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Decorating and Home, Our Home

Kitchen Makeover – Countertops

March 31, 2016

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Follow along the makeover of this beautiful farmhouse kitchen! In this post, Liz shares the countertops she picked and why. Click for more photos and details!

Our little farmhouse kitchen got a BIG makeover! This week I’m sharing the countertops we picked and why… you can catch up on the rest of the kitchen makeover series here!


Okay, now that we have demo, flooring, and cabinets out of the way, let’s talk about our kitchen countertops!

Follow along the makeover of this beautiful farmhouse kitchen! In this post, Liz shares the countertops she picked and why. Click for more photos and details!

Do you remember our old countertops and matching backsplash? It was time to retire these beauties:

Follow along the makeover of this beautiful farmhouse kitchen! In this post, Liz shares the countertops she picked and why. Click for more photos and details! Follow along the makeover of this beautiful farmhouse kitchen! In this post, Liz shares the countertops she picked and why. Click for more photos and details!

There are tons and tons of great options out there for countertops, and each one has its own pros and cons. When we first went into Lowe’s to plan out the whole kitchen renovation, I had no idea what our budget would allow us to pick. Once I looked at the samples they had, I knew I definitely did not want laminate countertops. We’ve had them before, and although they are definitely the cheapest option, I really wanted a more high end look this time. The granite options were pretty, but I didn’t love the “speckled” look that most of them have. Jeremy and I even considered doing concrete countertops ourselves, hoping it would save us some money and add a unique look to our kitchen. But in the end we knew our timeline was very short for getting the kitchen done because of my looming book deadline, and we didn’t want to risk holding up the renovation with our adventures in DIY countertops.

I really love the look of marble countertops because it is such a classic, timeless material. From a design standpoint, I think marble is a really versatile choice too, as it fits in perfectly with everything from old, rustic farmhouses to chic, modern hotels. The only downside to marble is that it can be quite pricey and is a porous material, which means that it has to be properly sealed or it will stain easily and can be difficult to sanitize.

Follow along the makeover of this beautiful farmhouse kitchen! In this post, Liz shares the countertops she picked and why. Click for more photos and details!

After sorting through the other countertop options, I found a quartz product that looks almost identical to marble and fell in LOVE with it. It is called Lyra Silestone, and we ordered it through Lowe’s. Quartz is similar in price to granite, but is lower maintenance and more durable. Quartz is an engineered stone that is nonporous, so you don’t have to worry about sealing the countertops. No stains, no bacteria, easy to clean, and very durable to cracks or chips. Jeremy and I figured that if we were going to pour this much money into renovating our kitchen, we wanted a product that would last with little to no maintenance, and this one happened to look just like the marble I love so much. Because our kitchen is on the smaller side, we were able to work the quartz into our budget, which I was ecstatic about.

Follow along the makeover of this beautiful farmhouse kitchen! In this post, Liz shares the countertops she picked and why. Click for more photos and details! Follow along the makeover of this beautiful farmhouse kitchen! In this post, Liz shares the countertops she picked and why. Click for more photos and details!

Once the contractor set our cabinets, the countertop guys were able to come in and take measurements. We were told from the beginning of the renovation that waiting for the counters to be made and delivered can sometimes take up to 3-5 weeks, so be aware of that timeframe if you’re thinking about doing yours. Luckily, there were plenty of other projects for the contractor to work on while we waited for counters, and they actually arrived in just over a week.

They hauled in the big, heavy pieces of quartz and had them completely installed in probably less than 20 minutes. The also installed our under mount sink that day as well. It’s a small detail in the grand scheme of the whole kitchen renovation, but I was SO excited to have an under mount sink finally. If something spills on the counter, I can just wipe it right into the sink, and there’s no metal lip sticking up on the counter to get in the way. It looks a lot better aesthetically and is much more sanitary in my opinion. No one wants to see food and grime built up around the outside of your sink… I was totally guilty of that with our old one!

Follow along the makeover of this beautiful farmhouse kitchen! In this post, Liz shares the countertops she picked and why. Click for more photos and details! Follow along the makeover of this beautiful farmhouse kitchen! In this post, Liz shares the countertops she picked and why. Click for more photos and details!

After living with these countertops for a few months now, I have ZERO complaints. They are super easy to clean, super durable, and look beautiful. They add just a touch of pattern to the all white cabinets without taking away from the simplicity of the space. I highly recommend this Lyra quartz if you’re looking for new countertops!

Okay guys, I’d love to know… what kind of countertops are in YOUR kitchen right now, and if you could pick anything, what do you WISH you could have? Did I answer all your countertop questions? If you think of anything else, feel free to leave me a comment below! Next week I’m going to share details about our tile backsplash… stay tuned!

Follow along the makeover of this beautiful farmhouse kitchen! In this post, Liz shares the countertops she picked and why. Click for more photos and details!

