Academy Blog

4 Countertop Options for Designing a Modern French Country Kitchen

| December 17, 2020

Designing a Modern French Country Kitchen When you think of the French country style, you probably envision a lot of wood and rustic appeal, along with some chic, yellowed whitewashing to brighten the mood.  However, the French country style is more versatile than you might imagine, and there are plenty of ways to modernize it without losing the homey appeal it evokes.  Here are just a few ways to incorporate modern natural stone countertops into your French country design.

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How to Remove Hard Water Stains from Granite in 7 Steps

| December 11, 2020

How to Remove Hard Water Stains from Granite-Academy For residents in and around Rye, NY, and Bethel, CT, hard water stains on granite can be a common challenge in home maintenance. After you’ve spent money on new countertops, it can be disheartening to see them lose the attractiveness of their original appearance, especially if you enjoy the reflectiveness of a polished finish.

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Have a Blue Christmas with White Kitchens Featuring Blue Accents

| December 4, 2020

White Kitchens Featuring Blue Accents Blue and white is a classic color combo in design, prominently featured in a diverse range of styles throughout history, from Chinese porcelain to Dutch decorative tiles, to the picturesque white buildings and blue roofs of Santorini, Greece. If you’re looking to integrate this eye-catching aesthetic to your kitchen, here are a few ways to update your kitchen, potentially in time for the holiday season!

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The All-Time Most Popular Quartz Countertop Colors

| November 20, 2020

Most Popular Quartz Countertop Colors Quartz is a beautiful alternative to other natural stone options like marble and granite, especially considering that it can be made to look like other types of stone, while delivering an incredible array of benefits. You’ll not only love the look of engineered quartz countertops, but also the fact that they’re durable, resilient, non-porous, anti-microbial, and resistant to staining. Plus, quartz is easy to clean and maintain.

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Which White Quartz Countertops Should I Buy for My Home?

| November 10, 2020

White quartz countertops There’s nothing quite like the pristine brilliance of an all-white kitchen, which is why it remains such a classic and enduring style. Then again, a black and white kitchen motif is also a popular choice. The timeless visual appeal of contrasting white countertops against black cabinetry and other design elements cannot be denied  Of course, a warmer and more welcoming atmosphere with wood cabinetry and flooring can be elevated by a stunning, white countertop surface, as well.

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Is Fantasy Brown Granite, Quartzite, or Marble?

| November 4, 2020

Is Fantasy Brown Granite, Quartzite, or Marble? In the entire fantastical world of natural stone countertops, it’s hard to come by an option more unique than Fantasy Brown.  A truly out-of-this-world example of the majesty of mother nature, Fantasy Brown is characterized by dramatic striations in tones of whispery white and gray, warm beige and gold, and of course, rich, earthy brown. The interplay of light and dark strata results in a dynamically organic appearance, like a river running down your waterfall island or fissured tree bark growing across your fireplace surround.

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Glossy or Matte? How to Choose the Best Countertop Finish for Your Kitchen or Bath

| October 29, 2020

How to Choose the Best Countertop Finish There’s no doubt it can be difficult to choose the best countertop surface for your kitchen or bath. With so many beautiful natural stone options, from marble, granite, and quartzite, to engineered quartz and porcelain, you might have a hard time narrowing your options. Once you make a stone selection, however, your job isn’t done. You still have to figure out whether you want a glossy or matte finish on your countertops.

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9 Effortless Modern Fireplace Surrounds to Inspire Your Home

| October 28, 2020

Modern Fireplace Surrounds to Inspire Your Home Choosing unique design elements for your home is a personal process, as you want your space to reflect your personality and tastes. However, you also want to invest in pieces that add luxury, increase the overall appeal and improve your property value. Neutral paint and flooring are go-to foundational design choices for many homeowners who plan to add pops of color and personality through versatile accents like rugs and other accessories, but when it comes to adding natural stone, as with kitchen countertops, you have some leeway to choose bolder colors and patterns.

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How to Remove Stains from Marble Countertops without Causing Damage

| October 26, 2020

How to Remove Stains from Marble Countertops without Causing Damage Marble countertops can make for a beautiful addition to your home. Marble is particularly prized for its luxurious appeal, thanks to unique properties like a level of translucence that creates the illusion of an inner glow, as well as a crystalline structure that lends depth and dimension. Although this stone is well-known for its timeless beauty, it is one of the softer stone countertop options on the market. While certainly a hard substance, marble falls at roughly 3-5 on the Mohs hardness scale. For comparison, granite is typically 6-6.5, and quartz is 7.

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