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Many confuse quartz and quartzite countertops, thinking they’re more similar than different. Actually, they are two very different materials. Let’s dive into what each are and their differences.

Quartzite

Let’s start with quartzite. Quartzite is a natural rock. A quartzite countertop (as seen in the pictures below) begins as sandstone, which undergoes a natural process of heat and pressure and then fused with quartz crystals. Quartzite has a glassy appearance and resembles marble in some cases. This generally desirable appearance has made quartzite one of the most popular countertop materials. Quartzite typically comes in shades of white or light grey.

Quartz

A quartz countertop (as seen in the picture below) is made with the same crystals found in quartzite, but a man-made process binds the crystal with resins, pigments, and other materials like bits of glass. This process results in a more versatile and durable material that comes in a wide variety of colors and designs.

More Differences

The stylistic differences are remarkable too. Quartzite is sometimes mistaken for marble or granite, so if you’re looking for a natural look with movement, you’ll want a quartzite countertop. Quartz can be made to look like any stone though and is offered in many shades and patterns. If you have a specific color or pattern in mind, quartz is the material you’ll want to choose.

Cool Smart Home Features for Your Kitchen & Bath

Another big difference is the care routine and resilience. Quartz is extremely durable so it’s a hard surface that’s non-porous and resistant to chipping, scratching, and bacteria. Quartzite is not as dense as quartz and prone to easily staining in a heavy-use area like the kitchen.

If you love to have several choices and a consistent look to your countertops, the first option might be the material for you. However, if you don’t mind a little upkeep in exchange for a natural appearance, then quartzite will be perfect for you.

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If you’re looking for a design feature for a dynamic factor for your home, consider a live edge wood element. “Live edge” refers to the natural edge left on a piece of wood. Instead of the sharp, clean lines in more traditional wooden elements, live edge keeps the natural beauty of the tree. Other natural characteristics of the wood like knots and cracks usually remain  the way they are as additional features of the live edge. These designs help bring the outdoors into your home.

Unique & Diverse

Live edge is very diverse. You can do so many things with it. Here at Cabex, we use live edge for shelving, kitchen countertops, and even 400-pound closet barn doors. Live edge wood is also great for desks, bar tops, coffee tables, and wood art.

> Nominate Cabex for Herald-Tribune Readers’ Choice 2023

This wood is uniquely crafted by hand, including coating, staining, and finishing. There aren’t any changes made to the original look and texture of the wood, but they fill in the knots so that the surface is even.

> Cabex Project with Live Edge Wood at the Ritz

Work of Art

The term “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” applies here when it comes to live edge. It’s made from discarded wood. When thrown out wood is used to create a work of art, everyone benefits, including the environment. This is because live edge furniture is not made from freshly cut down trees, but from trees already cut down. With nature as a trending inspiration, many homeowners love this live edge look.

So Natural

Wood can’t get any more natural than live edge. Once they cut the bark, the underneath of the wood is exposed; live edge wood leaves the lines intact, leaving the wood in its raw and organic form. Each piece has its own unique style.

> Who Will Design Your Space?

Not many know about the uniqueness of live edge, but it’s gaining popularity with designers who are excited to incorporate it into their designs. More homeowners want that natural, unique design style, and live edge is exactly that.

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Elmwood is a custom, high-end cabinetry brand with a reputation for fine craftsmanship that stretches back to 1973. The Elmwood team of artisans and experts lends a unique human touch to every project, working with designers to help create iconic kitchens, baths, and built-in cabinets for consumers and lovers of beauty and refinement.

Examples of Elmwood Door Styles

Inspiring Creativity

As creators of custom high-end cabinetry, Elmwood’s goal is to inspire the world’s most visionary designers. To fuel that inspiration, they search for the finest and most authentic materials the planet has to offer. Elmwood  seeks out textures that resonate and innovations that impress, and they do it all to give substance to the latest, most exciting trends in interior design.

> Full Home Remodel at Beneva Pines

Elmwood’s seasoned craftspeople take immense satisfaction in bringing even the most complex projects to life. Since 1973, Elmwood has proudly preserved the tradition of custom cabinetmaking in its purest form. Human craftsmanship, backed by the latest technology, is always front and center. Every project is a unique masterwork in the making.

Examples of Elmwood Wood Species

The Elmwood Kitchen

You’ll love the refinement in everything from the impeccable finish to the robust cabinet assembly, plus all the customization options for giving your kitchen the authentic look and feel you want. With Elmwood, you’ll know you’ve made the right choice, the choice of a premium product you’ll appreciate every day, for many years to come.

Examples of Elmwood Finishes

If you can dream it, then we can make it. Whether it is a media center, wine cellar, kitchen, bathroom, or an outdoor kitchen, we have the style and the budget to suit all your individual flare and design requirements. There is something for everyone. Our qualified design team can help you design your cabinetry requirements to replace existing cabinets or design your dream kitchen or bathroom where cabinets are used as the focal point.

