2014 Stylish Stone Kitchen Countertop Ideas

Stone countertops are durable and versatile. Browse this collection of our favorite materials from high end granite to vintage style soapstone to find the right one to install in your kitchen.

You'll love these ideas to try in 2014! I hope you find these ideas useful and inspiring to you .... Enjoy it !!!!

Granite Options : Granite countertops add a rich, natural look to your kitchen. Granite is popular because it provides a virtually maintenance free and scratch , stain , and heat resistant option after it’s been sealed. Plus, it comes in a great variety of color and veining options.

Stone Shopping Tips : Stone naturally varies in color and pattern, so make sure you pick one to coordinate with your kitchen. Try taking a large sample back to your house to see how it fits your space, instead of relying on a small piece. Then double check the exact slab you're buying to guarantee you like the look before you make the purchase.

Simple and Subtle Style : Quartz surfacing makes an ideal countertop for this modern kitchen. The matte, uniform look is simple yet sophisticated, and it's a low maintenance alternative to natural stone. The gray green tint adds subtle color to the room as well.

Muted Texture : This seagrass limestone countertop brings texture and visual interest to the muted color palette of this kitchen. The subtle speckles and veining tie in the light color with the green backsplash.

Soapstone Sophistication : This soapstone countertop beautifully contrasts the crisp white cabinetry and marble backsplash. The combination of dark matte countertops with the sleek white color palette gives the kitchen a sophisticated look.

Popular Quartz : Quartz is probably the most common type of engineered stone countertop. This island is topped with quartz surfacing, which bridges the gap between the light features of the room and the dark stained wood.

Add Color with Stone : Caramel color limestone warms up this white kitchen. This colorful addition to the room is both practical and stylish, and it adds a casual look to the traditional limestone countertop.

Color-Scheme Countertop : The color scheme for this kitchen is based off the granite countertops throughout the room. Dusty lavender and organic brown undertones are speckled in the granite, producing a neutral color scheme with timeless style.

Customizable Concrete : Concrete countertops can be customized to the ideal color and thickness for any kitchen. These countertops were slightly tinted to complement the pine-paneled walls and dark maple floors, giving the room a cohesive look.

Faux Stone : Want to get the stone-countertop look but on a tight budget? Solid surfacing comes in a variety of colors and patterns, and it can give your kitchen the look of more expensive materials like stone for a much lower price.

Glossy Finish : A 3-inch thick black granite countertop is the perfect stone to contrast the back painted glass backsplash. The smooth, glossy finish of the granite transitions almost seamlessly to the backsplash, giving the kitchen a sleek and modern look.

Dark Marble : Marble takes on a darker look in this kitchen. An elegant Pietra del Cardosa marble countertop on the island provides a handsome work space, perfect for quick cleanup after meal preparation. The 2-1/2-inch thick marble matches the profile of the stainless-steel countertops around the perimeter of the room.

Aged Character : Flamed granite countertops have a distinct texture that gives them a timeworn look. This aged character adds to a rugged, country style in the kitchen. The speckles in the stone add texture and variety to a space.

Functional Surface : Black granite countertops provide a simple, solid surface in this kitchen. More colorful, elaborate details are found in the kitchen's slate tile backsplash, so the granite countertops are the perfect subdued countertpoint.

Conversation on Laundry

While our granddaughter and her family were here in March, she had to wash some clothes. I have a white Maytag top loader that is 18 years old and looks brand new as I wipe it down after every laundry day. Before that I had a Kenmore that was 30 years old in coppertone and was still washing, but we figured it was so old that it could give out any time so we replaced it before it did. The guy who bought it from us was thrilled to get it in such beautiful shape. We take excellent care of our belongings. She has a front loader on a pedestal and I think it's dark blue.

Anyway, she stuffed so many clothes in there that it could barely rotate and there was undissolved soap when I went in to put them in the dryer—in 2 loads. Top loaders don't take as much as front loaders as we had one just after we got married. They were much smaller then then they are today. So one day while talking to her on the phone, I mentioned about top vs. front. She said the top loaders today have a problem with the rubber seal/gasket or whatever it's called. The seal mildews. I've heard this from a few people. We never had that problem.

This led to a discussion about how to do laundry. I gave her some tips and she was grateful. Since she lived part time with her dad and part time with her mom growing up, I don't think anyone taught her the specifics of laundry. In fact, I had told her we thought about buying a front loader next time maybe. She doesn't particularly like the front loader and had never thought about them not being sold much before the craze hit recently. So I gave her a few tips on how to add detergent, whites only, darks only, baby clothes needing extra care, etc. She was grateful. She didn't really know how to do laundry properly. I do!

