Wednesday, January 1, 2014

liar, liar, my pants are a blazing inferno

I've been playing Sudoku instead of blogging because it's cold in the basement where I create my blog sensations.  

Right between the freezer and the furnace.





I just told Phil I wanted a laptop for his birthday.  I got "the look."

You know, this one.  Only without the hat.



I would hate being married to me.

At some point I mentioned in passing that I wasn't getting granite countertops in the kitchen.  I'm too lazy to figure out when that was. 

I had my tops picked out for months.  That was one big load off.  I was going to get high-def laminate.  I was terrified of picking out expensive stone tops that I might end up hating down the road and then being stuck with them until I'm as old as Methusela.  Or until Phil croaked, at which point I could safely have them replaced.

I had a local guy come measure and give me an estimate.  This included my countertop and my island top.

$3100.

I'll just let you soak that up for a minute.
.
.
.
.
.  
No fancy edges either. 

I could have gotten it several hundred doll hairs cheaper from the Home Depot (or anywhere else I imagine).

But then I had to stop and think.  A dangerous pastime, I know.

Did I really want to spend that much money for plastic-covered monkey shit particle board?  I know it's a durable product, but are you freaking kidding me with that price?

I did a quick price estimate on the Home Depot's website.  Then I took a drawing in.  For a measly $100 more I could have A-level granite (the most common type; therefore, the least expensive).

PressurebecauseIneedtopicksomethingoutnow.

I wanted to find similar patterns/colors to what I'd already picked out.  I came up with Steel Grey for the island:


 And Luna Pearl for the perimeter cabinets:


A few days later I walked into our local builder supply store to scope out baseboard trim and I fainted on the spot.  When I came to, I saw the countertop of my dreams:



It was quartz, and it was the most beautiful surface I'd ever seen in my life.  I immediately started petting it and licking it.  After the rep took the sample forcibly from my mouth, I called my buddy at Home Depot to see if it was too late to cancel the Luna Pearl.  

I was in luck.  Except the quartz was almost double the price of the granite.  She was going to club me like a baby seal (charge me $4000).  Was it because I was getting too intimate with her sample?  Perhaps.

Well, my friends, we got the deal of the century.  I got the top of my dreams (not my boobs) for $2700.  It's Viatera Everest and it's made by LG.  In the USA.  And it's exclusive to the fabricator we bought it from.

Eat your heart out, you people who don't live by me.

I got my Steele Grey granite installed on the island a couple weeks ago (with some scratches--that was over a month ago and the fabricator still hasn't made good), and a week after that, I got my Viatera Everest quartz for the rest of the kitchen.

I'm fully functional now.  What's left?  I'm glad you asked.  We still need to install the range hood, "pot sticker," cabinet hardware, and tile.  (Yep, I'm covering up all that stencil work.  It's got to go.)

So, wanna see????





My faucet I won in a giveaway by Sawdust & Embryos!



 Oh look...a single plate in the sink.


 Phil eats off this plate every day.  The fact that I was nine and he was 19 when I made it is only a little bit creepy.











Now for the tile.  What do you think?  These are my 3 choices (right now).  I've pretty much ix-nayed the hex pattern.  I'm already tired of looking at it.  That leaves me with the smaller, gray/white subway, or the classic creamy white subway.  Thoughts?



Now, keep in mind that big area over the cooktop will not only have a range hood, but 4 floating open shelves as well.  It will not just be a sea of tile.


And if you missed my Facebook status last night, here's how we spent our NYE:

     Our New Year's Eve in a nutshell:
      Eat fabulous steak (both of us), drink bottle of wine (me)
      Sit down to watch Star Trek Into Darkness
      Phone call from son with "minor car issue"
      Get tools (Phil), fart in truck (me)
      Phil: "Did you shit?
      Me: "A little bit...I was warming the cab of the truck."
      Phil: "You're riding in the bed."
      Son's car has broken rear axle.
      No New Year's celebration for him.
      Take him home.
      Upon arrival at our home Phil says, "Thanks for coming along."
      Me: "Hey, all I did was stay in the truck and fart."


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! 



40 comments:

  1. Happy New Year!!! I am glad the quartz lady was able to pry the sample out of your mouth. You do not know where that sample has been! It is a very pretty, I will give you that, and I might be tempted to make out with it myself, but, a little decorum, please. Make out with it in the store's bathroom. And then write Andi + Viatera Everest Quartz on the stall.

