Hi, I absolutely love how it looks but I have to be honest it stains easily. If I could do it over I would have picked something more practical for a beach house. I cringe every time someone leaves a cup of coffee or wine glass on my counter. BUT IT IS GORGEOUS.

Katie - I’m not sure if you are asking me or someone else...but we did go with an Italian Carrera Marble. I attached pics of the now done space. Quartz technology isn’t there yet. Everything we looked at for marble imitation quartz was just that.....an imitation. It was too dotted or gray. But I will say these are pics of our marble 6 mos later. Still no stains or etching. I seal it every other month to be safe, but it’s a quick thing to do. I still love love love it and I don’t regret it AT ALL!!! ❤️

Flo, thanks for the clarification. I think I would really like that. I'm not sure why the builder installed the 4" granite around the backsplash when he knew I was planning the tile. The house we rented in Richmond had the same thing and I thought it was peculiar. I was wondering if it was a regional thing as I had never seen that when living in NY for the previous 20 years! I would love a photo of that granite if you find one. Val B, I wish I could recess the fridge further. Doesn't seem to be a possibility and the cabinet manufacturer doesn't make a deeper panel for this purpose. I was dismayed when I saw how much it sticks out, but it's a done deal until I need to replace the fridge, unfortunately. Thanks for the suggestion about the stools. The ones we have came with us and were actually very expensive, a much higher quality than the ones you see in all the box stores now. We have had them from before they became popular. I love them, but may be able to use them elsewhere. Thanks for the suggestion. Would I have to match the perimeter cabinet color if I replaced them?

Hi Erin, Thanks for sharing- your project turned out beautiful! We're considering Homecrest's Cadet color for our wall and base cabinets (entire kitchen). The few photographs I can find of it online by real homeowners have significant variances in color (I assume from quality of cameras, lighting, surrounding colors of floors/walls that may play up or down certain tones, etc.). Our designer provided us with a small wooden sample but unfortunately there's no dealers near us that have a full size display of the color so we can see what it will look like on a large scale encompassing an entire kitchen. My target color is a grey with blue undertones- which in some of the photos I've found would be pretty well captured with this color, but others show it being a much too vibrant blue or a very deep navy. Do you have any other photos that show the color of the island? How would you describe the color? Thanks in advance!