Reviewing Muse quartz countertops (from Viatera/LXHausys) chosen for our DIY kitchen renovation couldn’t be rushed. (This is in no way sponsored, btw.)I needed to live with the material for a fair amount of time before sharing recommendations. Now that a couple of years have flown (YES, it was nearly two years ago!), it’s time. I’ll give you the full scoop on this white quartz color from Viatera.
Muse Quartz Countertop Review
Why Did I Choose MUSE?
I wanted a white quartz countertop after living with Minuet and Soprano in previous kitchen renovations. And I was very tempted to choose Minuet once again since I had no complaints.
From the Masterpiece Collection, Muse is described as “A divine spark from above results in a perfect blend of an alabaster white canvas thoughtfully intertwined with dark hued veins.”
What led me to shop for colors beyond Minuet? Why bother researching “white with grey veining material inspired by natural stone” contenders? The price point at the time.
I didn’t want to overspend (I think the quote was 40% higher) and blow the budget. Additionally, I saw an opportunity to help out others shopping for quartz counters for their kitchens and baths.
My posts about Minuet in our former kitchen are wildly popular, and I can’t tell you how many created a similar kitchen with the polished marble subway and Shaker cabinetry.
Best Qualities of This Viatera White Quartz Countertop
Durability is at the top of the list. The durability of this material is hard to beat!
No chips, no visible scratches after two years of heavy use, and no staining whatsoever. I am a real cook and baker who spends an above average amount of time prepping and working in here. These counters take a ton of abuse and keep looking pretty.
While I love the look of natural calacatta, carrera, and arabescato marble, I may be too lazy and OCD for those vulnerable stone countertops. There are always lemons and limes being sliced along with occasional red wine spills and frequent marinara splashes. I like the fact that MUSE keeps being MUSE even with ABUSE.
I also appreciate the reflective bright white that bounces around so much light. It was a serene, ethereal, modern European country mood I was after for this kitchen. An all-white quartz would likely feel too modern and sterile. The large scale veining of MUSE means it feels more contemporary than a more dense veining pattern (such as Minuet).
Another feature of this particular quartz color/pattern I appreciate is how it is so neutral. I can imagine these counters also looking great with any cabinet color, including warmer ones. MUSE would also be stunning with stained wood cabinets and trim.
What are the Cons of MUSE Quartz?
The day the countertops were installed, I was a little surprised at how the veining pattern was not exactly what I expected.
I was so accustomed to the busy (and forgiving) grey veining of Minuet in our prior kitchen that seeing the vast expanses of white for MUSE was a shock.
Any Surprises With This Quartz Countertop?
This brings me to an important issue to bear in mind when you are choosing a white quartz countertop that I can’t stress enough: a small swatch of a white quartz color and even detailed photos from the website won’t always prepare you for how the product looks in your kitchen.
Even if you view the whole slab of quartz in a stoneyard, you may still be in for a temporary freakout. Why?
When the slab is cut into the sections for your kitchen (typically around 25″ deep), the pattern may not appear as what you pictured. The scale of the veining also makes a huge difference.
With MUSE, I was expecting more veining and less solid white in between the veins. I had never seen MUSE installed as counters in a showroom in person. Seeing a slab or partial slab is not always enough info. This may have swayed my decision since one of my favorite characteristics of Minuet is the veining which hid so many sins/scratches/crumbs and helped the material look more like authentic stone.
The larger sections of white–and this is only my humble opinion–diminish the material’s authenticity a bit. Even though I am aware that natural marble and stone can be bright white (solid bright white marble without veining is what we chose for our bathroom vanities in a former home), solid white quartz without veining can have a more synthetic look to my eyes.
That said, this kitchen needed to be lightened and brightened:
Why MUSE May Be a Great Choice for Your Design
I think MUSE was the right quartz choice for our DIY kitchen renovation because so many of the design elements in the design were traditional and Old World.
But what I was after was a more ageless, timeless, modern French look with a mix of old and new. The more contemporary and less traditional feel of MUSE provides some tension and edge to the other more conservative choices.
Final Thoughts about Choosing MUSE
MUSE looks amazing in our DIY renovated kitchen with calacatta gold marble subway tile backsplash, light blue-gray cabinets (Farrow & Ball Pavilion Gray at 66% saturation), gilded iron light fixtures, skirted farm sink, and French country style (Perrin & Rowe) faucet.
I love how MUSE works with the warmth of the natural stone Calacatta Gold marble backsplash and with the cool greys and nickel hardware elsewhere. The standard edge profile imparts a more modern, minimal, simple look.
The low contrast in color with the farm sink is also pleasing since there are no jolting moments for the eye. I was after a very gentle, quiet, understated mood which we achieved.
My only disappointment has nothing to do with the product itself…more veining and a smaller, more delicate veining pattern is what I would have preferred and what I expected. (Bear in mind, my favorite white quartz is Minuet which we selected for our former kitchen. I also loved living with the the warmth of Soprano in our vacation house which also has more gentle veining.)
Hopefully sharing this information will allow you to avoid such surprises!
Thanks for reading, and feel free to ask questions in the comments or with email.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
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