    I love the mix of patterns and colors you have going on. I would say go with the hexis, but where you hate hexis now, I would say go with the white subway tile. Classic. You'll never get tired of it. Until you do.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the hilarious post! Have a happy new year! My coveted counter top would be a white quartz. Quartz is supposed to be the best. I like the marble subway myself, but how is it going to fit behind the faucet? Looks pretty close!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh my gosh! I spent New Years doing some celebratory farting, myself! I LOVE quartz, but people don't commonly know that it's more expensive than granite. Also, I am liking the subway tile BECAUSE (see...there's reason) I think the size and linear factor will be a nice contrast to the smaller swirlies of the countertop. I'm afraid if you used the hex, you would get dizzy.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow everything looks great! Happy New Year in the new home!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The counter tops look great! I'm with Kirby... the creamy white subway tile is the way I'd go. It's definitely classic, and won't fight with with the fabulous counter top. Happy New Year!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. LOL You always make me smile. I love your counter tops. Have an amazing New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well have to say it is looking good I wish my kitchen looked as nice but alas it doesn't my kitchen looks like something out of the 70's or 80's but then again the house was built in 1975.............lol

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey lady--you might be surprised to know that countertops are our family biz!! You are so speaking my language (with the same tongue that licked Home Depot's goods). They look fantastic and I like the gray/white tile. ;) Everything is looking great and farting in the truck is the perfect way to bring in the New Year. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I can live with either of the subway tile but you will never ever ride in my truck after you have dead cow and wine.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Do you lick products in stores on a regular basis? If so, then I recommend you see a professional, as in mental health. I like the counters. The hex pattern would put a hex on you. I wouldn't go with the creamy white because everything the same color is boring.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh so gorgeous girl!! I have done my share of product licking during my reno and then...settling for something less tasty! LOL! Happy New Year my friend and get that laptop!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I laughed all the way through this. For what it's worth: I vote grey & white subway tile.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, girl. I'm dying here. That counter....the quartz.....maybe I'm not dying, maybe it's something sexual.....but oh my. That is gorgeous beyond belief. As for tile, the middle one, definitely. Andi, you is one lucky gurl, I'll tell you what!!!!!!!! Happy new year, kiddo! Dona

    ReplyDelete
  14. gray and white subway tiles!! I love the two different counter/island tops. Great choices

    ReplyDelete
  15. Is that why you were banished to the basement? Sometimes a girl just has to let one go...love the counter!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. GORGEOUS! We have quartz and we LOVE IT. Good choice ;) and I would go with the classic white!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oh, your kitchen looks fabulous! I'm very, very jealous! I vote for the white tiles, since there is grey in your countertops.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I just happened upon your blog tonight and can see why you are so in love with the quartz - it's gorgeous and a steal!! We used a white subway tile on our backsplash and a light gray grout and we love it. It's amazing how much better it looks with the soft gray grout than with a white. So happy to be your newest follower and can't wait to see your pick!

    ReplyDelete
  19. So I was totally laughing out loud at your post! I LOVE your countertop choice and I personally like the marble subway tile... It's so pretty! Have fun!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hola! Happy New Year to you and yours. If it were my pick, I would go with the classic creamy white subway tile. The octowhatever is far too busy and small, would drive me insane within a day when coupled with the patterns in the countertop and island. The grey/white likewise too busy right up next to the beautiful countertop. That leaves the "plain" creamy white, which is the perfect relief for one's eyes. To add a little jazz, you might consider a row of the grey/white tiles, if you can work out the pattern to get the proportion right. Don't want it to be too high, or too low, but just right. Just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh my gosh. I have missed you so! Nov-Dec were just crazy and I haven't stopped by in a while, but look at all I've missed! I'm green with envy over your kitchen. And the fact that your husband allows you to photograph him in that hat. Ok...now I've got to go check out what else I've missed here. I'll try not to laugh Coke out of my nose. No guarantees.

    ReplyDelete
  22. SCORE, oh that's awesome well done kitchens looking fab!

    I made those plates in primary school must have been an international rite of passage for kids ;)

    ReplyDelete
  23. I've always wanted to know how to spell ix-nay. Thanks for that.

