Thanks, @Vanguard Development :-)

@Jora - I had to go back and re-read your original post. When you said you'd picked out the granite but saw the Cristallo and couldn't go back, I thought you meant it was too late to change your mind. You got the Cristallo!!! Can't wait to see your pictures! Ya, very different than that dark granite. I noted the similarity of colors to Taj but what I loved was the lack of any kind of repeat/pattern in the stone. It made the backsplash difficult to match up for the seam but I didn't care.

I've read as much as I can find about this stone and there simply isn't much available. I was told it's a rare exotic and I believe it. We had our neighbors over the other night along with their out of town guests. Their one guest is a geologist!!! He couldn't stop touching it. I knew it was a metamorphic rock like a marble (though marble from limestone/dolomite and Cristallo from sandstone) but I had the opportunity to ask more questions. I knew the formation came from verrrry deep under the earth's surface, instead of a mountain. He said the Cristallo was likely deep beneath a beach and the black (I call them rivers) was likely volcanic movement from so long ago. Can you even comprehend some bitchy person making them rip out the 1-2 billion years old stone because of a little installation error? The fabricator was awesome and they said they truly appreciated our love of the Cristallo and desire to understand it.

Thank you for passing on the info. from your guests. Fascinating!

To be honest, every 'natural' stone we looked at was amazing in their own way, but some were more mesmerizing than others.

How much did your stone set you back (with/without fabrication)? Just curious.

BTW: We are in Northern California, not sure where you are located.

@Jora The OP's house shown is her seasonal home in Florida. The 2 slabs of quartzite she needed plus fabrication would have probably landed her around the $15,000 range for the countertops and backsplash. Just by way of example, in the Midwestern USA where I live, 2 cm Cristallo slabs run around $5,000 each for a standard 114" x 75" size. Northern California where you are may run slightly higher depending on the quality of the stone, and slab yards in smaller towns probably wouldn't stock Cristallo, so you might need them shipped in if you are in a rural area.

[Update: OP clarified in 2 comments below that she required square footage from 3 slabs total in a 3 cm in thickness which would normally put an application like this over the $20,000 mark including fabrication and installation, but by dealing directly with a company that owns a Cristallo quarry as she did, and given the volume she required, she probably got a good value for the final product. Buying by the square foot of the finished installation as she did rather than the full slab may sound like a better deal when trying to compare suppliers, but in reality this may not be the best way to compare the overall cost if you have a choice of suppliers in your area -- particularly if you might be able to use scrap from a full slab purchase in other parts of the house since it is typical for suppliers to mark up the square footage price when selling via that method versus the cost per square foot of a full slab.]

Great transformation!

@Jora I think I have construction dust on my brain. I made an error above when I said two slabs because that was what I had selected initially (took pictures and serial numbers on). But, actually when they came out and templated, I added the backsplashes, and when I arrived for the layout appointment, the updated square footage required a 3rd slab with my actual template including counters, sidesplashes, the backsplashes, and because I raised my upper cabinets for more backsplash to show.

In thinking further, the fabricator actually offered to go to a 4th slab at their expense! (for what I explained earlier that I declined) . The job was bundled for total cost including fabrication since the company owned the quarry in Brazil and did the fabricating (so I was able to deal direct). When I was asking you about the rate you saw, I was under the impression that you meant you couldn't get the Cristallo because it was too late to change from the granite you chose. You'd have been passing along a quote for Cristallo you saw but didn't get (I thought). I hadn't been able to price it elsewhere because it was unavailable. As the dust has settled, literally and figuratively, I realized my errors. Sorry about that. The slabs were 3 cm and I'd have to check on the size and cost of slabs without fabricating because I don't know, but yes, very pricey.

Thank you so much, @Norwood Architects

Norwood and frosty...thank you both! :)

I wasn't very knowledgable about Cristallo....just followed my heart. I didn't want to sit on purchasing the stone as the store we purchased it from is always, over the top, busy and blinking could potentially mean losing! :). This is why we didn't consider price shopping/etc.

The store also ONLY sells slabs, and etc. and doesn't do any fabrication. Because of this we had to seek out an independent fabricator...hence the reason I remember the price/sq. ft.

Frosty - I was thinking how fabulous your fabricator must be to do all that work with only two slabs! :) :). You were def. smart to put that stunning piece of work as backsplash as well. :)

Even smarter still to not toss the one slab, in exchange for perfection. :)

@Jora I know exactly what you mean when the urgency compels you to do it NOW or you know you’ll lose it. And you would have. In this case because these stones are unique, rare, and in demand, it’s justified. If money were the most important issue, you’d have many other lovely options so I know you are so glad you did it!

What did you wind up choosing for the backsplash? That was a hard pick! I never thought I’d do a slab backsplash and love tiles, but I was having trouble choosing. Nothing was working. Another person on Houzz has a lengthy board about choosing the backsplash for cristallo. I knew it wasn’t just me. I finally just bit the bullet on that and did the slab backsplash.