Sources:

Dove White cabinets – KraftMaid purchased at Lowe’s

Cup cabinet pulls – Hickory Hardware

Cabinet knobs – Hickory Hardware

Quartz countertops – Silestone by Cosentino purchased at Lowe’s

Natural timber porcelain tile flooring – Lowe’s

Gray grout for tile floor – Lowe’s

Wall color – Du Jour by Valspar

Slate electric range – GE Appliances

Slate dishwasher – GE Appliances

Slate bottom freezer refrigerator – GE Appliances

Slate over-the-range microwave – GE Appliances

Matte black pendant lights – Amazon

Pendant light above sink – Wayfair

X back wood dining chairs – World Market

Sheer white curtains – Walmart

Bronze curtain rods – Walmart

Small jute rug by sink – Home Goods

Matte black sink faucet – Delta 

Stripe kitchen towel – World Market

Woven plant pot – IKEA

KitchenAid coffee maker – Amazon

White pitcher with cooking utensils – IKEA

Glass canisters – Target

Round wire basket – Walmart

Faux greenery in glass jug – Hobby Lobby

Antiques, secondhand finds, and handmade items:

white and wood dining table, drop cloth table runner, glass jug, grocery sign, wood cutting boards, antique scale

xoxo Liz


 

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Kitchen
by Liz Fourez 
12 Comments

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Comments

  1. Ardith says: March 31, 2016 at 3:59 pm

    Absolutely stunning kitchen! Cheers, Ardith

    Reply
  2. Meg says: March 31, 2016 at 9:45 pm

    What an incredible transformation, Liz! I think Quartz looks so beautiful, and I’d definitely choose it over marble for the same reasons you mentioned.

    We currently have tile counters, but I eventually want to replace them with soapstone or dark quartz to mimic the soapstone look. One day!

    Reply
  3. Sheran Steading says: April 4, 2016 at 11:46 am

    I love your kitchen renovation and the countertops are gorgeous. About three years ago we had Lowe’s help us renovate our 1976 kitchen. We completed gutted it. I also chose the quartz countertop, but our is black, with just a bit of gold in it. I absolutely love it. I understand about the undermount sink, too. It’s great.

    Reply
  4. Shelby says: April 7, 2016 at 1:02 pm

    I LOVE the quartz counters! They look just like marble, but so much better because they don’t have the maintenance of marble.

    We chose quartz remnants for our shower bench and threshold and LOVE it. However, we chose a marble countertop for the bathroom vanity and the water spots are driving me nuts. We even sealed it (after they came supposedly “sealed”), and are still getting them. You can’t notice unless you’re looking for them…but I know they are there. 🙂

    Reply
  5. kelsey m. says: April 12, 2016 at 12:27 pm

    Love this all! What are those thick cutting boards called and where do I find some?! Thanks for all your posts!

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: May 10, 2016 at 3:31 pm

      Hey Kelsey! I actually made most of those cutting boards! There is a tutorial for them in my book that is coming out this year called A Touch of Farmhouse Charm. You can pre-order it here, if interested!

      Reply
  6. Lisa B. says: April 16, 2016 at 10:09 pm

    What a gorgeous makeover! I love the end result. I am looking at getting new quartz counters and have actually looked at this exact one! What thickness countertop did you go with and what is the edging style? Thanks!

    Reply
  7. Lauren @ Rustic Honey says: April 28, 2016 at 10:40 pm

    Love the classic and clean look of the quartz countertops! When I first saw them I thought they were marble! Less upkeep is always best I think! We actually ended up with butcher block countertops in our kitchen (the original house already had them installed so we matched them on our addition). They are beautiful but will definitely need to be refinished over the years of wear and tear. If I ever decide to change in the future, quartz would be my choice! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Sarah says: July 1, 2016 at 12:18 am

    Hi Liz! We’re in the kitchen renovation process and are going with the Silestone quartz too! Trying to decide between Lyra and Lagoon. Your kitchen is beautiful! Did you go with a thicker edging on the counters or are the 2 cm? Trying to decide on that too! 2 cm all around or 2 cm with a thicker edging. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Liz Fourez says: July 11, 2016 at 9:35 pm

      I think they are a standard 2 cm. You’re going to love these countertops, Sarah! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Kristin Etter says: September 24, 2016 at 3:17 pm

    I chose a Silestone countertop for my kitchen too, replacing 26 year old 4×4 inch white tile/white grout. “Daria” was the pattern of quartz I picked, which has tones of light beige and taupe with white veining. LOVE it! My cabinets were also original to the house purchased in the 1990’s, and they were oak white-wash. We had them painted Swiss Coffee White. The kitchen has atrium windows making it very light. I’m having the walls painted a light celadon green just to give it a little contrast and reflect the green trees and blue sky of the outside. Your kitchen looks beautiful! Nice job!

