Terrazzo Kitchen Countertops With Vetrazzo

The hallmarks of a dated house are always most obvious in the kitchen, and this was certainly the case in the Westside Project townhouse. The old kitchen (as shown below) was full of builder-grade finishes and early 2000's aesthetics. While the kitchen is small, it's seen from every living space on the open-plan main floor, so it was imperative that this space was brought up to the design level of the rest of the house. The great thing about the small size of this kitchen is that it gave me a chance to make some really exciting design selections, which all started with the beautiful terrazzo samples my mom and I obsessed over from Vetrazzo. We've been wanting to use this countertop material somewhere and the townhouse presented the perfect place for a dramatic redesign. Get a first look into the new kitchen design and see how I used this terrazzo on the counters and new custom island below!

THE KITCHEN BEFORE

 

THE KITCHEN AFTER

Clearly, there are some major changes in here besides these stunning new terrazzo countertops! Using remnants from the study in my apartment, we installed a decorative backsplash on top of the existing stainless steel and used a polyurethane coating to waterproof the surface. The cabinetry was updated with a coat of exterior paint for high-durability in an ashy black, and new lucite hardware was added on all of the doors and drawers.

The custom island was another major addition, which I will dive into in more detail very soon in a new post!

Vettrazzo is handcrafted right here in Georgia, at the Polycor Georgia Marble Plant. It's a sustainable product made with recycled glass, from sources as surprising as traffic lights and car windshields! The mix of glass fragments are introduced by hand, so the slab creation is an day-long artisan process.

You might be curious about care, and like many natural countertop materials, there are two ways you can go... You can let the surface age with the wear and patina of regular use, or be extra vigilant in cleaning up acids and staining agents to keep the surface pristine. While Vetrazzo is one of the hardest products on the market (cutting on it won't leave a scratch), it will etch with vinegar or lemon juice. Maintenance is easy with a yearly resealing!

I absolutely love the terrazzo look in the kitchen and I think it introduces a really sophisticated material to the kitchen. As you might recall my inspiration for the townhouse is Soho House, and Vetrazzo was the perfect countertop to use to get that unique, worldly look. It comes in so many different colorways, but I chose the Fair Pearl for a light contrast to the dark cabinetry. This finish actually has Mother-of-pearl in the mix, so there are beautiful reflections in the surface.

Vetrazzo gives you the ability to stay neutral or get really colorful with your counters. If we hadn't installed such a colorful wallpaper on the kitchen backsplash, I would have loved to lean into the jewel-tones with a green or cobalt mix. Stay tuned for more updates from this kitchen makeover soon!