    I can't think of a more elegant, classy way to ring in the new year than rippin' out a few sbd's in a truck. You really know how to rock it out girl!

    Definitely the grey/white tile. Now you don't need to look at any more opinions. Mine is really the only one that matters, right?

    ReplyDelete
  24. OH you did the totally right thing!! I LOVE that quartz top you picked. It's perfect. ANDDD....my eye was immediately and totally drawn to the gray/white subway tile! Perfect!!
    Can't wait to see more!
    Nancy

    ReplyDelete
  25. I've never clicked on your blog and not laughed!

    But that kitchen? Stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I like the grey and white subway tile. I have the same countertop and have struggled on what backsplash will work best with it. Have you installed your backsplash yet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No Debra, I'm still shopping! I liked the look of the gray and white, but we saw a sample of it grouted (at Home Depot) and didn't like the finished look. That tile is very thick and comes very far forward from the grout line and we didn't care for that. The plain white subway is still in the running, but we have to install our range hood and floating shelves first, so once that's finished, I'll have to make a decision! Thanks for visiting, and good luck!

      -andi

      Delete
  27. Lovely! We are looking at doing something similar and I've had my eye on Viatera's Aria (basically a lighter version of Everest) with espresso cabinets and marble tile backsplash. Now that you've been living with it for a few months, how do you like those countertops? Did you get the 2 or 3cm thickness? Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Melissa! Every time I look at my countertops, I love them more. :) I usually second-guess everything I pick out, but the Viatera was totally worth it! I believe our tops are about 3/4 inch, so I guess that would be about 2 cm. I seriously could not be happier with it. Best of luck! Oh...are you dancing with a Scottish Imperial Stormtrooper? That is way awesome.

      -andi

      Delete
  28. Hello, we are very interested in buying the Viatera Everest for our countertops, but cannot find a sample anywhere to get a good look at the colors that can be seen in the stone. Can you tell us if there is any green flecks in the stone? We seem to see them in some pictures we have found online. We definitely do not want green (our kitchen has blue accents and it would clash), but if they are all more neutral whites, grays and browns, then this seems to be the best choice. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Malvey! What you're seeing that appears green are actually tiny flecks of glass in the quartz. At a certain angle, the flecks can appear green; however, the overall look of the surface does NOT have any green cast to it AT ALL. It's a beautiful combination of whites, taupes, and grays. I couldn't be happier with it. I actually love my countertops more every day! We also put it in our master bath.

      I don't know where you live, but at the time we purchased it, the Everest was made exclusively for Maxwell Countertops in Farmer City, IL. However, it appears they've changed that policy because I see it listed on the Viatera website now (when we purchased it, it was unavailable on their site because of the exclusivity).

      I would suggest contacting Viatera to find someone locally who carries the Everest. It's a beautiful surface....Best of luck!

      -andi

      Delete
  29. Andi have you tiled your back splash yet? I'm considering the Everest after reading this post. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cindy! Unfortunately, no...my poor, sad kitchen still has naked walls. But if you're considering the Everest, I HIGHLY recommend it! I've been living with it over a year now and I love it. It's beautiful and durable. Best decision I made. Good luck!

      -andi

      Delete
  30. Thanks, Andi! I have four samples of different LG quartz and I can't decide yet! I'm more interested in having some sort of marble backsplash so I'll be dragging my samples to the tile stores! Thank you for sharing our photos.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Oh my gosh...I got my laugh in for today! Glad I clicked over from your backsplash post. Why just last night I squeeked a tiny one out while ironing some fabric for aprons. Hubby happened to be in the room and said, "I heard that!" I blamed it on the squeeky iron board. He didn't believe me. The grin on my face didn't help.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I would go with the subway tile running horizontally. It's a great standard design that won't take away from your gorgeous countertops. (I thought about running the tile vertically but that might be a bit much.)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Oh WOW! Someone is as inappropriate as I am! New Subbie and found your projects on Hometalk. Great projects and great countertops Girl! I personally love the smaller marble subway tiles. You may want to go with the creamy standard subway tile, as beiges are making a comeback. In 20 years you might want to change countertop color. hahahahaha New quandry for you. You're welcome.

    ReplyDelete

SAY SOMETHING! You know you want to.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.