Cookie Cutter to Custom With Quartz is the before/after of our kitchen makeover at the Arizona vacation house where we avoided dust and demo while still transforming a builder’s special kitchen!
Hello Lovely Studio – Arizona Kitchen Makeover |
I love cookies.
Cookies are totes the GOAT.
But cookie cutter?
Uh-uh…nope.
Our Arizona kitchen was one of those
functional, cookie cutter kitchens like
every other boring kitchen on the block…
Generic, style-challenged, and just no GOAT.
We started with:
-Builder-special maple cabinets,
-Beige laminate countertops,
-Black appliances, and
-Porcelain tile flooring.
I felt like blowing it up,
but cash and explosives
on hand were limited.
While plenty of folks may have demo’d the
cabinets immediately and slapped on a faux
marble laminate, experience has taught me
countertops set the tone in a kitchen, and
new cabinets are a much spendier prospect.
So here’s the beauty of this DIY Kitchen Makeover…
we skipped the demo and instead:
>painted the cabinets
>added hardware and crown molding
>changed out the appliances, and
>added quartz counters & a tile statement wall
See the short video I made right here.
Upgrading to goat-sy quartz? A no-brainer.
I partnered with LG Hausys
(Viatera quartz color is SOPRANO),
determined to create a serene, Nordic French,
custom-on-a-budget DIY kitchen.
Viatera was my first choice given
how much we are digging the quartz in our
Chicagoland modern farmhouse kitchen.
LG Viatera quartz countertop and backsplash in SOPRANO |
Why Viatera in Soprano?
It’s a brand new color, and I was given
the opportunity
to introduce it to internetland!
The look I was going for was European inspired…
a Swedish farmhouse meets Paris apartment meets
Malibu beach house sort of thing.
Soprano is a warm, creamy off-white
with warm grey veining and pairs well with the
Scandinavian feel of blue-grey painted cabinetry
(Behr: Classic Silver), pewter toned farmhouse-style
hardware, and chic Calacatta Gold honed
marble hex mosaic statement wall.
Why quartz?
So glad you asked!
Let’s dish.
And let’s be thorough.
Here are 10 reasons to spring for quartz
and cure cookie cutter syndrome.
Serene, chic, and simple lovely Nordic French kitchen makeover |
Quartz color: Viatera/Soprano |
1.
Quartz imparts a custom, clean, tranquil look.
Quartz transformed this builder’s special
cookie cutter kitchen by turning up the serenity
and bouncing around the light with its reflective voodoo.
When it’s continued on the backsplash as we did,
you end up with effortless, no-grout, minimal
chic…it has this restful, simple lovely vibe.
But can’t you achieve this look with marble?
Oui. But since stone is porous,
mama’s marinara sauce splashed
on the ‘splash may mar the marble
(and in this household, mama’s
marinara is mosdef a-splashin’).
The sink was like new so we kept it, but that faucet will probably be upgraded soon. |
YAY for thrifted wood stools and beadboard on the breakfast bar! |
2.
It’s easy to keep clean and resists stains.
If I tried realllllly hard to stain my quartz, there’s
maybe a teeny chance I could succeed, but what I can
tell you is our quartz countertops never stained
despite violent collisions with red wine, lemons,
strawberries, and tomato sauce.
But aren’t solid surface and laminate stain resistant too?
I have lived with both, and they are not nearly
as stain resistant as quartz.
Quartz: Vitatera/Soprano |
Serene, chic, and simple lovely Nordic French kitchen makeover |
3.
Quartz stands up to daily life.
What makes quartz so gangsta strong is that it’s
primarily…um…QUARTZ…one of the hardest
natural occurring minerals on planet earth.
There’s resin in there, but 93% of the material is quartz.
I love knowing that this quartz is gonna
serve our kitchen well for many years.
The home backs to a private desert wash |
The Calacatta Gold Marble Hex Mosaic Tile: FIND HERE (affiliate link)
Continuing the quartz on the backsplash was a huge design coup. |
4.
If you scratch it, it’s not the end of the world.
Accidents happen and deep scratches or damage
to the surface are possible, but they can be
remedied by a professional so you don’t
have to sweat bullets.
I’ll appreciate it if you don’t drop heavy power tools
on my custom quartz counters or use the surface
as a sawhorse, but should you go Loco Lord
of the Dance in cleats on my breakfast
bar, my counters can be resurfaced.
But don’t do that. My nerves…
Serene, chic, and simple lovely Nordic French kitchen with modern farmhouse style |
These cabinets had no hardware, and the addition of quality pulls was an easy DIY. |
5.