When the rubber gasket went out, they called a repair man. It was almost cheaper to buy a complete new washer. She about fell over at the cost. Her hubby went online, purchased the gasket, found out online how to install it and saved a great deal of money. He's very handy for a computer science major in college. ;-) I think she'll purchase a top loader next time though. She learns a lot from her Nana (grandmother).
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I remember these bowl covers from when I was a kid. I don't know if they make them anymore but they sure do jazz up a bowl when going to a potluck dinner or picnic.

I do lust after these kinds of tablecloths covering a table. Hmmmm. I may be able to make a longer tablecloth to mimic this effect. Just give me enough time!

It looks to me that this is either photoshopped or the sun had a wonderful glint to it the day the photo was taken. Love the pink surrounding the pool though. The pool reminds me of the one we had in Puerto Vallarta at Los Tules condos. Many days we had the pool all to ourselves. It was heaven.

This room is one—of many—of my favorites. I pretty much love everything about it, but I'd paint my walls pink.

I rarely can pass up a pretty rose without grabbing it for my Pinterest or blog. This looks like a wall hanging of some sort but not a painting for a wall.

Simplistic room but cleverly and graciously done.

I simply cannot pass up a cute small laundry room. They are just so darling most of the time, which just proves you don't need lots of cabinets or countertops to have a functional area for washing clothes. This homeowner has given it lots of cuteness with the blue check curtains and red check tieback and hanging laundry and a clothespin holder on pegs.

It's the little crock holding the bouquet that drew me in.

A simple little cove to sit in with a friend or hubby. Garden handy for them with chairs and a stool as a table.

I swoon over vignettes like this. And that cover on the arm of the sofa looks exquisite also.

A thick old vintage door, an old-fashioned mailbox, vines over the door of a stone house and moss or lichen growing on the stone path.

If blue is your favorite color, you have it here, especially with the pottery.

A very colorful house and steps with a handmade pond and table, chairs and bench to relax.

While I love that pink chair, notice the lamp. Very different and beautiful.

Two of my favorite flowers: roses and hydrangeas.

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Tidbit:

Hotel owners in Hastings, Nebraska, are required by law to provide a clean, white cotton nightshirt to each guest. According to the law, no couple may have sex unless they are wearing the nightshirt.
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Linking up with Transformed Tuesday.

Goals, Resolutions

I've been reading blogs with New Year's resolutions and wondered about that. I don't think I've ever made resolutions for the New Year. I tend to just go about normally like I always do. What comes will come and be happy or not so happy about it. I don't think I've ever set goals or if I did, I didn't realize they were goals. I just do what comes naturally for me.

I'm a pretty simple woman; although, there are some that would disagree with that. Just seeing eye candy on blogs makes me happy as I'm very visual. Things like laundry drying on the line, pretty decorated bottles, flower gardens, beautiful rooms, an oldie song on the car radio, my great granddaughters playing around sillily and those type of things really do bring solace to my mind.

I have friends who say reading scriptures brings solace to them. Since I'm a late-bloomer when it comes to religion, I don't understand them as much as if someone tells me what something actually means. Think Isaiah! I'm amazed sometimes when it's opened up to me. I've been know to say, "How did you get that out of that paragraph?!" Okay, so some of you are better at understanding than I am; that's just fine. I try.

But to soothe this soul, pretty images do it all the time. I could lose myself in pretty magazines or online photos much of the time as you can tell from all the photos I post on my blog and on Pinterest. I've committed—is that a goal or a resolution?—to read the scriptures every day. Maybe I'll start to understand them better. I need all the help I can get, trust me.

I've never "dreamed" big. I'm pretty happy with my life. I'm happy with what I've got. This realization has come to me many times over the past years, but more so lately. We're still trying to give things away to friends, granddaughter, thrift stores, etc. Does this come because we're in the winter of our lives? I think that's part of it.

Most of the gals I run around with are just a few years older than my granddaughter. (Most of my granddaughter's friends are surprised when I am introduced as her grandmother. I don't think it's that I look young but that I sound, think and act young.) We have the best time eating lunch together. I rarely socialize with people our own age. There is only one couple we go out to dinner with and she's about 6 years older than me, but they think young like we do. And we have a really fun time with them talking about our lives and what's the latest gossip. They're the only couple our age with whom we go out to eat.

I just cannot think old. It's not in my makeup. I wonder if all older people are like that. Hmmmm.

I was sitting next to a teenager in church today, a beautiful 16 or 17 year old girl. I had taken a dinner in to her family Friday night as her mother had been in a car wreck and was pretty banged up and her father was just diagnosed with cancer only men can get. But they all looked so happy today. But anyway, I turned to the teenager and said to her teasingly that I'm a girl just like she is and think girly thoughts. She smiled. I told her she'll always be young in her mind, even when she's a grandmother. She smiled at me again. Give her 20 more years and she'll know exactly what I mean. I just love life, even when it throws me a few curves sometimes. But I have been happy with my life, truly. And if you're someone who isn't then you need to rethink your priorities in life. I did.
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Don't you just love the sereneness of this living room?

