A Giant hunk of Rock

White countertops. That's what I want. Definitely white.

Functionality, style, durability, and beauty are defining decisions when choosing the perfect countertop.  The options are endless, and unless you have a stake in the ground on something, the search and research stress will really cause a bump in your wine budget [just me?].  I thought my stake in the ground was white countertops. I loved how they shined and made the whole space just look clean. However, even more important to me was natural stone.  While I have friends who LOVE their indestructible quartz [Hanstone, Caesarstone, Cambria etc..], it meant something to me to have a natural stone that had sat in the earth and waited 300 million years just for my kitchen. Maybe it is because my father is a geologist, maybe it is because I just wanted something completely unique, but ultimately I decided I would rather have my hunk of rock than my perfectly white counters.

Ok so now onto rocks. There is marble, quartzite, natural marble/quartzite mixture [huh?], and granite.

The best place to go see all of these natural wonders in one place is in a gigantic warehouse in a questionable neighborhood in Nashville. As I walked in, the first thing I had to do was sign a waver because at any second any of the leaning slabs could fall and squish me under thousands of pounds of rock.  Awesome.  There is also a crane hooked up to a pulley system that lifts slab over-head with an 8 ton capacity.  The warehouse is approximately the size of the Hoosier dome. Maybe not, but at least two college football games could be played simultaneously inside. The first time I went, I basically walked around and got familiar with what was out there.  Overwhelmed is an understatement. Honestly, I was [while avoiding being crushed] in awe God's design.  Some of the slabs were just unreal and almost looked ethereal. While I didn't make a decision on this trip, it helped me realize how little I actually was sure of, while still narrowing it down.

I pretty quickly cut out granite, just because it wasn't the look I was going for. Also, every house I have ever lived in had granite, and I was just ready for a change.

Then I met marble.  Marble is quite the seductruss isn't it?  It is beautiful, feels amazing, has an old world spirit but looks brand new, but I was worried how I would feel about it down the road.  I made the side comment to the sales lady, "I just wish I could know what this will look like in 5 years." She then told me that this exact same marble was put in as the coffee bar at a very popular Nashville restaurant about 5 years ago. Perfect, I had a lunch meeting tomorrow and after a text, the location had been changed.

I finally had to explain myself as I waited for the barista to finish making my Cuban.  I think my rubbing on the bar was making her a bit uncomfortable. I looked it over, asked questions, and tried to imagine it in my kitchen. In the end, marble is beautiful, just not for me.  I'm tough on stuff, like really tough.  I also love to cook Italian food and drink coffee and wine.  I just ultimately didn't think I was responsible enough to own such a soft stone.

So I was back at the warehouse and on to quartzite, which was truly my favorite from the beginning.  Calcutta, Taj Mahal, Audacia were all even more beautiful than what I could tell on Pinterest.  I also really loved that the slabs I was looking at were literally the ones I was going to be buying, not just one like them.  

Hot contender

One restriction I had was how long my island was going to be.  Most of the slabs I looked at weren't 130 inches long [and I couldn't deal with a seam...]. Being undecided, I wanted to price out a few different colors to see if that could help me make a decision.  One of the slabs priced was a 130in slab of White Fusion that I didn't get to see the first time I was there. I went back and they uncovered it for me.

That was my slab.  It was unique, colorful, had a bit of sparkle and a while lot of character.

Now had to see if Steve loved it as much as I did.

I was all smiles as I walked up to the slab and did my perfect Vanna White arms, honestly, I might have even said "ta da."  He looked at it, nodded his head, and said, "yep, looks good."  That. was. it.

Now please know that Steve is actually a good communicator.  I understand that some guys are men of few words, but that isn't Steve.  So I pushed him to tell me how good it looks.  He looked at me and shrugged his shoulders, "I just can't get as excited as you about a piece of rock."  Let's just say, I asked my friend Lindsay to join me when I went back to pick the perimeter.

There is a major ripple effect whenever you change one thing to a perfectly planned out kitchen.  Now, I have busy counters.  This. Changes. Everything. This ABSOLUTELY effected my vision of lighting and backsplash.  I was even so set on backsplash that I had already ordered it.  However, my order of importance for style was 1) floors, 2) cabinets, 3) countertops, 4) backsplash, 5) lights, 6) everything else.  The panic attacks about the counter tops are real, but then I just open my phone and look at the pictures and I'm right back to feeling the love.