Quartz Countertops Add Durability to Family Coastal Kitchen 

Designer Spotlight: Emily Boya, Studio Em Design https://www.studioem-design.com/

When designer Emily Boya of Studio Em Design created this beautiful blue-toned coastal-inspired kitchen, it was quite a family affair. The kitchen, located in her grandmother’s beach home in Dennis on Cape Cod, was a familiar place where the designer herself spent a lot of time growing up surrounded by family. 
 
“My grandmother has lots of kids and grandkids, so there are constantly people in and out,” says Boya. The design goal was to improve the flow and function of the kitchen while keeping everything as familiar as possible. Boya explains that she wanted to keep things easy for her 87-year-old grandmother as well as not disturb her routine and familiarity of the existing kitchen layout. Boya focused on upgrading outdated materials as well as incorporating her grandmother’s favorite beachy blue hues. 
“Blue is her favorite color. I also brought in some oranges and sunset tones, plus wood on the island and natural grass shades to add warmth,” Boya adds. 

Since the large family also likes to spend time at grandma’s beach house, Boya needed to select materials that would stand up to heavy use. For this reason, she suggested quartz. “Quartz is an exceptionally durable material that comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns. It’s strong, but it has a lightness to it. It’s a very popular countertop choice today,” Boya explains. 
To involve her grandmother in the remodeling process, Boya brought her to Marble & Granite’s Westwood, MA location to pick out her countertop slab. “The Marble & Granite, Inc. team was fantastic with helping my grandmother see all of her options and compare them to the floor tile, backsplash tile, and other elements that had already been determined,” explains Boya.  They ultimately landed on Vega Arabascato Quartz in Radianz for the countertop. Featuring shades of blue and gray with a marble-like swirl.   l-r, 2” x 20” horizontal ceramic “subway” style backsplash tiles, gray porcelain floor tile with very beach plank wood look, and Vega Arabascato Quartz in Radianz. 

“Another great thing about quartz is that some styles so closely resemble marble that you might not tell the difference,” Boya explains, pointing out that this is another reason her grandmother loved the Radianz option.  “If you don’t have the budget for marble or you want the durability of quartz with the look of marble, this is a great option,” she adds. 

The white quartz countertops help to balance out and brighten up the space. They’re a beautiful complement to the unique 2” x 20” horizontal ceramic “subway” style backsplash tiles as well as the gray porcelain floor tile with a very beach plank wood look. 
Boya says the entire family loves the lightness and brightness of the new kitchen design, “But most importantly, my grandmother loves the beachy blue colors and the casually elegant vibe.” 

Contact Studio Em Design: https://www.studioem-design.com/