    Reply
  10. Melissa says: October 4, 2016 at 8:41 pm

    Love your blog however all of the ad’s make it difficult to read any content. They are very distracting from your beautiful blog site. Maybe the ads could be at the bottom of the post?
    Otherwise I think it’s almost too much trouble to read the blog which I find to be very sad considering the obvious amount of work you put into your blog.

    Reply

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Welcome, sweet friends! My name is Liz, and I started Love Grows Wild in 2012 with a passion for interior design and homemaking and a dream to help others create a home they love.
Here you’ll find simple project tutorials, holiday and entertaining ideas, and my journey renovating a 1940’s farmhouse that I live in with my two boys and French bulldog.
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Liz Fourez started Love Grows Wild in 2012 with a passion for interior design and homemaking and a dream to help others create a home they love.  From simple project tutorials, to holiday and entertaining ideas, to her journey renovating a 1940’s farmhouse, Liz demonstrates how to create a beautiful and inviting home with a handmade touch. She turned her signature cozy, neutral style into a best-selling book in 2016 and continues to inspire readers with her captivating photography and easy decorating ideas. Read more about Liz > > > >

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The perfect example of design on a budget. I feel The perfect example of design on a budget. I feel like kids go through so many phases of what they do and don’t like as they get older, and we’re often changing the boys’ bedrooms to make them function better as they grow out of each phase (way too quickly, I might add 🥺).

I’m a big believer in teaching kids to be mindful of taking care of their belongings and their home from the time they are little, which is why I don’t worry so much about light colored couches in the living room or white walls throughout the house. BUT kids are also kids, and I design their bedrooms with a much more frugal budget so that if anything gets old & worn or needs to be replaced/repurposed... I don’t sweat the money that was spent!

In this room we used inexpensive pieces from IKEA, Target and Walmart to create a cozy teenage boy’s room, but it definitely doesn’t skimp on style. We’re planning a little makeover again in this room soon, and I’m excited to show you what we have up our sleeves for my now 15 year old... good grief, where does the time go?

You can find all the details of this room here:
link in my profile

https://lovegrowswild.com/2018/11/boys-bedroom-makeover-part-1/
A weird side angle of the living room as proof tha A weird side angle of the living room as proof that a giant TV does in fact exist in here, and we are just a normal family who loves movie nights snuggled up on the couch with the dog & football Sundays with all the yummy food during the game (one benefit of having an open concept living/dining room). I purposely placed the TV in a spot where it isn’t the main focal point of the room and designed the space to draw your eye to other much prettier things like the big picture window just to the left of this photo.

Want to try something like this in your living room? See if you can arrange the furniture so the TV isn’t the main focal point in the room, but still has visibility from the majority of your seating. Try making the focus a fireplace, window, or create a gallery wall with pretty artwork if you don’t have any standout architectural elements!

Just a little tidbit of advice I’ve learned & loved & wanted to pass along... Happy Monday, sweet friends!

LIVING ROOM DETAILS: 
link in my profile 

https://lovegrowswild.com/2020/08/designing-around-a-tv-part-1/
A little bit of work & a whole lot of relaxing wit A little bit of work & a whole lot of relaxing with my favorite humans this weekend. I have some fun things to share with you on the blog this week & several house projects going on (the dining & living room are looking SO good!!), but I need to recharge and spend some quality time doing my most important job on this Earth... taking care of my people. 🤍

What are your plans for the weekend? Whatever they are, I hope you have a chance to laugh, rest, eat something delicious, and enjoy a little sunshine (even if it’s sitting indoors because it’s very brrrr outside)!

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If you’re going to share one single bathroom wit If you’re going to share one single bathroom with two adolescent boys, you might as well make it pretty... because Lord knows it’s not always going to be clean. 🥴

Happiest Friday, sweet friends

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Quite possibly my favorite view in the house. And Quite possibly my favorite view in the house. And also quite possibly the best place for morning snuggles, second cups of coffee, and the occasional Netflix binge. This room was “shiplapped” over 5 years ago now, but it has never felt like a passing fad or overly trendy with a mix of other vintage & traditional elements in the room. These big, wide planks have my whole heart just as much as the day we installed them back in 2015.

What’s your opinion on shiplap? In? Out? Vertical? Horizontal? Focal wall or the entire room? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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NEW! THE ARMSTRONG HOUSE LIVING ROOM REVEAL Last NEW! THE ARMSTRONG HOUSE LIVING ROOM REVEAL

Last time I shared an update on Mom’s house, I had just revealed the completed renovation, and you were able to see all the freshly painted white walls, new carpet & flooring, and a very stark blank canvas. We intentionally made this space light, bright, & neutral since 1) it’s a rental home, and we want it to appeal to a variety of styles. And 2) it’s VERY small, so the light paint makes it feel much more open & spacious than dark paint would! But all those white walls were in desperate need of a warm, cozy touch, and that’s exactly what Mom and I did…

a completely new living room design
in the prettiest beachy cozy cottage style
all on a small budget
in a very small rental home!
➡️ Tell me your favorite thing about this space in the comments!

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