Increasing kitchen countertop space in a small kitchen

Just because you have a small kitchen doesn’t mean that you have to be doomed to a small kitchen countertop that is no bigger than your salad bowl – for one, we don’t do a lot with salad here in Nashville!

We’ll look at four of the best, and easiest, ways to expand kitchen countertops and space without knocking down a wall, so that you can have the big Tennessee BBQ that you love.

Move appliances off of your kitchen countertop

Looking in my own kitchen, I have a microwave sitting right on my kitchen countertop. If I wanted more space, which I don’t because mine is bigger than a surfboard, I could have that microwave mounted somewhere else that gets it up off of the counter. Don’t just look at expanding your kitchen countertop, look at how you can use it better.

Cutting boards as temporary kitchen countertops

This is more help than you think if you start thinking about cutting boards that fit over top of your sink or cooking surface. When you put one over the sink, not only does it create more space for cutting up vegetables or whatever else, but having it right over the sink can be an advantage when it comes to cleaning.

In regards to the cooking surface, why not use that space before you actually start cooking? Multi-use spaces are the easiest way to increase your functional kitchen countertop space.

Pull out surfaces for a pull out kitchen countertop

This is an old school approach. I remember my grandmother having a pullout cutting board mounted just above one of the storage drawers in her kitchen countertop’s design. This hideaway option will not only increase your cutting and prep space, but it will get right out of your way when you don’t need it.

Fold down cutting and prep surfaces

A hinge is all you need to add valuable prep space to your kitchen. Take a larger cutting board, an ordinary set of hinges, and maybe some sort of support for underneath the cutting board and screw it securely to the wall. You can fold it down when you need that extra kitchen countertop space. When not in use it’s just another part of the wall!

Take a look at our kitchen gallery to find inspiration for what you can do with your own kitchen, and get the space you need to cook an excellent meal! Our team in Nashville is ready to speak with you about any kitchen countertop questions you may have!

Choose the best granite for a country kitchen

There are two dominant kitchen design ideas in the world – modern, and country. For those who want a country granite kitchen, that really feels like the Nashville homes of old, there is no better type of stone to choose for your kitchen countertop.

This diverse stone is available in a wide variety of color selections, has excellent graining that can create excitement and movement, and is so strong it has to be cut and polished with diamonds!

Why do you want to use granite in the kitchen?

Before moving forward, I’d like to highlight the reasons why you want to use granite for your kitchen countertops. First, this stone is forged in the heat of volcanic activity. You’ll be sure that it can handle your hot pans, a little boiling water, and hot grease. This can’t be said for lesser materials.

The second reason, from a use perspective, is that this solid stone is resistant to bacteria as it and water can not penetrate it. This is especially true when it is properly sealed.

From a design perspective, few things say ‘country kitchen’ like a stone such as granite will. This is because the old styles of homes used what was around when they were built. The hardest material would be used for the kitchen countertop – and that was stone!

Color selection for a genuine country kitchen in Nashville

Country kitchens can come in all manner of colors, but most opt for natural earth colors – this is perfect for stone! Coupling some exposed wood beams with a granite countertop will really give you that rustic country feel – perfect for Nashville and our country roots!

For a brownish to yellow granite, that goes well with lighter woods like pine, try looking at something like our Giallo Veneziano or Carioca Gold. If you’re using a slightly darker wood, like teak, try a darker example of granite such as our African Madikwe or African Juperana. Take a look at them on our website so that you can start envisioning them in your kitchen, and plan around them.

Choosing the right finish for your granite in a country kitchen

There are all manner of finishes available, some will work better on granite countertops in a country kitchen than others:

• Vintage
• Natural cleft
• Leathered
• Honed

These four common finishes give a look that is closer to natural than a highly polished one will. The look you’re going for is ‘this just came in from outside,’ choose one these finishes to get that feeling.

Choose the best granite for a country bathroom

Not everyone out there is looking for a sleek and ultra-modern bathroom remodel. The rustic feel of a country bathroom is one which reminds many of the older homes of Nashville, or of a more relaxed home that they haven’t had the chance to live in.

A great granite bathroom cabinet countertop for your country themed bathroom can make all of the difference, but which is going to be best?

Why choose a granite countertop in the bathroom?

First, granite is a long lasting material that resists wear, damage and water better than nearly any other material you can find. In addition to these practical considerations, style wise, what says ‘rustic’ better than natural stone? Don’t be fooled by laminates and other imitators – they start to look like flimsy modern reproductions all too quickly.

Color selection

A country granite bathroom can come in all manners of color. The most often used styling cues are rustic browns, yellows, blues and greens in pastels – natural colors! With exposed wood being so common in country homes, people choose to include a granite bathroom cabinet countertop which is appropriately colored.

This makes yellow to brown granite popular. See the selection available at our location in Nashville, such as Sunset Gold, Carioca Gold, or Giallo Veneziano as examples of this color palette. Try something a little darker if you’re using a darker wood like teak, rather than the commonly light colored pine. Examples of our own granite that goes well with darker wood includes African Juperana Tier or African Madikwe.

Grain selection

Country bathrooms are commonly very simple and fitting with the local landscape – that’s how homes were built back in the day, with what was on hand in the immediate area.

Those of us here in Nashville are spoiled for choice. Our Africa Range has some exciting options for your bathroom cabinet countertops, but think about whether or not a more local looking grain might be better for your home. Either choice is sure to last for years and look great, but think about what you’d naturally find in the middle Tennessee area.

The finish of the granite used for your cabinet countertop

There are many finishes available for the granite used for your bathroom cabinet countertop. The best for a country bathroom are:

• Leathered
• Vintage
• Natural cleft
• Honed

Each of these finishes gives an old world look that will not be possible if you have it polished completely smooth.

