Why two quartzites and why no pictures?

We need pictures, and also either two countertops and one cabinet color, or two cabinet colors and one countertop. Otherwise, the look is too busy and disjointed.

I'm always perplexed by what some folks do not answer the questions posted on the Houzz site, rather provide insight on other alternatives that the person needed advice is not asking about.

We are happy with our countertop decision and not looking for advice on that OR the paint of the cabinets.

Please refrain from responding if your comments are not in regards to answering the 'specific' questions.

Thank you!

@ Jan - You seem to always provide negativity in your posts. Just curious as to why!

Because people don't know what they don't know. You can ignore our advice, but we do this every day. We see people make these choices, and yeah sometimes it works out, but in most cases, it doesn't. So when we see someone making a decision that our knowledge and experience in the industry has taught us usually doesn't look good or work out, we warn you.

As for Jan's post- those were valid questions. Don't expect us to hear some colors and magically picture them perfectly in our heads. We need pictures of the space, of your choices, of everything.

Also, we're giving you professional advice for free. If you don't like it, don't take it.

@ Sina - I really do appreciate your professional feedback, but please note that there are many many kitchen (inclusive of many pictures of kitchens on Houzz alone) that have two different color cabinets and two different color countertops. The look is not busy, but rather extremely attractive.

Reason for my not posting pictures is because I provided the slab names and assumed that people would know what they look like....my mistake.

Although I do appreciate the feedback, I am just perplexed by why (certain) people choose to not respond to the questions being asked on this site. So when you, and some others, give your free professional advice that has nothing to do with the questions being asked, in reality is much like not getting advice at all (free or not)!

As for my comment to Jan - my reason for asking about her negativity wasn't in regards to 'my' post, rather to many many posts that she responds to in a very negative way.

Notice I said that choice usually looks disjointed. It all depends on the kitchen, which is why Jan and I both asked for pictures. Also, we didn't answer your question because it was impossible to WITHOUT PICTURES.

As for giving advice to an unasked question- if you saw someone about to be hit by a car would you not help them because they didn't ask for help?

Apples and Oranges Sina!

Although I do appreciate the feedback, I am just perplexed by why (certain) people choose to not respond to the questions being asked on this site. So when you, and some others, give your free professional advice that has nothing to do with the questions being asked, in reality is much like not getting advice at all (free or not)!

Maybe it's a sign that the poster is asking the wrong questions! I'd be happy to know that I might rethink a choice, and would appreciate the advice. :)

As to your original question, OP, no one can give specific advice without pictures. Please post some when you can.

I will say, I'm no expert, but in reading your post (and before reading any comments), I was thinking, wow, this sounds really busy, and like a lot of different materials all in the same space.

Maybe your pics will clarify that we've got it wrong, but on paper this sounds like it might be too busy and disjointed, as SSAD mentioned.

It might seem like apples and oranges to you, and in the grand scheme, a busy design is one of the least bad mistakes that can happen in a remodel/home building.

However, my point was we're simply pointing out something that could go wrong. If two professionals are raising warning flags don't you think you owe it to yourself to at least take a second look? If after taking a second look you still want it, fine. But don't dismiss our advice because it's not something you want to hear.

Pictures of Dolce - for parameter countertops

Picture of the Moscovita quartzite (again lighting issues) for the kitchen island

We 'have' to paint the island because we are modifying (from a half moon to a rectangle), and extending it.

Kitchen floors will ultimately all change to a warm white parceling.

there is no way we could have pictured that coloring of those slabs in our head.

what kind of floors do you have? (And that quartzite is also called Cristallo. I've seen it elsewhere)

Beth - Thanks for your post - again, my mistake (for assuming and not posting picture). Might have been better if I was simply told/asked to post pictures.

Sina did ask you to post pictures. But, in all fairness, its happens multiple times throughout the day. sometimes we get a little snippy because we get tired of asking ;)

what kind of flooring do you have?

Beth - thanks for the color palette. Kitchen is an open concept and we are replacing all the flooring downstairs (after the kitchen is done) with a warm white porcelain.

FYI, both Jan and I did ask for pictures. We still need more too.

