I popped into Cutting Edge Granite yesterday to check on some slabs of Santa Cecilia a client is using in a kitchen. At the risk of offending somebody, all I have to say is yawn.
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Santa Cecilia is an inexpensive granite from Brazil and it screams "I got my kitchen at Lowe's!" Ugh. But at this stage of the game, any sale's a good sale. Right? Right?
While I was there, I saw a couple of real beauties. This is a granite that's commonly called Matrix. Well, at least, that's what it's called at the places I frequent.
Granite and natural stone slabs have common names that are kind of arbitrary and those names vary from place to place. They have scientific names too, but that only describes the kind of stone it is, not the name of the pattern. It can be confusing. Matrix is an OK name for this one, but I want to call it something more evocative.
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Fresh from the truck was this beauty.
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It didn't have a country of origin label on it, but there was a sticker with the hand-written name "Varde Raize." In looking at it though, I can tell it's a quartzite. Its name doesn't concern me too much.
I'm not so sure I'd like to see a whole kitchen done in this, but imagine the master bath it could transform. Wow.
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So my question is this, any body out there ever see this stone before? These are photos taken on my phone, I ought to go back and photograph this quartzite properly. I smell a new obsession forming...
Some of my California friends would say that any polished granite reeks of Lowes, but I don't totally agree. Maybe it's my humble Brooklyn origins, but I think classic is classic and there's a place (and project) for Santa Cecilia, Uba Tuba and all the other granite hit parade selections. There's a reason they're ubiquitous.
ReplyDeleteI can see using the hit parade as you call it in budget jobs, but the job I'm using it in is anything but a budget job. I love that expression though and I'll use it and credit you from now on. Have you ever seen any of the hit parade granites with a different finish on them? Brushed Uba Tuba is downright posh and a leather finished Santa Cecelia will take your breath away.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of granites like the first one -- it's too typical of what granite usually looks like. I really like the second granite you posted, Matrix -- it's unusual and the colours are great. Still undecided on the third one...
ReplyDeleteKelly
I'll get a decent shot of Matrix the next time I'm over there. It reminds me of a nebula. A nebula with caramel swirled though it.
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