A rustic take on the modern concrete kitchen
A little while back, we got to take a look at an interesting home with a rustic or industrial looking concrete kitchen countertop. The kitchen design is a bit busy and has a lot of eclectic elements. You can also tell, this is not a model home that’s made just for show, this is a kitchen that’s actually lived in and used for life and family. One of our favorite things about this house and this kitchen is that it’s made to be connected with nature.
Today though, we’re going to pay particularly close attention to the concrete countertop in the kitchen. Concrete countertops are sim8ilar to solid surface countertops in some ways, they share certain characteristics. They are very different though than most other types of countertops, in other aspects.
Some foods like red wines and tomato sauces, can stain many types of countertop surfaces. In the past, we’ve taken a look, here on our website, at several examples of solid surface countertops. Some quartz type countertop can have a high resistance to staining. Some manufacturers say that their countertops are impervious to staining. Most natural materials though are not intrinsically resistant to staining.
We say that they’re not naturally resistant, which means that in some cases, sealers need to be applied to help to deter or prevent certain types of stains from certain types of foods and materials. Red wines often have chromogens and tannins which can cause staining, for example. These chromogens and tannins can penetrate deeper, than most other foods, into the surface of materials like quartz or natural stone like granite or soapstone surfaces. The full range of countertop materials are used in kitchens and sometimes in bathrooms, as well. Some of these countertop materials is higher levels of porosity and absorbability.
With greater degrees of permeability and absorption, the staining liquids can get deeper into the structure or the grain of the material. Foods or chemicals that have higher staining powers are particularly more damaging to surfaces that have higher levels of porosity.
In the photo above, you can see that there’s no base cabinets concealing the kitchen drain and supply lines. Normally, the cabinet doors will conceal all of these rough-in type elements. Technically, the rough-in of plumbing includes the parts of the plumbing that stay concealed within the walls.
The plumbing supply or fill tubes and the isolation valves or shut off valves and the p-trap and associated parts that connect to the sink drain are not actually part of the rough-in though because they generally happen after drywall is installed. The parts that are installed after drywall and painting are generally referred to as parts of the trim out. Generally drywall will be used to sheath the walls and cover the internal elements, such as the plumbing supply lines and drains. In this case, kitchen cabinets would also provide more concealed storage space to put away a lot of the cooking accoutrement and accessories.
We referred to the kitchen countertop as industrial or rustic, but the lack of cabinets in this kitchen also makes the usage of the kitchen very rustic in nature where these individual small elements are set on top of the countertop or the knee wall behind the backsplash.
In the next picture below, you can see one benefit of not having base cabinets completely under the concrete countertop is that the ell at the end of the countertop is easily used as a breakfast bar type area. Like a bar attached to the back of an island, this portion of the countertop can have seats configured around the countertop surface for it to be used like a table.
You can see that there’s a dining table in this kitchen. This house is relatively small and a simple layout makes for a convenient and simple life in this home. Homes don’t necessarily have to be large to be functionally adequate. Here, the countertop surface can be used as a breakfast nook, and even with a nearby table, a nook or added area can still be useful and worthwhile. Even though there is a dining table, sometimes it’s nice just to have a small spot to sit at and drink a coffee and eat a banana in the morning while reading the paper.
Although concrete, as a construction material, has some intrinsic water-resistant qualities, it’s not actually waterproof. This countertop has a surface-applied sealer which deters some of the surface absorption of water, but the sink itself has an extended side panel that’s continuous and integral to the remainder of the sink. This side panel is used for drying dishes where wet dishes can be taken from the sink after being washed and sat upon the stainless steel portion of the countertop to drip and dry.
The tile used for the backsplash is manufactured and sold in sets with a variety of different patterns. Most of these patterns use primary black and whites without much grays in between. From a distance, some of the thinner lines of black might appear a little bit like grays or interim parts of a grayscale, but it’s actually just high contrast black and white throughout.
The next picture below shows a closer view of the surface of the countertop. At the edge, you can see that there are some imperfections in the shaping because this countertop was not intended to look like a manufactured type of surface, it was intended to look a bit rustic or industrial. Some modern kitchen designs Embrace that type of rustic industrial aesthetic. Those designs are generally a bit more minimalist and colder than the warmer exposed wood type surfaces. Although, this particular kitchen countertop style is used in some minimalist designs, the the example shown today is not minimalist because the remainder of the accessory or adjacent details don’t continue with that minimalist aesthetic.
You can see the raw exposed concrete edge at the end of the seating area of the kitchen countertop. For typical, daily tasks beyond just eating, a countertop nook can be useful. A simple spot for a quick snack while checking emails, a place for family members or friends to do paperwork (or digital things) while the others are prepping dinner, or even an extra bit of surface space for laying out ingredients when cooking can be really useful.
The next picture below shows the overall layout of this concrete kitchen kitchen countertop.
Dupont Kitchen & Bath Can Help
As dedicated and local DC metropolitan kitchen and bath builders and installers, we pride ourselves on turning your visions into reality. Your kitchen and bathrooms can reflect your unique style and be designed with personalized aesthetics. It can be a process from creative designs to the realization of your dream space. Specializing in kitchen and bath construction, we bring expertise and skills to every project. If you’re contemplating a renovation, upgrade, or modernization in the local market, we’re happy to be your team. Consult with us, and we can start together on a path to redefine and elevate your DC living experience.
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