Holy hygiene.
My quartz countertops don’t just appear clean,
they are free of bacteria and yuck because
unlike stone, the non-porous lovely won’t harbor germs.
DIY Serene, chic, and simple lovely kitchen with modern farmhouse style |
Quartz: Viatera/Soprano |
6.
No-maintenance beats low-maintenance.
I love the ability to be lazy with quartz.
I have owned kitchen counters made of granite
where I babied and sealed them myself, and
I have lived with tiled kitchen counters
with crevices and grout lines provoking
curses and tears.
There’s less trucker mouth with no-maintenance,
so this girl’s willing to eat Ramen noodles
for months to score quartz over tile.
On the window wall of the kitchen, we tiled the whole expanse with affiliatelink –>Calacatta Gold marble hex mosaic |
Simple, chic, serene Nordic French kitchen makeover |
7.
Veining patterns are like a forgiving friend.
Living with pattern and prints is a subjective design
matter, and some folks like mixing a bunch
together, while others shun them.
I’m minimalist-y, but after living with
solid color kitchen counters in the past,
give me m’pattern, s’il vous plait!
The pattern isn’t just aesthetically pleasing;
dining and work surfaces become
more visually forgiving so unless
you feel like it, you won’t have
to constantly dust-bust.
(Think golden toast crumbs or dust upon a sea of
matte black granite…if the sight doesn’t disturb
your senses, have at it.
But me and my OCD appreciate how a subtle
or dramatic pattern becomes our friend.)
Quartz: Viatera/Soprano |
This is the frig wall, and to the left of the frig is a pantry. |
8.
The price is right.
Shopped for quartz lately?
The cost has come down since last
we incorporated it into a kitchen
design and is an excellent value
considering you can’t go grab it
off the store shelf.
Quartz is one of the smartest ways I know to give
a cookie cutter kitchen a custom makeover
without breaking the bank.
This is one of my vintage dining chairs newly upholstered in a Shabby Chic Couture fabric. |
Such a clean look when you continue the quartz up the backsplash! No grout! |
9.
Stand out when it’s time to sell.
Like I mentioned earlier, our home’s kitchen
looked like the kitchens in every listing
our realtor showed us…yawnfest.
We feel confident about adding value with quartz.
The raised breakfast bar is nice for hiding dirty dishes with an open concept floorplan. |
Quartz: Viatera/Soprano |
10.
A PONED finish.
I think it’s interesting that the finish of our quartz
seems neither truly polished nor truly honed,
and I would have to refer to it as PONED
(or PWNED if you’re a certain age).
It’s somewhere in the lovely middle.
(As I recall, our old granite counters were as
glossy and reflective as mirror and that I
never acclimated to dining and food prep
on mirror!)
We chose a plain edge rather than an embellished edge detail for a simple, clean look. |
Quartz: Viatera/Soprano |
I’m giving you lots of images and close-ups
in case you decide to take SOPRANO
for a spin.
I love how the stainless complements the veining in Soprano. |
A slide-in gas range has a masculine feel amid all the feminine. |
Soprano is a warm creamy white that works well with Calacatta Gold marble. |
Here you can see where the Calacatta Gold marble mosaic meets the quartz backsplash. |
Serene, chic, and simple lovely Nordic French kitchen makeover |
Serene, chic, and simple lovely Nordic French kitchen makeover |
Have any questions about our kitchen makeover?
Get in touch!
See the video of the makeover here!
Wall Paint Color: Valspar Salute (7006-12).
Care to see all the colors in this quartz collection?
Visit here.
Visit this post with more info about
our Arizona kitchen makeover,
and find all the Arizona fixer upper
stories right here.
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Thank you kindly, Viatera, for partnering with me on
this kitchen makeover and providing such a lovely,
sustainable product for our project.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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This looks fabulous! WE are looking for a counter for our mater bathroom vanities and unfortunately we picked out marble that was 12,000.00. Not really what I want to spend for 2 vanities. I am headed over to ooh at this quart. Thanks for the tip.
ha! i hope you find some winning options. xox
I am in love with the entire color and texture theme in your kitchen. All blend so seamlessly and yet the granite, stainless, and cabinets are each given their own voice for the ideal symphony of design. You are a master of color and pattern selections!!
thanks, joanmarie. it's a very simple plan with tranquil factor. 🙂
Beautiful! I am not familiar with this particular one. It has a little more movement than some. Thanks for sharing…I must check it out!
that's because i'm one of the first to use it! it's a gorgeous color. 🙂
Hi Michele,
Your kitchen came out marvelous. I just may duplicate it in our beach fixer. What appliance brands did you use? Thanks.
thanks so much, Cheri! they are smudgeproof stainless Frigidaire. best to you in your beach fixer (oh my does that sound lovely!). 🙂
woww i love the renovation!! good choice 🙂
merci, friend. 🙂
Wow, that's gorgeous! I love the look – it really reminds me of marble!
thanks, nicole!