As I've testified before, hubs and I love trains. I can just picture us going through this beautiful snow setting and cuddling in a small suite on a train. I just might treat him to one this year. He'd love it.

A gorgeous metal gazebo with glass sides.

Delightful vintage, rustic window with a lilac wreath.

A "purple" party!

Another water feature I love with old stone tubs and rusted water spigots.

Folded roses are so very easy to make, even and especially out of scraps.

Beautiful earrings.

En pointe!!

A beautiful old window updated for a homeowner's preferences.

An antique door still in use.

Pretty pots holding roses and posies.

My kind of eye candy—you can really eat these cookies on a stick. ;-)

Beautiful crochet on pillowcases or potholders.

A very romantic bedroom.

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20th Century Fox has a trademark on "the spoken word 'D'oh' ", but not the written word.

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A Few Thoughts On My Photos

Several people have asked me where I find my photos. Well, I've answered that on a post here. Check it out. But I will elaborate on a few things. One question is how or why I select the pictures.

That's a bit tough to explain but I'll try. First of all, pink is a qualifier. Second, roses and/or flowers are another qualifier. Then it goes on from there.

I do not like orange in the least bit. I have a Liz Claiborne blouse that has orange in it but it has other colors overpowering it. I love that blouse, but actually, it's too small at the moment but I hope to someday be able to wear it again. (Don't we all say that?) Anyway, it's absolutely stunning and when I unpack it from the garage attic—someday in the future—I'll photograph it and show you. So not liking orange determines that I'll rarely show much of that color. It brings a truly negative feeling to me. I don't really know why but I have a suspicion, and no, I'm not revealing it. Nothing traumatic or tragic.

Then, there's what I am doing at the moment as another qualifier. If I'm trying to buy a new sofa, then I'll look all over the internet at sofas or rooms.

There's also the feeling that one photo might bring to me. Perhaps just something in it will haunt me until I put it in my folder for photos, which I call "Unfinished". Then when I've Photoshopped it a bit, it goes into the folder on my desktop called "Pinks". It is then uploaded to Photobucket. Perhaps a froufrou lamp or an ottoman or just the photographer's skill in doing a great photo shoot. Laundry on a line is another thing I love, along with lace and terrific views out a window and windows. Sometimes it's as simple as seeing a Mac computer. When I see a Mac than I know that person is intelligent. :-) As only intelligent people buy Macs. :-) As they say: I have to kiss a lot of frogs to get my prince—meaning photos.

I also don't show the upper- or high-end homes much. While we all love to see exquisite homes, there aren't many of us that will ever have those. I'm one of those and that doesn't bother me one bit. They're still fantastic to view. But I prefer "normal" everyday homes. It seems more real to most of us. I think we all prefer reality to fantasy. I do! I don't dream big.

I'm really a simple girl; although, a lot of people would disagree with me. They truly don't understand my heart or what makes me tick. I have very few "best friends" as I'm very picky. I have a lot of acquaintances. That's a huge difference in my book. Hubs is my bestest friend and I can tell him just about anything and know it's safe.

As a simple girl, I love simple things like decorated bottles, beautiful rooms—this does not mean elaborate or expensive. Just beautiful. Most rooms I see on a regular basis are what I call "couch potato" rooms. The television is directly across from the sofa and all the chairs in the room face the television also. That would never happen in this house. All the chairs are grouped for conversation. I talk to people. (That doesn't lend itself to me being able to pronounce the name of the latest middle east despot but I don't care one whit as their names are unpronounceable anyway.) I don't have them over to watch anything, especially since we have no television. We read a lot! I'm an avid reader of fiction books.

Another darling home in the French countryside.

This caught my eye very quickly.

More froufrou for you to see.

I don't know why but these walls look pink to me so here they are. Like this room a great deal but I'd do something more with those lamps.

What's not to like about this bed? Lovely!

How do the people in this country drive on the streets? They are so narrow and the buildings and flora are right on the street.

You knew I wouldn't resist this pink door, right?

A darling European kitchen. See, we chicks are so different even when we're from different countries. However, is that knife holder making a statement from the woman of the house? ;-)

Lovely vintage, rustic birdhouse.

Pretty wallpaper border.

Yep, yet another getaway for ya. Hubs has been wanting to buy one of those large umbrellas. I just may let him next year. Then I'll throw some netting over it and sit outside under it. I don't do sun! My granddaughter and I are exactly alike with the same pale coloring. My only coloring? Age spots!

I wish I had found this old cupboard. Adorable.

Cute eye candy.

You know this isn't anywhere in the U.S., right?

I could vacation here...if I didn't have to fly to get there.

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