Friday, December 30, 2011

I Love Glass Countertops for the Kitchen Bathroom and Laundry Room Too!

Kitchens are the heart of the home. Granite counter-tops first entered the home decorating scene I remember in the late 1980's. I remember it well, someone spend $30,000 on counter-tops - this was 1988! Three of my closest friends renovated their kitchens (one was a master bathroom) and surprisingly, they all choose the very same exquisite green granite with striations more reminiscent of marble than granite. There must be something too common in my personality that three people choose the very same counter-top! And quite frankly, I was druelling - each renovation was drop dead gorgeous. One was a huge cherry traditional kitchen with an island that was larger than the common kitchen. One was a cherry kitchen with modern touches in a bungalow and one was a grandoise master bath that was larger than most family rooms. For me, today, I wonder if the granite has the classic lasting power that will withstand fickle designer trends. Classic cherry is always love and since the granite is natural, I believe it has a fighting change to forgo the "dated" mark that mandates udpating.

Yet, what is new and exciting in counter-tops? What could possibly replace the beauty of Mother Nature? What could even compete? Glass. You see, glass mimics the process of creating rock. To give you a better understanding of the production process of glass, here is a diagramod the production process for glass.

I have the answer - glass. Glass counter-tops offer all the beauty of granite yet with a quality that offers the mystery of the ocean in combination with the strength of the mountains. You see, glass mimics many of the processes of Mother Nature.

"The history of creating glass can be traced back to 3500 BCE in Mesopotamia.[1] The term glass developed in the late Roman Empire. It was in the Roman glassmaking center at Trier, now in modern Germany, that the late-Latin term glesum originated, probably from a Germanic word for a transparent, lustrous substance."
      

My fascination with glass starts with glass as an art form. It holds the beauty of the ocean in its fluidity. Look at the beautiful varities of glass countertops available. When I viewed the art exhibit of  famed glass sculpture Dale Chihuly, I was mesmorized. Not just with the size of peices that are often triple my height but with the beauty of the various glass and the happy coliors that remind me of flowers.
Glass Countertops.net
Glass Countertops by Post Gazette.com
Glass Countertops http://blog.styleestate.com

Imagine glass countertops to liven up a hard working, yet elegant kitchen? Lighted glass with the LED light in the master bathroom could double as a night light? My favorite dream has yet to be seen - the laundry room. You see, I dream of galss countertops in my home in every room - kitchen, guest bath, master bathroom and please don't forget the laundry room.
What are your thoughts about glass for countertops? Is it the next designer trend? Will it last? Will granite last? Please share your thoughts and experiences below.