Loving the color choices for your kitchen.
Thanks–it's now opposite of where it began!
This is so beautiful and simple!
thanks, Baiely! 🙂
We recently redid our kitchen in a very similar way. Went with the Silestone quartz, in the marble-esque pattern as well, though ours tends more towards grey than brown inclusions. Either way, it looks great!
Thanks for stopping! 🙂
Loving this quartz kitchen!
Thanks, George. It completely transformed this space! 🙂
Hi, I am considering Soprano with Nordic white cabinets for our lake condo. I have orange and yellow furniture and paint color is Ivory Lustre by Benjamin Moore. We had picked Minuet but it had too much grey and we don’t have any grey in the condo. It’s very warm with very light oak flooring. Do you think it would look good with white or too creamy??? Looking for thoughts?Thank you!!!
PS Gorgeous kitchen and article on this quartz!!!!!
Author
Hi Monica. I think Soprano looks great with white, and I highly recommend getting your hands on a big sample to view with the cabinets (or cabinet door sample) to be sure. It’s too hard to do with a little square, and often a showroom will let you take it home. I’m not sure what shade of white Nordic white is so I can’t say definitively you’ll like the contrast. What works well in our kitchen is that the countertop is a warm white, while the cabinets are a cool silvery-blue. Harmony can be lovely!
I have creamy white cabinets in my kitchen and am currently trying to decide between minuet quartz and soprano. Thoughts??
Author
Hi, Sarah! I have sooooo many thoughts. This is by far the most common question coming to me in my inbox. The Soprano is creamy and chic with caramel in the veining. The Minuet is crisp white and very French bakery-like. I like Minuet when the cabinets are bright white or painted a color. I like Soprano with warm wood tones, and with cool grey or linen/creamy white cabinets. The best way to judge is by bringing home the largest sample you can get your hands on and seeing it against your cabinet color in different light throughout the day. Since I have lived with both of these quartz colors, I can’t see which I love better. The Minuet definitely imparts this crisp, Paris feel, and the Soprano is luscious and warmer. Hope this helps, and I plan to write a new post addressing this question. 🙂
Hi, Michele!! Yess, this absolutely makes sense and helps so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you for your thoughts! You cleared up exactly what I was wondering. I can’t wait for your post and I love your blog! 🙂
Author
I’m so glad, Sarah. Thanks so much for following along. 🙂
gorgeous. i just order the Soprano for my kitchen! can you source your brand for the marble hex tile? there are so many varieties out there and what you have looks perfect.
Author
Hi Jennifer. Thanks for reading, and I hope you love your Soprano quartz as much as I do. Here are some sources for the backsplash marble tile (the first one is an affiliate link): http://shrsl.com/uy9g AND https://www.thebuilderdepot.com/cagoitma2honed.html Hope this helps!
The kitchen looks really good. I’m in the middle of a remodel myself. What exact type of paint did you use for those cabinets? What was the estimated cost for all that quartz?
Author
Thanks so much. The paint on the cabinets is Behr’s Classic Silver in satin finish. I think the quartz costs around $70 per lineal foot – so this quartz project with the counters and backsplash might cost around $7,000. Good luck on your remodel!
Hi Michele,
Your kitchen is beautiful. I found you because I too just had Viatera Soprano installed in my kitchen and laundry room. I love it so far, its the first high-end counters I’ve ever owned The house previously had laminate from 1994-2018. I agree that it seems indestructible as far as stains, nothing has hurt it so far.
I had the fabricator install the quartz behind my sink leading up the new box bay window above my sink that now also has Soprano sill and we did the same for the box bay triple family room and a double dining room window, no more painting the window seat/sill 🙂
We haven’t installed a backsplash yet, but I was thinking Calacatta Gold Marble either 3×6 or 3×12 then above my range, same tile but different shape, maybe the hexagon or herringbone design. So was happy to see you chose Calacatta Gold for the backsplash for one of your walls and how well it goes with Soprano 🙂
Author
Yay! Soprano twins. It’s such a gorgeous material, and I was so happy with extending it to the backsplash. The calacatta gold looks amazing with it. Best to you as you transform your space which sounds amazingly lovely. 🙂
love your backsplash we are having a house built and they put the backsplash in and left a inch gap between the backsplash and the microwave they said it was done so you can remove the microwave i dont think it is right i dont see a space under your microwave , is there one? i think they did it wrong as you can see the gap when standing right in the kitchen
Author
Thank you. There was no gap left – and these fabricators did an incredible job of measuring and fitting. That is annoying if a mistake in measurement was made and now your eye goes to the error.If your microwave is stainless, maybe a built-up strip of stainless would fill that in rather than pieced in quartz which may draw attention. Best to you as your project progresses!