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While selecting materials for your remodel, chances are, you’ll be eyeing quartz for your countertops. Natural quartz is a favorite for homeowners because of its high-glamour styles, eclectic color choices, and life-long durability. New in our showroom is Q Premium Natural Quartz from MSI, the hub of luxury vinyl tile, porcelain and ceramic tile, quartz countertops, natural stone countertops, and tile. Subsequently, looking for the perfect quartz countertop can’t be any easier with our towering displays of Premium Natural Quartz samples.

Q Premium Natural Quartz embodies modern elegance with the perfect mixture of natural and manufactured materials for beautiful style and functional performance. With over 90 scratch, heat, and stain-resistant styles, these countertops are perfect even for a busy kitchen space. Marble-look quartz from this collection takes a style cue from marble, right down to their pretty realistic veining and intriguing movement.

Variety of Trendy Colors & Styles

Q Premium Natural Quartz generally comes in a wide array of marble, natural, and contemporary designs. Beautiful and timeless colors from warm to cool white, light to dark gray tones, and rich creams to inviting browns enhance the look of a room no matter the design. Subtle to dramatic veins offer the look of natural marble.

Unique And Innovative Design

More than 100 designs and sleek, sophisticated finishes let you turn countertops into centerpieces. Quartz enhances how light interacts with the countertop surface, adding depth, drama, and exceptional whiteness.

> Handcrafted Glass, Ceramic & Concrete Tiles from Lunada Bay Tile

Durable

Treated and pressed, natural quartz is one of nature’s hardest minerals. Q Quartz offers a 99.9% solid, nonporous surface with superior stain, scorch, scratch, and chip resistance to stand up against the wear and tear of daily life.

Low Maintenance

Q Premium Natural Quartz requires no sealing, polishing, or reconditioning. The products are easy to care for and maintain, minimizing the need for harsh chemicals. Additionally, the natural, non-porous surface resists stains from coffee, tea, fruit juices, food coloring, and many other surface agents.

Safe

Durable and resilient, this collection of countertops is impervious to bacteria and other microorganisms. Inherently eco-friendly, Q Premium Natural Quartz is GREENGUARD, LEED, NSF, and KOSHER certified, helping contribute to safe and healthy spaces. The collection is non-toxic and void of any potentially hazardous foreign substances.

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Homeowners grow increasingly concerned with their impact on the environment. That’s why words like energy-efficient, earth-friendly, and recyclable are extremely important to the homebuilding and home renovating process.

With a green home, you not only save on your energy bills, but it’s a great way to increase your home’s value. Also, homes that carry a green certification sell faster. A sustainable renovation also gives you a cleaner lifestyle, thanks to the use of non-toxic materials.

Green home renovations are more affordable and achievable than ever. Creating a “greener,” more sustainable home can be as simple as adding a low-flush toilet. For the more extensive green remodeling project though, you’ll find so many more earth-friendly features to switch to. Let’s look at some of them.

Eco-Friendly Windows

Using materials that are sustainably sourced is important for a successful green home remodeling project. Using a double or triple-pane glass will insulate your home better. Sustainably harvested wooden frames are a great choice for eco-friendly windows. Fiberglass window frames are made from sand, a virtually limitless resource. What you should avoid are aluminum and steel, which offer little insulation, and vinyl and PVC, which are made using a highly inefficient production process.

Low VOC Paints

Common in many different paints are what are called volatile organic compounds, or “VOCs.” These are chemicals that evaporate and enter the air at ordinary room temperatures. The VOCs in interior paint come from petroleum-based solvents used in their production.

You’ll find water instead of these solvents in low VOC interior paints. Using no or low VOC interior paints lowers the number of harmful emissions entering your home, making this a great project to add to your list of eco-friendly home improvements.

> Wellness Design Trends

Replace Old Appliances

It’s important to remember that many older appliances were built without efficiency in mind. That means your refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, or washer/dryer could be sucking up excess energy by the minute.

Skylights Increase Natural Light

Try adding skylights to light your home with natural light. You can usefully place skylights in the most used areas during the day like the kitchen, living room, or guest bathroom. Remember to fit your skylights with automated blinds to block the sun when needed. Used properly, skylights can be a great eco-friendly remodeling feature for your home and help cut down on your overall electricity consumption.

> More Remodeling Tips

Reclaimed Wood Floors

Reclaimed wood is both beautiful and environmentally friendly. Using reclaimed wood preserves our trees and forests. You can use reclaimed timber to create stunning flooring, tabletops, cabinets, wood beams, doors, and stairs.

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There was a lot of new flooring on display at this year’s International Surface Event trade show that reflected the outlasting popularity of luxury vinyl, porcelain, laminate wood-look, and stone-look flooring. In general, flooring colors are warming up, with lighter grays moving aside for browner tones and more rustic finishes in both real and imitation wood and stone. The move to more waterproof products, larger tiles, and wider and longer planks continues as well. Here’s a look at a few trends you can expect this year, according to Houzz.

