Kitchen cabinet website's Style Quiz

Take a look at Merillat's website. The cabinet manufacturer has a Style Quiz that is just plain fun.

Kitchen cabinets - how to choose?

Kitchen cabinets are an absolutely vital part of any kitchen remodel or kitchen design.  We at StoneImpressions are wise enough to know when NOT to give advice.  We do not have the knowledge or expertise in this area and wouldn't dream of trying to educate you on this.  But we have found some links that are worth sharing.

You should always be the cautious consumer and keep in mind where this information is coming from.  A company that sells stock cabinets might overstate the longer lead times or ordering challenges in custom cabinetry.  A custom cabinet company might exaggerate the quality issues with stock kitchen cabinets.  No matter what information you find on the web, look closely at who is writing it and try to understand what their biases might be.

Cabinetry Comparison Guide by Webinetry.com

Choosing Kitchen Cabinets at ConsumerReports.org

Sorting through Kitchen Cabinet Choices at HGTV.com

Custom Kitchen Cabinets: What you need to know by The Kitchen Designer 

That last link comes from The Kitchen Designer blog which we love!  Susan Serra is a Certified Kitchen Designer who is passionate about kitchens.  Her blog is a great mix of technical and design knowledge along with tips on the latest trends and ideas in kitchen design.  She shares her real world experiences as a working designer and often features great new products as they come out.

If you follow her blog, you will start to understand the enormous value a Certified Kitchen Designer can bring to the table.  There is so much more to good kitchen design than picking out tile and appliances.  Definitely recommended reading.

Imitation is the best form of flattery...or is it?!

We should be flattered, we know.  To have someone blatantly rip off our designs shouldn't make us upset, right?  

These are our original designs, created by our talented design department.

SL000414 Cynara Mural shown on 6x6 Tumbled Durango

SL000421 Amarone Wine Mural on 6x6 Tumbled Durango

See if you can find the knock-offs on this page:
http://fratellitile.com/Decorative/Murals/muralsHandpainted.html

They didn't even bother to change the name on one of them!  At least they have a bit of taste - these are two of our most popular designs. 

There is definitely some soap opera drama to this.  Presenting the not-ready-for-daytime mini-drama

"As the Tile Turns!"

We were once happy together.  They bought our product and sold it to their eager customers.  It was a blissful time.

 We discovered the knock-offs of our designs on their website over a year ago.

Oh the betrayal!  One of our own customers!  How could they?  

We tried to appeal to their better nature.  We asked them very nicely to stop ripping off our designs.  They declined. 

We had to break it off entirely.  The separation was unfortunate, but necessary.  

 We moved on to other, more healthy, relationships.

Later, we hear through the grapevine that they went out of business. Karma, anyone?

And then it happens. While innocently skipping through the land of Twitter, we come upon a tweet about hand-painted murals.  We follow the link and HORRORS! 

 The same stolen designs!  A website that looks suspiciously similar to old one!  

Could it be?! 

Has an evil twin come to town?!

[Cue dramatic music - dun, dun, dunnnn!]

Will our heroine ever be free of this copycat?

Will the evil twin try to pass himself off as an upstanding citizen?

Tune in next week for the next thrilling episode of 

As the Tile Turns!

 

By the way, the Audrey Hepburn images used in this blog post are from the 1956 film War & Peace and the 1963 film Charade.  And more importantly, they are in the Public Domain.

Real life Top Gun

If you happen to call us today, you might hear the roar of jets in the background.  We are located less than a mile from the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and they are practicing for the weekend's Air Show.  We had a bright blue sky this morning, but now the clouds have rolled in.  We can still hear the jets, but can no longer see them.

By the way, MCAS-Miramar is where the classic film Top Gun was based.  Can you believe that movie came out 23 years ago?!  (Great. Now we feel old.)

Have a great Friday!

Elegante tile pattern - versatile and beautiful

You were introduced to GG200218 Elegante mural in a previous post. This is one of our favorite designs, but it has often been overlooked and definitely under-appreciated.  This is completely our fault.  We'll admit it.  We gave it one little picture on page 65 of our catalog and neglected to show all of its potential and versatility.

It is a simple and elegant example of how you don't have to overdo it with color or design on natural stone tiles. The colors are neutral and blend nicely into the stone. The pattern is simple with just enough intricacy to make it interesting.  The natural beauty of the stone shows through - with its inherent variations in texture and shading, it greatly enhances the overall look.

The Elegante tile design is also quite versatile.  Below are some examples of the different ways you can use this design.  Click on any of the pictures to get a larger view.

The original tile mural looks like this:

8" x 20" on 4x4 Tumbled Durango tile

Here is the same design, just slightly shorter and wider:

6" x 18" on 6x6 Tumbled Durango tile

Here is the 6x18 size installed as a repeating pattern in a powder room:

Various color options are available for the Elegante design:

These accent tiles are a great complement to the Elegante design:

Elegante design elongated and connected so the pattern flows without any breaks:

And finally, a completely different look was created by taking the center portion and flipping it sideways.

So many options from just one pattern!  As always, let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Hundreds, no THOUSANDS of choices for a custom design

You have looked at the hundreds of designs on our website.  You have flipped through our catalog.  Still can't find something you like?   Don't give up!  

We have arrangements with two prominent art licensing companies.  You can browse their websites and pick out artwork to create a custom design for your mural on our natural stone tiles.

  

 Rosenstiel's Publishing

Wild Wings Licensing
(password required, call us)

Both website have terrific search features that allow you to narrow down the choices and find the perfect design.  Wild Wings lets you search by Season - Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter.  Rosenstiels has an advanced search option which lets you filter by colors that you want to see in your search results.

 

ROSENSTIEL'S
Still Life with Chinese Vase and Flowers
by Ruud Verkerk

Found by searching for "Flowers" and the color white.

ROSENSTIEL'S

Stanley Barker and The Pytchley Hounds

by Sir Alfred Munnings

Found by searching for "Horse" and the color red

Ordering a custom tile mural from us is simple:

Step 1: Find the artwork that you like and write down the name and number

Step 2: Go to your local StoneImpressions Dealer and place your order.  They can help you decide what size mural to order and what type of stone to put it on.  They can also help you pick out liners or trim pieces to frame your tile mural.

Keep in mind that we can also create a custom design from a photo that you supply to us.   You can find more information about our Custom Program here: StoneImpressions Custom Design.