“Makeovers” are everywhere (just no one ever does my kitchen/bathroom) here is another one. On this Dream Kitchen they used our Stainless Steel Penny round Metal Mosaic. It is also in Houzz.com with the designer Maureen had admired Metal Pennies in a showroom but found it for less than half the price online – that is us!
Maureen O’Bryan’s Bethesda kitchen was built to withstand the rigorous workouts it gets from its owner, who hosts elaborate dinners for friends and family. Even a regular weeknight meal for her husband, Ray, can turn into a multi-course production.
“She has something like 40 baking dishes,” says Aidan Design’s Nadia Subaran, who worked with architect Jim Rill to create the space. “This is a kitchen for a true cook.”
O’Bryan wanted ample storage and top-of-the-line appliances—including two Wolf ovens and a BlueStar gas range. But Subaran also had to make the kitchen look beautiful.
Finishes were chosen for both functionality and appearance. The perimeter countertops are a durable quartzite, while a large island features a walnut butcher-block surface for chopping and a marble prep space that’s elevated for aesthetics and to make it easier for six-foot-two Ray O’Bryan to help his wife. Though marble can be high-maintenance, the dark swirling shades of this particular slab allow it to hide blemishes.
Subaran’s other challenge was keeping the relatively modern kitchen cohesive with the rusticity of the O’Bryans’ Craftsman home. A smart paint choice did the trick—rather than trendy white or gray on the cabinetry, she chose an earthy taupe that instantly warmed the room.
THE DETAILS
1. OVEN
60-inch range and vent hood from BlueStar.
2. BACKSPLASH (OURS)
Round stainless-steel mosaic tile from the Builder Depot. ($14.95SF)
3. CABINETRY
Cabinets from Wood-Mode.
4. SUBWAY TILING
Glass subway tile from Architectural Ceramics.
5. ISLAND COUNTERTOPS
Island countertops in Cosmos granite from Classic Granite & Marble; end-grain walnut from Grothouse Lumber.
6. COUNTERTOPS
Perimeter countertop in Taj Mahal quartzite from Classic Granite & Marble.
In this picture all polished Bianco Carrara: 3×6″ Tile $7.00SF • 8×16″ Tile $8.95SF • Chair Rail $12.95EA • 2″ Hexagon $11.75SF • Pencil (bordering the shelf insert) $9.95SF
The warehouse guys look at each format and try to get the best match with the 8×16″, 3×6″, Hexagon, Pencil and Chair rail. With over one million square feet in stock matching up the formats is an art form. Fortunately our masters of Carrara are great at it. They have done such a good job with matching this shipment it looks like one block Carrara. Incredible!
Carrara Bianco 6×12″ Polished Baseboard $19.95 EA • The black border was created by China Black 12×12 cut into strips $5.95SF • 8×16″ tile on the wall
Carrara Bianco 2″ Hexagon Polished (the grout create the anti-slip) and 8×16″ Carrara Bianco cut and used as a border
the builder depot blog 