The Dream Kitchen: Let me upgrade you! (#ORC Week 3)
We’ve reached the half way mark of our kitchen makeover for the One Room Challenge. If you missed the previous 2 weeks, feel free to go get caught up. In Week 1 we shared our overall design plan for the space. Week 2 was all about our colour inspiration and a little progress update. This week we’re getting into the details of the biggest element we’ll be upgrading.
As we mentioned before, our main focus when we were building the house was just getting to completion. When you’re working with a budget that needs to be divided up to finish an entire house, there are often things that get pushed to the bottom of the list of priorities. In our case, most of those were the “pretty” things. In the kitchen specifically, the biggest of those pretty things is the countertop. Sure we could have taken on the extra expense to get exactly what we wanted at the time, but that probably would have meant forgoing a fridge. Lol! Decision made.
But now, here we are. It’s 2 years later & we’re starting to hear Beyoncé whenever we enter the kitchen.
“Let me upgrade you, flip a new page, introduce you to some new things, and upgrade you…”
The upgrade
Quartz countertops have been on both Kes’ & my wish lists for as long as I can remember. So when the opportunity arose for us to partner with HanStone Quartz for the kitchen, you can imagine that there was zero hesitation! Not just because they make beautiful countertops – and there’s no disputing that – but because the benefits of HanStone Quartz go so much beyond the aesthetic.
The benefits
They’re DURABLE. Quartz is one of the hardest components of natural granite, which is what makes it such a fantastic choice for manufacturing new quartz kitchen countertops. What you might not realize though is that when quartz countertops are engineered, they’re made from a combination of primarily ground quartz crystals along with pigments & polyester resins. Those resins bind the material together, but they also help make the counters stain and scratch resistant.
They require virtually ZERO MAINTENANCE. Quartz countertops give you the look of natural stone, but unlike granite or marble, they’re non-pourous surfaces which means they never need to be sealed. Like ever. More importantly you’ll never find yourself having to RE-seal, apply wax, or pretty much any other type of countertop maintenance you can think of. You can literally just wipe them down with a soft cloth, some warm water & a tiny bit of mild soap & they’re good to go!
They’re LOCAL. Supporting Canadian companies is something that Kes and I feel strongly about for many reasons. By choosing HanStone Quartz we’re not only making a choice that supports Canadian manufacturing jobs, but also one that minimizes the environmental impact that can come from having to ship stone over large distances. In fact, HanStone isn’t just a Canadian manufacturer, they’re also the only manufacturer of quartz countertops in Ontario.
And if ALL that isn’t reason enough…well we’ll just let these inspiration photos speak for themselves.
So what do you think? With so many beautiful options, any guesses on which colour we chose for the kitchen?? Hint – If you’ve been following our Insta-stories this week you might have seen a sneak peek. Head over to HanStone Canada and check out their collections then comment below with your favourite!
Also be sure to keep following along with us as well as with the rest of the ORC participants! Just 2 weeks to go!!
Disclosure: This post was brought to you in partnership with HanStone Quartz Canada who is providing the countertops for our kitchen makeover. As always, opinions are our own.
This is awesome! Can’t wait to see the finished product!
Thanks Ang! We’re getting excited. 🙂
This is an awesome project I’m sure it will be gorgeous when finished. Can’t wait to visit and enjoy the meals cooked in your beautiful kitchen.
Thanks so much! We look forward to many shared meals here! <3
THE UPGRADE! “THAT`S A GOOD LOOK!” Yes to Bey-spiration and yes to Canadian companies, I’ve been following and love it so far – excited to see how it all comes together.
Hahaha…Bey-spiriation – love it! Thanks for following along Alisa!
I love my quartz countertop. you can drop a pot right off the stove and onto the counter no problem! great choice
That’s awesome!! That level of durability will definitely come in handy considering I’m a terrible butterfingers. LOL! Thanks for stopping by Arron!
I love Quartz too, so many beautiful options. Can’t wait to see what you pick.
Thanks Denise! We’re super excited about our choice – though it was tough to decide with so many gorgeous options. 🙂
I signed to have a Quartz (Hanstone) countertop flip a few weeks ago. Fingers crossed, Tuesday is the install.
But wow! that house is beautiful!
Great choice Mike! Good luck with the install. Be sure to let us know how it goes!
Thanks for the details on quartz countertops. I have a friend who recently went through the quartz vs granite debate. Quartz sounded like the way to go.
You’re very welcome Shauna, thanks for stopping by! We definitely feel like we made the right choice. We’re excited to get ours installed!
I adore the dark countertops – they would look great in my kitchen!
Britt | http://alternativelyspeaking.ca
Good choice. Dark countertops can be really striking! ? Thanks for stopping by!
Quartz countertops are truly the best. We chose to have granite about 10 years ago when we did our kitchen. The next kitchen we redo, we’re going with quartz. It’s what I recommend to clients. Can’t beat the lack of maintenance required! Can’t wait to see next update on this project.
I totally agree Tee. Low maintenance for the win! Thanks for following along!
I love the look of quartz countertops! Can’t wait to see what you go with 🙂
Thanks Lindi! We’re excited to get them installed. ?
Wow those new counters are going to be awesome. Can’t wait to see what you ended up picking.
Tash! Love following along on your kitchen renovation! These counters are incredible! I cant wait to see what you end up going with. Kitchen renovations are always my absolute favourite! I cant wait for the reveal. XO
~Bethany
I just love these designs. These pictures are beautiful and classy. Thank you for sharing DIY and decorating ideas and inspiration.