Anyways, as for the stones after seeing them, they're so similar that using both is actually worse now. Near matches are worse because it just looks like a mistake. So if you want the two countertops go for two completely different looks that create contrast.

my comment,,, i'm not going to comment on the two countertops, because it appears you made up your mind and don't want advice for that. (although, perhaps you should take some from Sina).

As for the flooring. now you've thrown in warm white tile into the mix. And you want the island painted a warm white. You see where pictures now become important?

Whites all have diff undertones. you don't want to pick a cool white, but going with a white that has too much yellow or red undertones, might not look right w/the countertop.

you will have to bring home samples and try them on the island, next to your floor tile. (if you could bring in some contrast and go w/a solid color on the island, i think it might work better. with all the warm whites and the Dolce, a nice charcoal or soft gray might look better. ok,,sorry!)

take your white tile, a small piece of your island stone and go look at some whites. bring a few home to try out. you have to sample them.

here are some SW colors

Warmer Whites

and some others from BM

have you thought about doing a darker island paint?

Get off the internet and hire a KD for in person help. You need it badly. And you’ll have to be a lot more cooperative in person than you are online too. Or no one will help you there either.

You have multiple mistakes in the making. Multiple expensive mistakes. Hiring a designer is a lot cheaper than throwing out 10K worth of dogs breakfast counter combination that might each individually look good in someone else's Kitchen but look terrible in combination for anyone, but especially bad with honey maple like yours.

following....

It's "perimeter". I am not mocking you; it's just bothering me.

Those two counters do not look good together. And I know they are quite expensive, so it would be a shame to make such a costly choice as keeping both of them. Please reconsider. Either use one everywhere, or pick one of the quartzites for island or perimeter, and for the other counter use a totally different and contrasting counter, contrasting both in color and type of material.

mycomment,,,i knew that was coming. I didn't say anything because you specifically asked for it. why, I don't know, but you have multiple people all telling you the same thing. don't be obstinate w/the advice given here.

Sophie, thank you for your very 'polite' response. Appreciate it!!! BTW: If I'm paying the designer $$ and have to be cooperative with them, then safe to say that I'm throwing my money out! Pretty sure that the designer has to be cooperative with their client!

Friedajune - Thanks for the input, and for providing constructive feedback. We had originally picked out two contrasting counter tops that actually came recommended by a designer, however 'my' mistake was to as for input from people on this site...and almost everyone slammed it saying 'don't do contrasting counters, it's a big 'no no'.

Now that we started the process all over again, we are being told something completely different.

Just like art, taste is subjective. I've never commented negatively towards anyones choices on this site...just because they don't pair up with mine, or I don't think they compliment one another.

As well, I never asked anyone on this thread for advice (please see original post above) on my choice of 'countertops', if they match, coordinate, look good, etc. I asked questions about sink, cabinet door handle, and island paint color options...nothing more!

I welcome constructive opinions/suggestions 'when I ask for them', as opposed to unsolicited rude or 'put down' comments about my family's personal choices on our home.

Although I do appreciate the feedback, I am just perplexed by why
(certain) people choose to not respond to the questions being asked on
this site. So when you, and some others, give your free professional
advice that has nothing to do with the questions being asked, in reality
is much like not getting advice at all (free or not)!

The questions asked in response to any question posed ( by anyone )have everything to do with the question that was being originally asked.

Not knowing what to ask may beget a result with which you are extremely unhappy.

Therefore.........a question should always yield more questions, and answers. Many of which can be subjective.

Your best answer came from Sophie . Despite it may not be the one you were looking for : ) I am sure it was not.

I posted a ton of off white colors, but without seeing the floor tile, its hard to give you an exact match. the floor tile will be right next to the island, so you want those two to coordinate.

as for the put down, I never said that in my comment. I suggested doing a contrasting color on the island as opposed to a white. you will have a white floor, white island and white countertop. that's a whole lot of whites to match up.

the problem is, you're asking for sink/handles and paint colors, but without seeing all the other items, it's difficult to suggest a specific anything.

on the other thread, I posted a few sinks for you. did you see those?

as for handles, what can we suggest when we don't know what kind of faucets or lighting you have? are you doing pendants? what do they look like? what color is the faucet? style? Is the kitchen more traditional or do you want to lean more modern?

you're asking for specifics, but are withholding (or begrudgingly parting with them) all of the other items we need in order to give you answers.

