Time to switch from "turkey talk" to tile! Hope you had a great holiday. If you haven't found the new Kitchens for Living page on Facebook, please check it out and give me some love (ok I'll settle for a like). Today I'd like to highlight a local resource that you should definitely know about if you live in South Florida.
Cavastone is located in Boca Raton. I've worked with them before but I was recently in the neighborhood so I decided to make a pit stop and check out the latest in the world of tile. The showroom is stunning, sophisticated, and well lit which allows you to view the products to their full advantage. I was most impressed with the options they have for porcelain tile but there is also a large assortment of granite and marble slabs.
The tile above is gorgeous! It's a natural semi-precious stone accented with silver! Makes me think of a decadent boudoir or dressing area.
Digital printing technology allows for an infinite number of options when it comes to porcelain tile. They've got the natural look down! The nice thing is if you ever need more it can be made for you. Those large sizes (see top) also come in 25" by 25" in case your abode is not quite that large. 
This dimensional look is also a big trend, used for walls in both interior and exterior applications. You can find all Cavastone info right here on the Kitchens for Living Local Resources page. If you've got a great local resource clue me in. I'd love to hear about it!
Kitchen Case Study: Update and Integrate
One of the perks (not twerks) of my job is that I get to work in lovely homes on the beach. If I'm having a "design panic moment" all I have to do is look out the window at the ocean and all is well. This townhouse project came to me as a referral and is actually a winter home on the ocean in Delray Beach. This homeowner is a potter with a keen eye for design and finishes.The kitchen was outdated and not very functional. My client enjoys cooking and entertaining and was seeking to integrate her open kitchen with the stylish and artful adjacent dining and living room.
My first thought was that even though we would lose cabinets, the soffit structure had to go. We could make up that loss of storage by going higher with the cabinets and by adding a tall cabinet to the left of the refrigerator. I wanted to open up the space yet ensure that it was integrated with adjoining areas. The ceiling is so high we were able to increase the height of the cabinets without having to go all the way up which would have disrupted the existing crown molding. We also gained storage by adding the two end cabinets on either side of the seating area. The cabinet to the counter is also great storage and the open shelving to the right was included to showcase some of my client's pottery pieces. Scroll down to see the solution.
We used a warm stained bamboo with a subtle blue-green tint for the cabinetry. The back wall is aqua glass tiles to reflect the ocean. There is a pantry with touch latches to the left of the built-in refrigerator. An appliance garage conceals toaster oven to the right of the sink and open shelves feature my clients beautiful pottery creations.
My design was custom built by Brendan Donovan Furniture & Cabinet Co. Cabinet hardware is Top Knobs Sanctuary Collection in German Bronze. Refrigerator is Subzero with flush installation. The rest of the appliances are by Jenn Air. For this project we selected the Blanco Quatrus medium single sink because it fit the space as well as the styling of the kitchen so well. The faucet is Blanco Kontrole. Again this stylish Blanco faucet provided the look and pull out functionality we needed. In addition, the scale was appropriate for the space. Counter tops are grey granite from Cavastone fabricated by Stone Palace. They feature a contemporary "waterfall" detail at the end of the peninsula.All in all I would say mission accomplish and my clients agree!