Project of the Month April 2018 | Marble Systems, Marble Supplier, Marble Travertine Granite Tile

Any interior design/construction project is a delicate symphony played by the various stakeholders. Imagine the cooperation needed between the design entity, the builder, the homeowners and the assorted vendors. We recently had a chance to discuss this orchestration with Ms. Amanda Provost of Wydler Brothers Real Estate in the Washington D.C. area. This story will be our Project of the Month April 2018.

Project of the Month April 2018

Marble Systems: Each project carries with it the lifestyle of the client as a significant factor. How did that play out in this case?

Amanda Provost: “The clients and their two boys are true gourmands, and deserved so much better than their previous kitchen, which was a cramped, dated, and dark galley. They love to share their panache for experimenting with new cuisines with their eclectic group of friends, whether it’s a build-your-own pizza party with exotic ingredients or a roll-your-own sushi night. The kitchen needed to be open to the other entertaining spaces, and the island was kept as a large, clear surface for serving food or for friends to hang out while the chefs were at work. The kitchen needed to have sight-lines to the backyard where the boys can often be found in their treehouse. While the clients considered other countertop surfaces, ultimately they chose marble as they were at peace with it showing some patina and telling the story of shared meals together over the years. Finally, a Thermador gas range and second wall oven were a must for the heavy lifting required for the family’s everyday cooking and entertaining needs.”

Project of the Month April 2018

Marble Systems: What design genre did the client want to adhere to?

Amanda Provost: The wife is Japanese-Canadian and the husband is from New England. Both of them log significant international travel for their careers, and they got married and spent their first few years together in San Francisco. Bits and pieces of all these experiences informed their design aesthetic. They wanted a modern but warm, open yet clean, relaxed but put-together vibe for their kitchen. They were also not afraid to take risks on a couple of elements to really make this kitchen sing and stand out from other transitional, white kitchens that are common in their neighborhood of Chevy Chase. First, they took a risk with the the blue hand-baked tiles from Ken Mason Tile, in a classic herringbone pattern, which turned out beautifully. Second, instead of going for a couple of glass pendants, they selected Restoration Hardware’s Grand Brass Dome light fixture to make a statement over the island.

Marble Systems: What part did Marble Systems play in the success of this endeavor?

Amanda Provost: Our architectural sales consultant at Marble Systems, Febrina Witjaksono, did her usual amazing job at guiding the team towards the look that the clients wanted within the budgeted cost. She educated the clients on the pro’s and con’s of natural stone, and provided sample marble pieces, so that the clients could experiment with lemon, red wine, etc. and feel comfortable about moving ahead with the decision. Due to the hand-made, hand-glazed nature of the Ken Mason Tile Bricks Collection tiles, Febrina warned the team ahead of time that there could be significant variance in the color of the tiles from dye lot to dye lot, and that lead times needed to be accounted for. Based on the samples, she worked with the manufacturer to develop the perfect shade of blue and the custom results were truly stunning. The client is thrilled with how the countertops and tile backsplash turned out in this project.

Naturally, we would be remiss to not mention a few of the other participants in our Project of the Month April 2018.

Architect: Seth Ballard, Ballard + Mensua

Contractor: RC Construction

Countertops: Avenza Honed Marble

Backsplashes: Mid Newton 2” x 8”

Thanks so much for reading!