plan b

There is always a playbook. The list of choices that are safe, traditional, easy to defend. On my first trip to the stone warehouse, I was shown most of those. White marbles, calcutta veining, safe quartzites - stones I could recognize from other people’s kitchens. Beautiful but not what I wanted. None distinctly me.

Standing on a lift in a Brooklyn warehouse, I felt the clarity of finding something distinctly mine. Two slabs, warm brown onyx cut so their patterns mirror each other like waves folding back in. It pulled me in. It felt like the water in places I love - Kingston, Venice, Vineyard Haven. Once I found it, the rest of the design started to fall into place. Black cabinetry, matte without the traditional molding. Oil rubbed bronze hardware. No uppers. Honed surfaces. A kitchen designed for how I want to spend the quiet moments of my days and the louder moments of people over, sharing stories.

The onyx isn’t the safest choice for a kitchen. It’s porous. It will change. But that’s exactly what I like about it. A red wine ring, a trace of curry or red sauce -those marks will be part of the story of this house. And I’m good with that. I don’t mean to create a space for it to stay untouched. I want to create a home that is layered, that feels alive.

Plan b is often thought of as the next best option. But sometimes it’s more of turning point. Sometimes it’s the moment you finally stop trying to follow the script and start trusting yourself enough to design the story.

More soon,

-L