Darker Gray Cabinets and Our Marble Review

The reasoning for re-painting all the trim in this room (our eat-in-kitchen and family room) white and the doors black probably made sense to most people seeing how it now matches the rest of the house as well as lightening up the room. However, my many reasons for painting the cabinets just a few shades darker than I first painted them a year ago make lots of sense in my own head but I think I can safely say will mostly seem crazy to everyone else, so I won't bore you with all of that. I will say though, that I even though it was a pain to do I am so happy I did it. I also changed out the hardware to go with our faucet and I like the sparkle it adds. So at this point all we really have left to do in here is have an electrician come and add some recessed lighting and once that happens we will get rid of the flush mount lights, and then I will probably swap out the rustic looking pendants for some nickel ones.

So, while I won't bore you with my somewhat irrational reasoning behind painting the cabinets again, I will fill you in on our marble now that it's been several months since it was installed. We get lots of e-mails asking how we like our marble, if we would do it again and if we would recommend it.

What kind of marble is it? Honed Carrara Marble

Did we use a stain blocker? YES, we had InvisaBLOCK applied professionally by the company that installed the marble and it's supposed to last at least ten years

Do I still love the marble? YES

Would I do it again? YES (In fact, I really can't imagine doing anything else - I love it that much!)

Would I recommend it? Definitely not for people who want a completely "perfect" looking counter, but anyone who is okay with some water stains and imperfection that comes with it yes!

Okay, so that probably sounds pretty confusing saying I would use again in a heartbeat but wouldn't recommend them for a lot of people, but let me explain. I can honestly say I love the marble and am so incredibly happy I ended up going with it (I was really torn between quartz and marble). I read a million different reviews and opinions and ultimately decided to just go with what I had been dreaming of for the last several years. I found this post by Joan from For the Love of a House to be far and away the most helpful. And re-reading it now I would say is EXTREMELY accurate and there is no way I could possibly write or explain it any better so I won't even try. If you are considering marble I would highly recommend going over to her blog and reading her very in depth review. Plus I have been lucky enough to have been able to visit her in her home and I have to say it is the probably the single most beautiful home I have ever been in so take some time to check out her entire blog. Every single room is stunning and so timeless. 

I have to say that even though I am pretty easy going about stains and all the wear and tear that goes with young children I was a little stressed about the marble the first couple of weeks. We had a major "marker leaking through a picture one of the girls was coloring" incident just a couple of hours after the marble was installed - haha! Fortunately it all came up and didn't leave any stains at all and after the first week or two I haven't even thought twice about being "protective" of the marble. In fact five months in we have had zero issues with staining. And we heavily use our counters. Although I am certainly not a very good cook, we do quite a lot of cooking in here as we regularly have groups of people over and therefore along with our daily cooking, baking, eating, coloring, crafting etc. on the counters we use the peninsula area as sort of a sideboard/serving area and it's taken quite a bit of abuse and I've been so happy with how it's held up. We do have plenty of water stains but you really only see those when you are crouched down at eye level and the light is hitting them a certain way. That being said, those water stains are probably what would drive a lot of people crazy. 

I do think going with honed marble and having the people that installed it use a stain blocker has been very helpful. We used a polished marble for Jason's island and even though I think it is stunning (I like how it looks even better than our marble) I think Jason would probably say he is not a fan of it at all because of how easily the polished marble scratches and the etching is more noticeable on the polished marble. So with that said, I think it's hard to really recommend it to people because I think there are plenty of people that would hate the etching. For me though it's just part of the beauty of it and I can't begin to describe how much I love it and I honestly can't imagine ever using anything but marble again if I was given the choice when doing over a kitchen. 

Now for some before and after shots of our kitchen: 

 

I think I have probably switched this table (which was on the porch) and the oval one we had in here about three or four times in the last two weeks. And probably about 10 times this last year.  Neither one is quite the right fit. I love that this one is so narrow, but it's about a foot too long. And the oval one is a foot shorter which is nice but is a little too wide. I've pondered building a shorter farmhouse table or hunting the local consignment shops for a circular one but haven't decided which route I want to go yet.

 

And couple of weeks ago we showed you the family room side of this space:

And you can see more pictures of this side of kitchen and pantry in this post from last year here.

Source List:

Cabinet Color- Winter's Gate in Semi-Gloss by Benjamin Moore
Wall Color- Horizon in Eggshell by Benjamin Moore
Trim Color - Simply White in Semi-Gloss by Benjamin Moore
Door Color - Mopboard Black in Semi-Gloss by Benjamin Moore
All appliances are Whirlpool and were purchased at Lowe's during their Memorial Day Sale
Hood - Custom Built
Farmhouse Sink - Signature Hardware
Faucet - Wayfair
Backsplash - purchased from McKenzie Restoration (but just basic white subway tile that can be purchased pretty much anywhere)
Counters - Honed Carrara Marble
Hardware - Home Depot (think they were by Martha Stewart)
Runner - Gift from my mom (from Home Decorator's Collection)
Counter Height Stools - Target
Mug Holder - World Market
Little Bird Tea Cups - Heritage Lace
Menu Chalkboard - Dear Lillie (for sale in our shop coming very soon!)
Flush Mount - Lowe's
Pendants - These were a hand-me-down from my mom and they worked perfectly in here (originally from Bellacor)
Circular Mirror - gift from my sister, Dana (from Antique Farmhouse)
Metal Baskets - Joss and Main
Bowl on Peninsula - Wedding Gift
Dishes - Emma Collection from Pottery Barn (wedding gifts)
Dishes - Mikasa
Canisters - wedding gift - Williams-Sonoma
Vase on Stove -HomeGoods
Three-Tiered Display Piece with buckets - gift from my mom (from Mothology)
Vase next to wire basket - gift from my mother-in-law from Spring Mill in Indiana
Marble Rolling Pin and Board - gift from my mother-in-law (from Sur La Table)
Table - Pier 1 years ago and has since been painted in French Linen from Lady Butterbug
X Back Dining Chairs - IKEA
Slipcovered Dining Chairs - IKEA
Oversized Chalkboard - made by me, you can read more about it here
X Sideboard - made by me, you can read more about it here

Cereal Containers - World Market

Glass Jars - Some from HomeGoods and some from World Market

Wooden Box - HomeGoods

Bottle Caddy - HomeGoods

Bottles - Mineral Water from Fresh Market 

Wreath - Birch Lane

Marble Board - gift

Oversized Mason Jar - World Market

Crackle Bucket/Planter - Birch Lane

Antlers - World Market 

Pumpkin - purchased at Michael's and then painted

Frame - IKEA

Organization Items in Pantry - Target, HomeGoods, World Market

Sectional - IKEA
Rug - HomeGoods
Lamp - Joss and Main
Pillows - Birch Lane, Joss and Main
Plaid Throw - HomeGoods
Slipcovered Wingback Chairs - Savvy Home and Garden
Script Chairs - TJMaxx
Painted French Cabinet - makeover here
TV Console - Antique shop in Camden, SC
Frames above chairs - tutorial here
Striped Roman Shade in Window above Sink - made by me, you can read more about it here.
Drapery Panels - IKEA Ritva Panels
Drapery Rods - Lowe's
Sconces - RH Baby and Child
Mirror - gift from my mom (Restoration Hardware)
Rocking Horse - gift from my mom (from RH Baby and Child)
Urns on Fireplace - Seasons in Williamsburg (years ago on clearance)

I hope you all have a fabulous Wednesday!