Hi Michele,
We have a Viatera Soprano “crisis” situation and I’m reaching out on the off chance you might be able to help:
We are nearly finished with a long-awaited (25 years) kitchen renovation. After reading your blog this past summer and seeing how pretty it was looking in your kitchen I decided to use it both as countertop and back splash in ours. My slabs look very similar to the ones on your blog. And I’m delighted with it overall – except for the part where our fabricator seems to have turned a piece in the opposite direction (link to pictures is below).
That one makes my heart sink.
The fabricator is taking full responsibility and is willing to re-do the backsplash. (I’m hoping not to have to re-do the whole kitchen.) The problem is, the warehouse (in Elizabeth, NJ) has no more slabs from my lot. In fact, they contacted all the warehouses in the country and tell me there are none to be had anywhere. And when I went back to the warehouse to see samples from two new lots, they just weren’t the same as mine.
Mine, like yours, have very pretty, distinct veining. The new samples have much, much less and the veins are more diffuse. If I were to use any of the slabs (I only need one), they wouldn’t go as well with my counters and other back splash. Plus I just like mine better. And if we’re going to go to the trouble and expense of replacing the wall, then the slab should be a slam-dunk match. These really weren’t.
I was hoping that based on your experience with LG Viatera, you might have some advice or insights.
Thank you!
Jane
P.S. I have pictures and have posted the whole saga on Houzz here at https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5568731/just-installed-viatera-soprano-back-splash-is-something-wrong#n=43;
and also here: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5579749/update-lg-viatera-soprano-back-splash-mishap-whats-to-be-done#n=7
Author
Oh my – I can imagine your distress! How frustrating to not locate a slab that matches! If the new slabs are too different, I would probably opt to focus solely on that range area. I would likely deviate from the original design and replace the range backsplash section of quartz (either the full height or beginning beneath the hood) with stainless steel. Would that work for you aesthetically? It must be so disappointing to feel as though you are compromising!
Thanks so much for the quick reply and kind words! The office manager at the warehouse says they have a quick turnover, with new lots coming in every few weeks. So I’m not giving up hope yet and will keep trying to find a match in the next several weeks or so.
I just wish there were some way to contact the company for assistance in finding something! We tried and got nowhere past the basic customer service level. They deal with defects, but ours isn’t defective. We love it!
I paid full price for the full back splash, so no compromising! If Soprano doesn’t work out, we’ll have to start from scratch.
Author
I’m so glad you feel hopeful and will keep trying – I am sure it will all be worth it in the end! 🙂
It looks great but show the kitchen the way you did in the before photo showing the ceiling and area over cabinets.
Author
Thanks – I need to update this post! I took pics for it after we installed the crown above cabinets but hadn’t yet painted it…hahahahaha! Busted! You can see the finished reveal here: https://www.hellolovelystudio.com/2017/08/before-and-after-diy-kitchen-remodel-on.html Thanks for reading!
Hi Michele!
Your posts have been so helpful to me in my renovation process. I am currently choosing between Cirrus and Soprano for my quartz countertops and hoping for your opinion if possible! I love them both. My goal in the project is to maintain a balance of cool/warm tones. I don’t want the kitchen to be overtly cool or warm – looking for a happy medium. I like the warmth and creaminess of Soprano, but that it also still has a little bit of gray in it. I do fear that when installed in larger pieces it could be TOO warm or cream colored. When I first saw Cirrus, I felt like it was the happy medium I was looking for of warm and cool — incorporating both warm tones and gray. At the time, I thought it was out of my budget, but I just learned that the difference is minimal and not enough for me to rule it out completely. However, in your pictures, while beautiful (!), I find it to look a lot cooler/more white than I expected. Obviously pictures are hard to capture the real deal so what are your thoughts about what it looks like in person? I just don’t want to look at the counters and think they’re strictly one color over the other and if anything, I definitely don’t want them to be too white. I am bringing the two samples to my cabinet appointment tomorrow and hoping that will help to narrow down to one. I am leaning toward some sort of off-white/linen/cream or a very light gray or greige color for the cabinets so maybe that will also help to determine the winner, but in the meantime, would be happy to hear your feedback! Thank you so very much in advance!