Pretty sure that the designer has to be cooperative with their client!

and uh, this is a two-way street. No designer has to put up with uncooperative client unless they are starving.

A designer has seen things done many, many ways over many, many years. Often the vision the client has is at odds with how she things will be the best way to achieve it. It's our job as designers to say, "I understand the look you are trying to achieve, but what you have chosen is NOT going to achieve it. But I do have suggestions of what will.". That' what a designer does. But if they client is wedded to her choices, most designers will just say "adios" and move on - they do no want their name associated with a dog's breakfast of a mess that was not of their choosing. They do have to think about their reputation.

@ friedajune- No worries, I don't feel mocked. English is my third language, so I'm always open to learning.

I am just perplexed by why (certain) people choose to not follow the common sense rules that every forum has, including posting decent pictures along with the original question.

You're asking for free help; it's your responsibility to make it easy for people to help you and not waste their time.

And you don't get to play at being Miss Manners until you've helped as many people as Jan or Sophie have.

Welcome to the Internet.

Mycomment... do you have photos of your space to share? These folks are all very well-intentioned and have proven over hundreds/thousands of posts that they know their stuff, but they need more info from you to do it. Photos of your kitchen from various angles, photos of all tile/hardware/faucets etc that you've already selected. You've gotten a lot of sound advice already, but I think you'd get more of the advice you're specifically seeking if you can share enough details for them to make informed recommendations.

I have no advice. I am also surprised at the blatant rudeness from some of the so called professionals. It seems to happen over and over on many forums on Houzz. There is a way to tell a poster that some of the ideas/decisions that have been thought of and/or made in a polite and civil way. It really makes no difference if the advice is free or not. If you are here as a pro then you have made your choice. At the very least, you should not be calling any persons ideas "a dogs dinner". I expect better from even my children in this regard. And this is the only reason I will NEVER ask for advice and help on this site.

mycomment I read through all of the responses and one of the ideas stood out. Painting your island a different color (not white). I think that might be a good idea to bring in some contrast (making sure that the new color will also go with your honey cabinets.

i hope you find more support and encouragement. Stay confident in your decision making.

@ Tatts - Impressive comments!

"You're asking for free help; it's your responsibility to make it easy for people to help you and not waste their time."

"And you don't get to play at being Miss Manners until you've helped as many people as Jan or Sophie have."

@ Kathryn - Thanks for the suggestion, but safe to say that I'm done seeking 'courteous' and 'helpful advice from the 'pros' on this site.

@ Lousie - I sincerely appreciate you reaching out and your kind words and encouragement. Personally I'm not surprised at the level of unprofessionalism that some of the so called pros have demonstrated here...it is the internet after all.

Words spoken really say more about the person saying them, as opposed to the person it's being said about! Being proficient in a chosen career is not based solely on the individuals knowledge, but as well closely tied with how the knowledge is presented!

A review.

Me: "Why two quartzites and why no pictures?"

Sina: We need
pictures, and also either two countertops and one cabinet color, or two
cabinet colors and one countertop. Otherwise, the look is too busy and
disjointed.

And off the rails from there with:

I'm always perplexed by what some folks do not answer the questions
posted on the Houzz site, rather provide insight on other alternatives
that the person needed advice is not asking about.

We asked, because rarely can two stones from the earth be successfully combined in one space. A granite with abundant movement may work well with a granite in absolute black, even one that is honed. I have a hard time thinking of another granite, quartzite, marble, soapstone, example, that doesn't ask for a simple and plain QUARTZ or butcher block companion, or simply more of itself.. Even a quartz with movement needs a quiet companion, or more of itself.

There must be 15,000 or more threads with a post reno mea culpa river of tears resulting from design over think on one thing, and a lack of it on another.

The bristle that results when someone who has done many more kitchens in a couple years than the poster will ever do in an entire lifetime?

