Trends in the Kitchen- Wish it was Aunt Bea!

I caught a re-run of "The Andy Griffith Show" the other night and it dawned on me that what we all really need in our kitchens is an "Aunt Bea". Or, so as not to be labeled sexist....a "Mr. French" . Imagine the kitchen being seen only through a swinging door from which delicious well-balanced meals appeared and dirty dishes disappeared and all of this magic being done by one whose seemingly sole purpose in life was to make that one room their sole domain.

........Whack........"Snap out of it!"

It's called T.V. Land for a good reason!

I like the here and now, and I like the way the kitchen has evolved over the years. No longer is it a forbidden room filled with things you dare not touch. In fact, most of the work in the kitchen today is done simply by touch.

It sure would be interesting to see how "Aunt Bea's" kitchen had changed through updating and renovation over the years, wouldn't it? It's a sure bet that these days it would be a place where Andy, Opie, Barney, Gomer and Helen would gather to help out and enjoy each other's company.

The Research Institute for Cooking and Kitchen Intelligence(RICKI) out of Charlotte, N.C. recently released their findings on how consumers felt about kitchen renovations. They found that kitchen renovations remain "at the top of the list" in adding value to the home.....and more money is spent on kitchen renovations than on any other room of the house.

What else did they find out?

The top 4 things most people would like to change are the:

• Counter tops
• Cabinets
• Range/Oven/Cooktop and
• Refrigerator

The top 5 adjectives respondents used to describe their ideal kitchen were:

• Organized
• Comfortable
• Open
• Warm
• Family

When respondents were asked what they would do differently if they had to remodel their kitchen again the majority answered:

• Hire a professional/ Use someone different
• Get different/ Better counter tops

One sure fired way to insure that when you decide to update your counter tops you get the best quality materials and service you can trust is to call us at Mr. Marble. Visit http://www.mrmarbleusa.com/ and tell us "Aunt Bea" sent you!

Is Mr. Marble's Granite "Green" ?

At first blush, my initial response was "Who Cares?" if granite is "green"?

After all, granite is the number one choice for kitchen and bath counter tops.....and from all indications, that prestigious spot is not going to change. Since Mr. Marble fabricates and installs granite and other natural stone counter tops , and those sales account for the majority of our business sales, why should we seek to determine if "greenness" is a factor that needs to be added to granite's long list of already proven attributes?

Well , after a few short-sighted minutes, I realized that it is Mr. Marble who should care......and it is Mr. Marble who should identify the "greenness" of granite---not because it is the "thing to do", but it is "the thing that must be done"! It benefits our business, our industry, and especially our customers.

To be fair, there are a few things about granite that are undeniably "green less". Let's just say that if it looks like a duck and act likes a duck, it's a .... Same thing with granite: I can give you a guarantee of almost 100% that the granite you select for your home came from a place far, far away. Let's just say that it travelled by trucks, trains and ocean going vessels all powered by fossil fuels to get from the point it was first blasted out of the mountain to its final resting place atop your cabinetry! To add to the "green-less-ness", there's only so much granite out there........so when it comes to materials we can use, granite does not make the Top Ten Most Renewable List!



Sounds bad for granite, doesn't it? Sure you still want those Giallo Ornamental counter tops with the ogee edge and the Black Galaxy island?

Of course you do! And for the same reasons you did before you started reading this......granite is Natural stone....it is beautiful.....and it will last forever! Not to mention how much value it adds to your home.

Technological advances have meant significant improvements in how granite is mined, processed and shipped around the world.

There are other sustainability attributes of granite that are important to note:

• In spite of recent reports to the contrary, independent scientific reports have proven that granite is safe for use in the home.
  
• Granite needs only soap and water to be kept clean.....no harmful chemicals necessary


• It is the last surface you should ever need.....what would you ever want to "upgrade"to after you have granite, anyway?


• And if you did decide you really want to go back to laminate counter tops, granite is recyclable......it's rock, remember?

How does Mr. Marble pony up to the "green" table once you have put your trust in us to fabricate your dream kitchen and bath counter tops?

• We have you select your perfect slabs from local distributors or our very own shop


• We carefully determine the optimum layout of the cuts on each slab so that little is wasted


• Waste is recycled into erosion control material


• Mr. Marble is a wet shop........all cutting, grinding and polishing is done with water so that we avoid silica dust being released into the atmosphere


• We recycle our water........and we capture rainwater to use in our production process.

Is there more that we can do? You bet! And we will continue to grow in our "greenness" because it's not about who cares?....it's about who cares! Let me know if you have any ideas to share : curt@mrmarbleusa.com