Our brand new kitchen is finally 100% complete!  After the flood we were so grateful to have an amazing granite contractor to help us whip our kitchen back into shape.  I can’t say enough wonderful things about Carlos and his team at Absolute Designs.  After painting all the unfinished cabinet boxes, reinstalling the doors, adding a new pantry door, installing a back-splash, and making new curtains I think I’m done!

Unfortunately, one of the things we lost as a result of the flood was our granite.  No, we didn’t get water above the counter tops, thank goodness, but if you’ve ever tried to remove an existing piece of granite, you’ll understand why ours ended up cracked.

This was the sink base in Violetta color granite, which cannot be located in Houston by any of the granite suppliers…so, we were left with two choices: repair it with a resin compound that would probably crack over time OR replace the whole kitchen… Since I was never too fond of the original color, I decided to get estimates to replace our whole kitchen.

As luck would have it, when visiting the granite yards trying to find violetta to match our old stuff, I saw this slab…and I fell in love!  It’s a very white version of Giallo Ornamental at Tajams.

This new color also happened to be in the thicker (sometimes more costly) 3cm slab.  Of course…anything I like is automatically more money!  BUT, the miracle worker Carlos, at Absolute Designs, was able to get us that slab and it’s twin (we needed two) and re-do our whole kitchen, master bath, and 2nd bath for a phenomenal price!

He came out twice to make templates of our existing counter tops and when they installed everything it fit like a glove.

As you can see in the photo above, we had to install corbels under the bar top to support the weight of the heavier 3 cm stone.  3 cm is solid – no plywood – but it’s also much heavier.

Below is that same huge piece from the photo above, installed before they cut the sink hole.  That was a very dusty process.

Even with doors and windows open AND a vacuum, cutting through that thick granite produced more dust than I could have ever imagined.  However, these guys were perfectionists and did an amazing job.

Here it is in it’s final glory!

We had to purchase new appliances and thankfully, FEMA provided enough for materials so I was able to get a dishwasher that was on clearance at Lowes and then matching range from Sears.  Both are Kitchen Aid and I love the quality.  I love that I got them both at a huge discount even more!  It just takes some hunting, but more often than not you can get appliances at a discount if you take the time to search for them online.

The Dish Nanny is also a big help in our busy household!

The cabinets by the sink proved to be a challenge.  Even as the granite was installed, they weren’t finished and I had no idea what type of fillers to use between the dishwasher and the cabinet opposite the sink.  After playing around with a few things and being disappointed I couldn’t fit actual posts in the space, I came up with this modified rope post / column. It ties into the rope accent on the upper cabinets and the fireplace.

In re-doing the kitchen I decided to grab a few more storage enhancements.  I love a good bit of organization!  I converted the faux drawers in front of the sink to tilt out drawers with this Rev-a-shelf kit.

I saved my hidden trashcan from before the flood.  Thank goodness for finding those unfinished oak cabinets in the same sizes!

This 18 gauge sink came free with the purchase of our granite.  It’s huge and deep!  I love that I can wash virtually anything in it!  The faucet was another Lowes purchase.  Delta oil-rubbed bronze finish all the way.  The sprayer actually has a magnetic close so the nozzle stays put.

As we ripped out the old counter top and discovered that adding a new one would leave a gap between the counter and old backsplash, I knew that would need to be replaced as well.  We went to Floor and Decor and found this travertine mosaic tile and paired it with 4 inch square tumbled travertine tiles.  I found the bronze rope accent here at Lowes.

The granite really ties together the comfortable, farmhouse feel I was after.

The island was another cabinetry challenge.  Since Builder’s Surplus didn’t carry a stock cabinet with double sided doors, we had to improvise with trim.  I actually like how it turned out better than the old version with the glaze and trim.

The pantry door is a new addition as well.  I purchased it from Door Clearance Center and stained and sealed it myself to save money.  The curtains are new too; I love the simplicity of the grey and cream fabric.  I made them out of sturdy duck cloth purchased from Hobby Lobby.

I’m very proud of the work we put into making this dream kitchen.  Take that Harvey!