two on my own desk.
Jaime (post author) on 12.07.2011 at 18:49 PM
Hey Gerry, Thanks for the grommet recommendation – we will definitely look into that. The counters are 2cm, which I think is standard. I think you can get 3cm as a special order.
Capreek on 12.07.2011 at 18:52 PM
What Jaime said! The standard slab thickness from Caesarstone is 2cm and then you can build up the edge profile from there (usually 3cm or 4cm). Most old laminate countertops you see installed have a 4cm edge.
Jaime (post author) on 12.07.2011 at 19:04 PM
My old ones were actually the same – 2cm. According to the installer/fabricator, everyone is ordering 2cm these days for a sleek euro look. I was on the fence between the thick ones and these. Ultimately, I think these look the best now that the white cabinet doors are in.
Capreek on 12.07.2011 at 19:12 PM
I really like the 2cm look, especially in super modern kitchens like yours! Our old laminate counters were 2cm with a 4cm edge, so we did the same with our new ones. It feels like a good balance to our fairly traditional cabinets, too!
And where are your white cabinet doors located? More pics, lady! Also, you’ll be hosting a Wine O’Clock tasting soon, I hope. :D
Jaime (post author) on 12.07.2011 at 19:18 PM
Oh yeah… I forgot that they’re not in the photos. I don’t even think they were installed when I took these photos. You can see them in the SketchUp plan: http://design-milk.com/the-house-milk-kitchen-project-the-plan/
Capreek on 12.07.2011 at 19:29 PM
Oh! Yes, those look great! You’re going to have the sexiest kitchen on the planet. Can’t wait to see more!
Want your image to appear next to your comment? Get a gravatar!Leave A Comment