Granite, Marble or Quartzite?

Wandering around Stone and Surface in Melbourne, I’m amazed by the hundreds of outstandingly beautiful slabs of granite, marble and quartzite. I’m here with my friend Chris to choose something for a kitchen island. This is to be a largish island, 48 in by 126 in. No seams, please, so it needs to be a very large stone.* After checking her computer, Sylvia identifies seven suitably sized pieces, we sign a liability waiver, and go into the yard. Some stones are boring, some too light, some too dark. But they have very intriguing names. There’s “Absolute Black” – a honed, non-shiny granite. Dark, dark, so dark it won’t show the inevitable crumbs. There’s “Costa Esmerelda” – sea green with waves of sandy ripples. Verde Uba Tuba, River Storm, Rosso Fiorentino, Madreperola…(who thinks of these names? Why not me? Wouldn’t it be fun to be paid for dreaming up enticing names for beautiful stone?)

But, finally, we come upon a piece of quartzite called “Mona Lisa” that catches my eye. It is stunning. Chris is beside herself enjoying the color, the layers, the swirls!! All the colors of the earth in striations and then waves. This could be the centerpiece of the kitchen/family room, I’m sure.

One problem, they won’t tell me the price. Can I afford it?

Sylvia says, “it’s expensive.”

“Can you give me a ball park figure – just something general, plus or minus a bit? Is it a thousand? Two thousand?”

“Well, no,” she smiles as she tells me, “I cannot break our procedure. We only give the prices to the fabricator. What is the name of the company who will make the island?”

So I hand over the name of the local fabricator and go home convinced that the countertop will cost more than all the cupboards in the kitchen plus the cabinets in the bathrooms added together.

The next morning, Chris calls to learn the price. I call the fabricator. Dave says, “we really need the architect’s drawing.”

Argh!!!

I take a copy of the kitchen design to the factory. The next day, no call comes. The weekend is here; no call. Still no idea how much this potentially eye catching focal point of the kitchen will cost.

Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, will you be the centerpiece of the most important room of the house, or the one that got away?

*Some readers might wonder why I’m looking at stone instead of recycled tile, concrete or another “green” option. Truthfully, these surfaces do not appeal to me aesthetically. My goal was to have a home that is not only “green” in the sense that it meet a high LEED standard, but also is truly an exquisitely beautiful environment. One that makes me smile as I enter. Concrete countertops do not make me smile.