ORB on dark countertops?

18 years ago

After spending the last 6 months obsessing about all kinds of details, we finally signed with our contractor yesterday and the first question he asked was one I hadn't even thought about. We are replacing three windows in the kitchen and laundry room of our 1930's house. The existing windows are outward opening steel casement windows which are painted white. Since counters will go in front of them now, we are replacing them with inward opening casements but the contractor pointed out that since they will now open in, they do not have to be painted and DH thinks the ORB finish would look really nice. I know it would BUT does that mean all the hardware needs to be ORB as well. I don't object to the finish per se but we have been thinking about a green soapstone counter and I have been unable to find any pictures of ORB with dark countertops; it seems they are almost always on light countertops. Since I'm now focused on something that I thought would come at the end i.e., faucets, sinks, etc, it also seems that all the soapstone counters I've found have white, stainless steel or soapstone sinks...but could I put in silgranite or is there a reason that won't work? If we go with a greener soapstone, what color of silgranite would be good? Any pictures anyone has would be very helpful!

This has so taken me by surprise to suddenly be thinking about something and feeling unprepared when I thought I was so well prepared to start! Demolition starts on Tuesday...yikes. And, we still haven't chosen the color of our cabinets because as soon as we start looking we get wishy-washy about every thing we thought we had decided.

OK enough ranting....thanks for any help on the ORB and sink question that anyone can offer!

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Comments (4)

Laurie
18 years ago
Have you looked at the Finished Kitchens Blog? (see link below).
There are so many kitchens posted on there and I'm sure you will see some pictures that will inspire you! On that site, I would start with the finished kitchen slideshow link, first.

Here is a link that might be useful: Finished kitchens blog
raehelen
18 years ago
Not answering your question, but why would you have inward opening casements? Won't that interfere with stuff on the counters?

We have outward opening casements and I thought the whole advantage was being able to catch breezes?
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kitchendetective
18 years ago
First, I agree with what raehelen has written.
Second, as to your question, it depends. (How's that for helpful?)
There is a design book called Decorating Master Class which advocates matching every metal finish within a room, e.g. door knob, window hardware, faucet, fixtures, etc. The viewpoint is "quiet" elegance. Others, and I include myself here, prefer a mix. My aesthetic is more relaxed and a bit ADD; I get bored when all metals match and I think it makes a room look like it was all done at once, a look that doesn't appeal to me.
There is no rule against dark on dark, especially if you want a monochromatic look or you want other focal points than your sink fixtures. It is going to depend upon how the very specific materials look together and on how the overall look is planned. (Okay, this probably doesn't help you decide, huh? I do think you are doing a good thing by trying to plan it all now, whether you want the ultimate result to have that feeling or not.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Amazon
gailrolfe
Original Author
18 years ago
Ohmygosh, how fast the time has flown since I posted my question...non-stop prep for the demolition which began this morning. I'm not really completely done but so tired from three days of packing that I finally got on the pc and see I've been AWOL! Thanks so much for your responses. Laurie, I did check the FKB...spent a couple of hours searching it before I posted...it was that search which led to my question about ORB on dark countertops...

Raehelen and kitchendetective, the reason I am switching to inward-opening casements is because I think the handles that wind to open and close the windows would look too modern in my house and because the windows will now have countertop in front of them and I won't be able to reach the outward-opening windows to close them. Actually, the inward-opening windows are in a place where there is not much of an issue with disturbing anything on the counter and they do come with parliament hinges which allows them to open 180 degrees--I don't really need them to open that far but at least they'll open past the point at which they would just jut into the room.

As for the ORB, we've had a "vision" session with our consulting KD and have decided to go with it. Unfortunately, we've fallen in love with the most expensive countertop we've seen, Verde Antique! It wouldn't be so bad except that it costs $1000 to ship to California...so I think we will resume the green soapstone search...

Thanks for your comments..my apologies for dropping the ball in response!