The upsides and downsides of putting marble in your kitchen. Is marble for you?
In a world of quartz and quartzite, has putting marble in the kitchen become a thing of the past? In a lot of ways, it has. When you walk into a stone showroom, tell the sales associate you're looking for marble, and then explain it's for your kitchen, they'll look at you like you have two heads. After they've given you the "you must be crazy" stares, they'll explain why it's a bad idea, and walk you straight over to the the quartzite. I'll defend the sales people here, in saying that they are doing their best to ensure each customer is happy with their purchase, so in their minds the safe selection, is the best selection.
Before you head to the showroom to shop for marble, ask yourself a couple questions.
“Is perfection something I strive for in the kitchen?" "Is patina and age something that would bother me?" "Do I want a countertop that looks flawless?"
If you answered YES, to the questions above, you should stay on the quartzite aisle. If you have a more relaxed vision of your space, keep reading to find out what you can expect with marble.
My life with a marble kitchen island
We've had marble in our kitchen for over a year now. I like to keep a fairly clean, neat, and tidy space, but I have four children who could care less about helping in that department. Week one, of living in this house, and my island was etched. No one tried to do it, and no one really noticed it, but me. It happens in the blink of an eye, and to say I freaked out, would be an understatement. I literally shed a few tears after noticing the etching marks. My new island, in my newly completed home, was RUINED!
Or was it?
My husband, being the eternal optimist he is, looked at these marks differently. He saw them as charm, as character, as memories made in our family space. I wasn't on board immediately with his "charm sentiments", but over time I've let my need for perfection take a back seat. I've allowed my children to live in the kitchen, eat at the island (without fear of a mommy freak out), and I don't spend my days looking at the island (at an angle) to see if we've added more etching marks.
So the truth is, marble WILL etch, and quickly, but the majority of people are NOT going to know the marks are there. You notice these imperfections in the light, at an angle, but not during every day use. If people do notice, it's because they are bending down to look for flaws (and I hope you don't have visitors like that). My husband made me think back to the places we've been, restaurants we've eaten at, that I found absolutely stunning, and that were filled with marble. Have you ever been to the Plaza Food Hall, at the Plaza Hotel in New York? It's the most swanky, stunning food hall I've ever seen, and almost every eatery is adorned in marble.
Photo credit: Gothammagazine.com a Todd English Design
Not once did I notice an etching mark, or a stain, but I can guarantee you they were there.
So would I put marble in my kitchen again? That's a tough question. It did cause a lot of stress in the first few months, but I know I would consider it again. There is truly NOTHING that looks like marble. Sure quartzite options resemble marble, but they will never hold a candle to the true natural beauty of marble. Consider your options, know yourself, know your space, and go with what makes your heart sing!
