Come find us and mention my blog and I’ll give you 10% off your purchase no matter how big or small!
xoxo
Kat
“X” marks the spot!
Monthly Archives: January 2015
Striato got me like…..
I just had to share this. I found it online when looking for unique tile layouts. It’s called Striato Olympico marble and you better have confidence to pull this off!! There is one thing I would change and that is I would make the tub undermount. Besides that, this designer really knocked it out of the park! Perfect example of mixing cool tones and warm tones and creating a really classy look! Enjoy and once I find the source of this I will share the info!!!
xoxo
Kat
You can find ridiculous slabs of this at:
DENTE TRADING-
4 Enterprise Ct.
Sewell, NJ
08080
856-218-4500
It all started at the fountain…….
This fountain actually has a crazy story attached to it. Joe and I met in October of 2004 and it was love at first site…..BUT the summer of 2004 I was actually walking down Passyunk Ave enroute to some adventure and I saw Joe and the guys working on the fountain. Joe’s cousin was actually contracting Colossus Granite to fabricate the fountain ledges and wrap. I worked with Joe’s cousin at the time and Joe’s Uncle was my landlord. When Joe’s cousin yelled “Hey Kat! What’s up?” I remember seeing Joey and waving hi. Who would have thought that on that day I would be waving to my future husband, father of our children and future business partner…. Who would think that the company that was installing the essential pieces to the long awaited East Passyunk Fountain would be mine one day… Life is crazy. Just don’t sweat the small stuff…embrace what’s infront of you and own any actions you take.
The stone in this application is simply 3cm Absolute Black. It has been installed for 10 years through all the elements and look how it has held up!! Amazing! Granite is durable people!! It’s the surface that just keeps giving back!
xoxo
Kat
Mother Nature makes this?!?!
Azul Imperial Quartzite….where to begin.. Heather Grey, Lavender, Turquoise, Mint Green, Dust Gray, Sea Foam Green…..
Earth’s pressure can make such a piece of art. It is just humbling. We have a client that saw this and fell in love!! She used it for her laundry room….. YES I SAID LAUNDRY ROOM!! Can i fold my towels all up on your Azul Imperial please????
Pics will be uploaded soon….
xoxo
Kat
Can I get a sample……… please :O)
Ok so samples in the natural stone business have gone through many phases. Years ago builders used to swing by the shop and ask for a sample board or a sample box. Although the timing of natural stone has always been grouped in blocks and lot #’s, we always gave away samples in groups and made a bold disclaimer :”THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES THAT THE SAMPLES YOU ARE VIEWING ARE GOING TO BE THE EXACT LOT OF WHAT YOU WILL GET”. When a client came to us directly they have always been shown their actual slab and we would knock a huge chunk off the side of the slab. This can get really costly and wasteful. It also damages the slabs. If there are any existing fissures or pits near the area of impact it can cause stress fractures. As time progressed, we would Fed-Ex samples to clients directly after we cut it off with a Makita. This was also costly but now at least we were progressing from hammer strikes to strategically cutting a 4″ x 4″ square off the corner. NOW…in 2015 we actually, upon delivery of every material. cut the left or right side of the slab, whichever has the most color variation, the height of the slab by 4″. Then once we have the 60″- 79″strip we cut it down into 4″ squares. You average 17-20 samples per slab.
WHAT’S THE SAMPLE EPIDEMIC?? Well….If I have 5 clients come in 1 day and everyone takes 3-4 samples then by the end of the week I am out of samples. This means I have to once again return to cutting the strip off the side and now I am really wasting money since I am cutting away from the total length of the material. By cutting 8″ off the side of a slab can mean a kitchen now getting seamed when it should have fit in 1 piece or a kitchen spilling into a second slab when if the samples weren’t cut it would have worked. This really cuts into our margins.
We are very very serious about a customer 100% knowing what they are choosing and how the color will look in their application. I love that I can give samples out and everyone finds them helpful when they get home to see what it looks like in the lighting of their personal space. Let’s be real…. the material is displayed in 100% natural light …I am pretty sure there is no such thing as a topless kitchen unless it’s for an outdoor cooking area or Vegas….get it…
The one thing that I still find baffling is what a customer will do with the samples once they make a decision or if they choose to shop around and keep all of our samples. There really is no need to not give them back. Even if you choose another fabricator, just leave them by the front door of the showroom after hours or drop them off to the showroom during 9-5!! I will be so grateful! During my lunch break today I brainstormed as to what I thought clients used the granite samples for other than just returning them and giving potential clients like themselves the same opportunity to see their color choice in their nest.