I’m so lucky to have had a fabricator that was also the quarry owner. It would have been out of the ballpark to do the counter and backsplash otherwise. Without an island in my kitchen, the stone features wouldn’t have been appreciated only on the countertop surface cut up by the appliances.

I only started researching the stone after I committed to it because I knew nothing about it. I find it fascinating and want to learn more. If you ever come across anything on that, please share with me!

Not able to change the original images. Update shows brightness better.... outlet covers painted, too. Much better.

Gorgeous transformation. Cristallo is truly a beautiful stone.

Thank you @Plazza Natural Stone I appreciate your expert comments. :-)

WOW!!!!

Amazing kitchen transformation! Your new kitchen looks way better than the old one. Great job!

Thank you so much @Oleksii Klymenko and @123 Remodeling Inc.

Beautiful Love the Design

Now is the Time to Sit back and Relax, What your Next Project?

thanks

Purewal Contractors Inc

@Purewal Contractors, Inc Thank you so much. After remodeling the kitchen and two baths in the last 10 months, I’m ready for no projects. :-)

You earned it

That looks so much nicer and much higher end!

Thanks, @happyleg and @Tiffany Niederle Copley

Hi, your kitchen is amazing! I'am looking for counter tops and love Cristallo. Would you be able to share your fabricator/installer information please....

@Silverlined, you mentioned Midwest in your comments, if you don't mind could you please let me know the best places to shop for Cristallo please, greatly appreciate your help. Thanks.

Lovely!! Well done!

Bravo! I think this is my favorite kitchen! Enjoy it.

@mlankala this home is in SW Florida, not the Midwest. I don’t know where to find Cristallo there. I don’t think it’s widely available. Ask different stone providers.

Wow, @licarabott what a wonderful compliment. Thank you

@mlankala In the North Texas area you might try Levantina, Aria, or Allure stone galleries. Speaking as someone who just had expensive natural stone installed this week with numerous surface flaws that the company had promised to repair and didn't (waiting on a follow-up repair visit at this point), I am rethinking my decision as to why I didn't choose quartz. You might do some more research about the service, longevity, and cost of each surface before committing.

Amazing transformation!!

What a great job!

it's so nice to see a kitchen that looks spacious and island, peninsula free! Great job.

So much space, looks stunning! congrats

Great use of materials and colors. Great Transformation.

Thank you very much.

Beautiful, we're in the process of redoing our kitchen. What type of cabinets did you use for the beverage bar area? They look more shallow than standard cabinets. Are they a decrease depth or did you go with wall cabinets and add a footer? Asking because we have a shallow area that we are looking to add cabinets to and not sure which way to go. Thanks!

@Nicole Tess yes those are upper/wall cabinets used instead of lowers.

Congratulations frosty!! its beautiful!!! ❤️❤️❤️👍👏👏👏👏💐

@Silverlined, Hope all will be resolved to your satisfaction.

We have decided to go with Cambria Brittanica, to be safe with the material & install, as I hear Cambria fabricators are know to be reliable.

I really like it. I hope you enjoy it.

@mlankala After my own countertop research spanning almost two years, I have come to believe that quartz utilizing Breton technology such as Cambria is the safer of two options between natural stone and e-stone for someone looking for a light color of countertop in a kitchen that will receive moderate to heavy usage. Quartzite in particular as a natural stone choice can present numerous unexpected challenges given its density and thus fabrication concerns, not to mention wear patterns once installed if the chemical composition turns out to be different than promised. Each slab can vary from another and also throughout the same slab in chemical composition. @jillybean103 Was one of the more fortunate ones to get her installation resolved to her satisfaction. @mlankala I hope you enjoy your new renovation, and I believe you have made an excellent choice in Cambria.

Love it! The idea of adding the lights under the cabinets is a nice touch and adds much needed light, perfect!

It would be very hard to say goodbye to that gorgeous kitchen ! It’s great that you had such good fortune with the sale to soften the blow. Just curious - ( I can’t remember ) was your sold home also the one in which you painted the stairs ? I hope you will share photos of your new home. Wishing you the best of luck and much happiness there.

@niccidhg I’m just so excited about the new place and its amenities, that it made saying goodbye easier.

Different place. The sold home was our seasonal home in SW FLorida. The stairs home is our place in Nashville.

Two moves in less than one year....during Covid (To Nashville with the stairs and this FL place). At least now I’m vaccinated and was able to move without angst this last time.

You have a very good memory!!

Stunning!!!

@jillybean103 Congratulations on a successful sale! What an amazing outcome! In most markets in past years you would not imagine recouping the cost of remodeling with premium materials, so that's fantastic!

@Aglitter Thanks, my realtor said because the market is so hot, and the comps would likely cause an issue for lenders, she said there were enough prospects with cash. Happy to set a new high bar for the comps there.

Well Dome!

Oops ..well done!

Love the countertop!

Now thats what you call a Before and After! Well done !

So nice to see this renovation. Love the layout and no island.