Start looking around all of the granite options we have on offer at our Nashville, Tennessee store to start thinking about what a true country bathroom would use. The suggestions made in this article are a great starting point, but only you will know for sure. That’s why we show you everything we have – it’s your choice to make!

The hallmark of many modern kitchen designs in Nashville is stark black kitchen countertops. For those who want a stone that lives up to this design, for its durability and resistance to heat, they will be wise to read on and discover three excellent choices.

A black marble kitchen countertop

Yes, marble can be black! We’re listing this one first as there are not many strains of marble that are truly black, most will be interwoven with white, but dark examples are available for your black kitchen countertop. Take a look at our own Dark Emperador as an example of this. You’ll see that from a distance it is quite dark, but on closer inspection there are many lighter colors in it. If you need something darker, read on as we have some excellent examples.

Black granite kitchen countertops

Few stones in the world do black for your kitchen countertops quite like granite, you’ll have the absolute widest variety of colors and graining to choose from. For those that must have the purest black granite countertop, our own Absolute Black or Black Galaxy are excellent choices. If you want something with a little bit more life and movement to it, try Black Beauty, Verde Butterfly or Black Pearl as examples of what is available out there.

For something really different, Volga Blue is an example of a black granite with some white and flecks of blue – creating a truly striking kitchen countertop.

Black quartz for kitchen countertops

I saved the darkest for last here as quartz countertops feature some of the deepest and most pure of black colors available. They will all have some slight graining and other colors in them, that’s the nature of natural quatz countertops, but you can surely find some very dark options.

As an example of what is out there, take a look at our own Dragon Black, Dreis, Atlantis and perhaps the blackest of all that we have on offer, Dinux.

Browse around all of our stone products on offer and find that perfect black stone for your kitchen countertop in Nashville, and the entire Tennessee area.

Black bathroom countertop options

Dark or black bathroom countertops are an incredibly stylish and modern look. Choosing the perfect bathroom cabinet countertop to fit your black bathroom can be difficult as so many people use white marble for their bathroom cabinet countertops – but what about black?!?

We’ll look at some excellent choices, most being available at our location in Nashville, to make sure that you get the black bathroom you want, and one which will last through many showers, and morning shaves.

Black quartz bathroom countertops

Quartz countertops have long been featured and used in homes all over Nashville and Tennessee, and it has been used in a wide variety of rooms. It may be an even better choice for the bathroom cabinet countertops in your home as it is resistant to the microorganisms that grow all too easily in a constantly wet environment. This easy to care for stone is available in many colors, but the black options can be absolutely stunning, like looking at a rainbow dancing in a background of black.

You can choose bathroom cabinet countertop in quartz from something that is nearly a solid black like our Dinux, to something like our Atlantis which has flecks of white in it. Quartz countertop choices are wide, all while never giving you worry over longevity or cleanliness.

Black granite for bathroom cabinet countertops

There is perhaps no stone on Earth as diverse in its use as granite. It can certainly fit right into your bathroom cabinet countertop plans with ease. Granite countertops will last for longer than anything else in your bathroom and look great the whole time as it is very resistant to fading and can stand up to scratches.

Granite is unique because its colors range from the complete black of our Absolute Black range, to the intricately colored Vola Blue with its flecks of color that catch light. All you have to worry about is how much black you want versus how much color you want to sparkle under your vanity lights.

Black marble for your bathroom cabinet countertop

Finding truly black marble is difficult. There are certainly darker options, but a true black like you’ll find with granite and quartz just is not possible. If you absolutely have to have marble for your cabinet countertops, try our Dark Emperador as an example. There are elements of black in it, along with white, dark brown and shades of grey.

The two best materials that you can use for your black bathroom cabinet countertops are quartz and granite, with marble being something that you could consider if you don’t want it pitch black. We have all of these on offer through our website, and at our shop in Nashville. Check out each of our cabinet countertop slab options to find the exact style that works best for the bathroom that you envision.

Remodel bathroom with granite countertops

Have your old laminate bathroom cabinet countertops had it? Are you tired of them peeling up when they get wet? You should be, things getting wet is what happens in a bathroom!

What is the best option for remodeling bathroom counters when you want a cabinet countertop in your home in Nashville that will last for years to come? The answer is a granite countertop: it will stand up to wet conditions, last for years and can take a few things being dropped on it without fear of scratching.

The incredible visual appeal of granite countertops

When people think of stone they all too often think of those grey things out in their yard. This is the type of thinking that leads people to choose flimsy laminate when they want flashy and interesting colours in their bathroom after a remodel.

As you can clearly see from our own range of granite slabs used for cabinet countertops in bathrooms, the styles, designs and color selections are wide. From light brown, to grey flecked with white and black, a red tinged dare that will make your counter pop, to modern and sleek black. The colors available for cabinet countertops are much wider than those grey rocks in your yard!

The wide variety of granite cabinet countertops available

Not only is there a wide variety of colors, but there is also a wide variety of grains and patterns. A great grain can be like art work that has a practical use. Each and every one of them will have the same benefit of longevity and stain resistance – all you have to do is sort through all the options and find the style that most perfectly fits your ideas for your cabinet countertops.

The low maintenance cost of granite

You can use granite for your cabinet countertop for years without ever having to do anything special. If your granite slab is properly sealed before it is installed you’ll have your maintenance cut down to nearly zero over the years you own it. You can keep it simple with a regular cleaning, just like any other surface will need, using a mild soap and some water, or a specialty stone cleaner that is no more difficult to use than soap and water!