Just saying…
xoxo
Kat
Drop it in like it’s hottttttttt….BLANCO SILGRANIT STYLE
We have a client that WE LOVE!!!!!….she got a brand new amazing kitchen update with Nettuno Bordeaux but was just unhappy about her sink situation. She chose the U105 under mount rectangle sink but after it was all installed she felt like it was A. just not big enough and B. maybe too cold of a look..she wanted more warmth with this rich lush creamy quartz granite. This is not a usual circumstance. Usually you get granite to have the under mount sink application since in reality most have had FORMICA and a drop in was a must. I gave this client all of her options and she chose the bisque colored BLANCO SILGRANIT Drop- in model 440212. Let me tell you!! It actually looks amazing!! Creates some dimension while giving her what she wanted…SPACE!! Being an Italian woman she has needs with the kitchen sink to be a certain depth and width. She got it wight he BLANCO and just couldn’t be happier!! Yay! Score for us and score for her!!
xoxo
Kat
Happy FRIDAY PEEPS!!!!!!!
Shari…Shari BABY……..#WCW
This gal is fierce, confident and her sense of style and ability to pull her “vision” off is AMAZEEEEEE!! This journey all started with a phone call and an email sent out June 9th 2014. Their builder, who we have done work with for over a decade, was commissioned to re-build their house after a major flood. This project took place a block from the beach and boy oh boy is it quite the property. A nice amount of rooms and a fresh clean start. Shari was on a mission with her biggest groupie behind her…her lovely hubs Matt. Matt’s disposition is very mild yet funny and just gives this firecracker what she wants trusting her vision is to be executed thoroughly. Let’s be honest here…this is isn’t her first dance at the rodeo. They have a gorgeous home in Northern NJ that has her touch, a house in FL that she designed and decorated, and keep in mind before the flood damage in the shore home she had a heavy hand in re-creating her “vibe” there as well. Now with the shore project about 80% done that means that Colossus has completed the mission of taking her selections and ideas and making them a reality.
I have met ALOT of women over the years in this biz and Shari is one of a kind!! Her passion for getting her way is infectious. It sounds bratty but if you saw her delivery it’s stern and confident and she will not waiver. Matt smiles and looks for other opinions but let’s be honest…..she knows what she talking about. With some digging I have come to find out she is a cusper cross over!! She is a Capricorn/Aquarius which in layman’s terms means “creative- control freak”. BINGO!!! It was a match made in heaven. I knew we would get along in this lengthy costly project!!
The pics I posted DO NOT do this property any justice!! The chapter has closed for the project and it is bitter sweet for Joe and I. We are elated to see the final product and how happy the client is…but also will be missing the erratic emails, texts and phone calls of switches and second guessing. The one thing I can say solid is that when Shari had a second thought and changed her mind—the outcome exceeded what we all thought!!
We are so grateful to meet really cool people while doing what we love. Shari (& Matt) …..your officially my #wcw – (woman crush wednesday)
xoxo
Kat
BIG Box stores……….NO!!! WHY!!
Just a moment to vent about how these big corporate BIG BOX stores just drown this market with nonsense!! When it comes to your natural stone purchase or even a solid surface – visit your little guy..the mom and pop fabricator…or just a direct fabricator!! Do not listen to an employee with minimal training in this area! I know they are just doing there job and after a while they just do as they are told or trained to say BUT it smears the market for natural stone!! It’s all sales tactics to sway the consumer in favor of what they are promoting. In most cases the general public purchase everything from nails to cabinets from these places and they look at it as one stop shopping. I get it! I am a busy mom, business owner, etc. You have to make sure the facts are correct. I am venting at this point because too many defensive patrons arrive at our location spewing what they have been told about how “porous” natural stone is… how it “stains” .. too high maintenance.. When the fact of the matter is natural stone is one of earths wonders and it is actually an amazing concept to think that somewhere in Brazil there are mountains being quarried for granite and it is shipped and fabricated and installed into your residence! Simply amazing. Humbling actually!
Carry on with your day peeps… needed to get that out in the universe. #missionaccomplished
xoxo
Kat
My REAL #MCM
My Real #MCM!! My hubs. My everything.
Now back to work……
xoxo
Kat
#MCM – Mica Crush Mondaaaaaaaays
The weekend was really really relaxing and now I am in the drivers seat once again. My #MCM is a product called Supreme Surface!! Yes it sounds corny but this new sealing/conditioning agent is exactly what our clients have been looking for!! It not only cleans and polishes the stone but it conditions the stone to retain the sealant that is in the compound. The more your use it the more it repells outer agents that can penetrate the stone surface! It smells really good and it makes the surface feel silky smooth without any residue! We recommend using anti-bacterial dish soap to do your initial cleaning and squeegee right into the sink or off the edge. Then apply the Supreme Surface! Let the solvent sit for a couple minutes then wipe away with the orange micro fiber cloth that comes in the kit!! We sell them in the showroom for $20.
xoxox
Kat