Author
Hi Christina! I did not find Soprano was overly warm – and that is in spite of a whole lotta warm yellow Arizona sunlight streaming in. Overall it had a light warm grey effect, and since I love caramel, I found it quite appetizing with touches of that hue, which is not a bad quality to have in a kitchen! Cirrus was a contender for our Chicagoland kitchen for its brighter white quality and painterly mood – so ethereal and soft. I haven’t seen Cirrus installed in person so I can speak about that. No regrets with my Soprano choice with grey cabinets. 🙂 Good luck to you and do circle back and let us know how the progress is going.
The issue with the grain of the Soprano having a definite direction is now making me pause. Thought it would be a top contender for my kitchen but my counter is in a U shape. Not sure if this would be possible given that there would definitely be two directions. There is a straight counter across from the U as well. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Author
Since I don’t have any experience with u-shape counters and quartz, I think it is wise to consult with an experienced kitchen designer or pro at the fabricator you’re using. Let us know what you learn about this issue. 🙂
Hello,
How wide is the Viatera on the pass-through/bar area of your counter? We currently have a skinny pass-through (about 11 1/2″ wide) that we want to make wider so it can be used as a bar/eating area like yours.
Your kitchen is beautiful!
Author
Thanks so much. I think it was between 12 and 14 inches – we sold that home so I can’t measure…sorry about that.
Thank you Michele! Blessings to you and your family.
Author
🙂
Your pictures are beautiful! We have been in a dilemma with selecting quartz countertops, as we have left the kitchen renovations for our last project. We have more greige colors in our kitchen/family room with a BM chantilly lace cupboards (to match our trim) and a darker greige color island. Our walls are the revere pewter (BM) Do you think the Soprano will match? We don’t want anything too white as our colors are warmer and beige tones predominantly. I would say our new fireplace stone is more on the gray side though. These rooms connect, so want them to flow. All of the quartz we like appears to be too white or too busy. Would love your thoughts.
Author
I think Soprano may be a fine choice with the other design elements you name here. It is warm and creamy with bits of grey and caramel. I love mixing whites for interiors and fashion – so much more interesting than just a single shade of white.
Hello. Beautiful kitchen! How is your quartz holding up behind the range? Thinking of installing it as my backsplash behind my range as you have but my designer as well as quartz manufacturer does not recommend using quartz behind range as it could crack, scorch and even melt in extreme heat. Have you had any issues with yours?
Thank you.
Author
Hi there. That is an important consideration, and I have not heard those recommendations so I’ll look into it. We sold that home a couple of years ago so I am not sure if there have been issues. Since it was a vacation house, we never intended to do much cooking, but I need to get educated on this topic so thank you!
I love your kitchen! I’ve been leaning toward Minuet but just saw your Soprano choice. Now I may need to rethink this. In the meantime, I was wondering about the painting process for the cabinets (by the way, love your classic silver). Could you tell me the correct procedure to use?
Author
Thanks so much for the kind words. I’m not great at shooting youTube tutorials or methodically helping others with tasks like painting cabinets so I recommend consulting DIY bloggers and DIY vloggers. If you’ll be tackling them yourself, there are special paints now at Lowe’s and Home Depot that are for cabinets and water-based. In the old days, people felt they needed to use oil paint only for cabinets. I used water based, and I didn’t glaze or seal them with any finish. But again, consult the experts before deciding to do them yourself since you don’t want to be a slave to them for the life of those cabinets! Also, keep visiting the blog since my husband and are finishing up a condo renovation on a budget where I painted all of the cabinetry. We’ll see if it holds up, but the cabinets were so ugly and this saved a ton of money. 🙂
I love your kitchen. I have my kitchen cupboard in satin white and was given silver cloud granite for my small island 32″x 53″. I need help in chosing a quartz color for my counter top. Also a recommendation
for my backsplash please. Thank you
Author
I highly recommend bringing home samples of quartz to see them with the granite in your particular lighting. If you’re drawn to white quartz, you could definitely go with one of those more solid whites without veining so there is no competition with the island. At Home Depot, there is a quartz color from Stonemark (MSI) called Calico White which is very calm and might work with the grey granite. There are other solid whites to consider, and I would look at samples in your kitchen with your white cabinets. For a backsplash, you could continue the quartz which is what we did to that Arizona kitchen. You could also do a simple white ceramic subway tile. If you’re going for calm, you don’t want any high contrast between counters and backsplash.