Our subway tile backsplash and Silestone countertop in “Lagoon” are finally finished and I couldn’t be happier with the new look. Our previous perimeter countertop was black Formica that just sucked the light out of the kitchen and looked a bit sad and dull. By changing the surface to the Silestone on the perimeter counters and matching the island surface the kitchen feels larger and is so much brighter.
New Silestone countertop
When we originally remodeled our kitchen in 2013 we chose to save some money by installing Formica countertops on the perimeter counters instead of matching our Silestone island top. We also left the tongue and groove paneling for a backsplash to save some money. We told ourselves it would be temporary. I still question why I chose the black slate Formica six years ago – but I am so thankful we were able to do the upgrade this year.
Here’s what the countertops looked like with the black slate Formica, stainless backsplash, and wood paneling. Someday I’ll share with you the original kitchen!
We also added a new Kohler Riverby Undermount Cast Iron, Double Bowl Kitchen Sink in White. It might seem a bit old-fashion and dated to choose a cast iron sink, but that is exactly why I chose it. I grew up doing dishes in a cast iron sink (long before we had a dishwasher) and I’ve always been drawn to these beautiful and functional sinks. Side note: Kohler has been making cast iron sinks in Wisconsin since the 1880s. It might be because it’s still new, but I enjoy doing dishes in this sink!
We also updated our two sink faucets. We chose the Delta Cassidy Single-Handle Pull-out Faucet in chrome and {this} reverse osmosis faucet from Amazon.
Replacing the stainless over the stove with the subway tile made a huge difference too. I added the Ironstone platter using Heavy Duty command strips by 3M. They are plenty strong enough for the platter, but I plan to check the adhesion every now and then to be sure the heat and steam from the stove aren’t affecting them.
I’ve been doing a lot of painting here lately and other improvements that I’ll be sharing soon!
