Slab marble is beautiful thing but finding “the one” like finding any other “one” in your life is not an easy task…I have said this before and I will say it again - NEVER trust the showroom sample or the name of the stone. Stone is natural and the variations are crazy. Bottom-line – marble is pretty but very unpredictable. I always ooohhh and ahhhh over the ones in stores like the Williams Sonoma in Columbus Circle or Club Monaco on The Upper West in the 60’s, but truthfully these are almost pure fantasy.
Getting the perfect slab sight unseen never happens, so you have to go in person to ensure the colors and veining are just right. Honestly you can have visions of marble dancing in your head one minute, and if left to chance, wind up with a patternless solid. I kid you not.
Finding “the one” takes time and a fair amount of luck. I found the marble for my last kitchen in Brooklyn and it was pure perfection - Calcutta Gold with a classic taupe vein. It was the last of many identical slabs already marked SOLD (aka Taken Hands Off). I was almost afraid to leave it there in case it would get away…
Recently I headed off for another round of hide and seek, again looking for ‘”the one”- this time with a little more gray. A friend of mine went with me and we made a day of it hitting 4 yards. After the first two stops I was nervous, especially after hearing no new ones won't come from Italy until summer. But we prevailed and we found “the one” and a very pretty one at that. See mine for yourself…
The BIG question?
I have no idea of the price as the supplier will only give pricing to the fabricator who cuts the stone. Also can I possibly get away with buying one rather than two slabs? It is close but the cost savings would be significant.
The Answer?
Turns out one slab will likely work and the second one will remain on hold at the supplier, just in case… And as for my window sills, I’ll try and find some really nice scraps - fingers crossed.
We also compared 2 fabricators – one in Manhattan and another outside the city. The price difference was huge. One said 1 slab may work, the other said 2. No surprise...in Manhattan you everything costs more whether you’re shopping on Madison Avenue or in the hood. Lesson yet again learned - you have to leave the city for some things.
So I'm ready whenever my stove is - I'm counting the days...
4 comments:
thanks for the marble tips...they will come in handy for me when re-doing my master bath...
I hate when they won't tell you prices. If it is going to be that expensive tell me now and I will move on and not waste anyone's time.
I was trying to find blue granite for my kitchen and you would not believe the stuff people were telling me on the phone that they had that was blue.l I would drive hours to the yard and was shocked. It is truly a must to see it in person.
If that is your slab you are one luck girl, it is beautiful.
Loving what you have going on here. You'll have to stop by my blog and scroll through because I think we may have been separated at birth... There's not one thing here I don't like... let alone love. So glad I stumbled by. Will be following so I don't miss a thing. xo Erica
http://moth-design.blogspot.com/
I saved your blog in my favorites -so happy to find more blogs to love...and another design sister separated at birth.
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