Well, that is simply much like when the passenger wife, askes the driver husband "Honey,, are you sure we are heading west? Seems we passed.........."

Followed by the bellowing KABOOM. of " Do you wanna DRIVE"?

That we know is simply a case of "I could not possibly be headed in the wrong direction and in no way will I ever admit it, and I have made up my mind to just keep going until I am so deep in the woods that..........................."

Jan and other pros! A professional way to approach this situation would have been to say "We'd love to help out with your questions, but it's difficult to do so unless we have more info./pictures" or "May we ask why you are choosing two different slabs/colors, as in our professional opinion it is not advised to do so because...", or maybe just not say anything at all, especially since I wasn't asking for opinions on our chosen countertops.

Truth of the matter is if a homeowner wants to plaster the kitchen walls with thick bright pink paint, put in bright orange countertops, a bright yellow sink, with a blue faucet, and they post a question about appliances, they are not looking for critical judgment on their design/color choices, rather simply looking for an answer to their one question.

Design is a personal choice, and extremely subjective. A true designer - starving or not - works with their client to see their vision, and meet their needs, as opposed to convince them otherwise!

In the end I never forced anyone (pro or otherwise) to respond to my post so if anyone is too busy to deal with a request for assistance on Houzz because of lack of info., not wanting to ask the proper questions professionally because they feel they do not want to extend themselves, or etc., it is their choice! Just because advice on this site may be free of charge it does not equate to it not costing the seeker a fee!

You know something is wrong with your ideas, or you wouldn’t have posted. There’s people out there with perfectly awful orange plaid with pink polka dots and lime checks, and they don’t care, and aren’t posting on a design site. The hardest head is that of someone that knows there’s something wrong, and not how to fix it, but who isn’t willing to abandon the wrongness.

Hiring a Designer does not equate to hiring a Doormat. And don’t try to tell us what our business is. We’ll fire you on the front end. I don’t get paid to smile at idjuts with money any more and diplomatically tell them what a huge mistake they are making. I cut to the chase. And I didn’t charge you $300 for the consult either.

If free good advice from Pros isn’t enough, then go and pay one. I’ve often observed a great deal more attention being paid when someone is running up a bill to get it.

Sophie - didn't want to get on the same level as you with your regular insults, sorry 'professional opinions', on this site with, not just to me but, many seeking advice, as well because I was raised to always 'respect my elders' - however you lead me no choice!

Both my husband and I have viewed your design site, and neither one of us are fans of Austin Powers!

Please omit from responding any more to my thread! Being a busy designer, with vast experience, I'm sure you have better things to do with YOUR time!

Omg. We asked the "why two quartzite question", asked for more pics and it wasn't perfectly worded to suit you. Most of us read fifty of these in the morning over coffee. Then we start a full and paid working day. We do it to keep someone out of the design woods, we do it for a quick brain wake up with the caffeine. We do it because we love good design, and because over the years and decades many of us have done this? We have designed (and rescued ) more rooms than any of us can count, and been paid , sometimes handsomely indeed to do it. Surprise? We don't always word something lovey dovey perfectly with a paying client either...........a verbal love fest won't guarantee you a result, sage/experienced advice will. You can get it here from pro's, and from some very skilled gen pop who have talent in abundance. Or just have at it. but it's the internet, and you get what you get. That includes questions.

"Words spoken really say more about the person saying them, as opposed to the person it's being said about!"

OP: you might want to reflect on your own words.

In my experience here on Houzz, the pros can be blunt to the point of acerbic, true, but they're not here to massage feelings, they're here to give advice as efficiently as possible. Does this equate to rudeness? Possibly. So what? They're offering free, high quality advice. What's the excuse for the rudeness I constantly see from people asking for advice but not liking the answers?

Dear mycommenthere,

I hope you remember me, I had made in a guest toilet and a kitchen in Houzz in " before and after...."last year, now yesterday I have made in in "before and after" our showerroom .... the showerroom is a litte bit crazy, take a look under before and after... otherwise I have also pictures now in my ideabook.

many greetings from Switzerland