> The Best Flooring Options

Grays

One of the most noticeable trends in flooring for the year is the lack of cool-toned grays. Grays are still popular, but we’re seeing more grays with warmer undertones. Some designers consider that part of the so-called Japandi design trend, which combines the Japanese interior style of warm tones and natural elements with a clean, minimalist Scandinavian influence.

Luxury Vinyl

Vinyl planks and tiles seem to be everywhere, almost overshadowing the other types of flooring. Improved digital technology has resulted in more realistic imitations of wood and stone. The trend toward rigid cores in tiles and planks, along with thicker wear layers on the surface, has made these products more durable.

Laminate

If you’ve experienced only cheap laminate with its shiny plastic look and feel, you’re in luck. Today’s quality laminate flooring has come a long way. It’s still constructed of a layered composite of compressed wood fiber atop a durable fiberwood base, but improved technology means the image layer looks much more realistic. Products with bevels and an embossed texture that looks like real wood can easily compete with the best luxury vinyl planks.

Wood

For those who want the real thing, hardwood flooring is still popular. This reflects the movement away from those cool grays and toward the warmer tones, richer browns, and hand-scraped rustic surfaces. Made up of natural wood on the surface with a composite of wood fibers, particles, strands, and veneers forming the rest of the plank, engineered wood tends to be less expensive than hardwood.

Stone

Stone looks are very popular as well. Stone-like porcelain and luxury vinyl are showing up in a variety of room settings, from living rooms to laundry rooms. Natural stone also is still a durable and elegant choice. For the homeowner who wants the ultimate in luxury flooring, real marble is their best option.

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Tell us what you want to see in your home.

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Usually when we imagine a backsplash, we think tile. What about glass? A new product in our showroom will get you rethinking about your kitchen and bathroom backsplashes. That new product is an array of glass backsplashes by IMAGIO Glass Design.

IMAGIO Glass Design specializes in custom digital imagery and back-painted glass solutions for residential and commercial installations. Their products offer creative designs for any project from the interior design professional wanting to create a signature style to the homeowner looking for something new, fresh, and exciting.

A Unique Solid Glass

To really make your backsplash stand out, IMAGIO offers their backsplashes in many different forms. You can use art, photography, natural tile and stone, and patterns for that added pop of creativity. Some of their artwork comes from local and national artists such as Rocco Pisto, Dominic Pangborn, and Maria DeSimone Prascak.

> Kitchen Backsplash Design Trends

Renown photographers who lend their images include Jan Kaulins, JP Diroll, Kenneth Cole, and Will Dickey. IMAGIO has also captured the beauty of natural tile and stone and imaged it on glass. Enjoy the beauty of natural tile and stone without the hassle of grout, stains, and annual maintenance. There is also the option of glass backsplashes with a geometric pattern.

Benefits of Glass

• Easily cleanable surface: Glass is easy to wipe down, making it a great option for the backsplash where food prep can easily splash up on the backsplash while cooking.
• No grout joints to seal: With no grout, the glass not only is easier to keep clean, but it doesn’t require sealing of any kind. Popular right now is extending your countertop material up to the wall, but most natural stones like marbles and granites will require sealing, while glass will not.
• Reflectiveness: Light bounces off of ​glass, making it a great option for a kitchen with a lack of natural light.

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Incorporate it Into Your New Kitchen Design!

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On display are various design styles from traditional to contemporary to transitional and fun features like under-lit countertops, push-to-open cabinets, and cabinets with a soft, velvety feel. Our cabinet lines like Elmwood and Medallion come together to create the best kitchen and bath vignettes for you to see and touch before deciding on the best look for your home. Take a tour with us through our magnificent showroom before visiting us in person.

> Discover 2022’s Hottest Kitchen Trends

Traditional Kitchen

When you walk through our kitchen and bath showroom doors, the first display you see is our traditional kitchen. You’ll see here a hand-finished, hand-glazed, white-painted cabinet. We didn’t want it to be super bright in here, so we toned it down and used a subtle off-white tone. We also used a cocoa paint interior on our open cabinets and glass cabinets to give a two-tone finish and dimensional property on the cabinets themselves. This cabinet display, you’ll notice a polished stainless steel and painted hood manufactured by Elmwood. It’s very rare to have a cabinet manufacturer that would get into this level of detail, especially with the metals as well.

Also in this display, you’ll notice a few different types of cabinets. One is the inset cabinetry, shown on the walnut island. Inset means the drawer fronts and door fronts are inside the framing of the cabinetry instead of outside, overlapping the framing. Another option in cabinet manufacturing is a frameless cabinet, which you’ll see beside the hood. A frameless cabinet does not utilize a frame and the door on this one, which would be considered a full overlay door, is the full width of the cabinet, not allowing you to see any of the cabinet surface when the doors are closed.

Working Bathroom

In our functional bathroom, we used a black wall and a very dark floor in what would consider a very small room. You can have dark colors in a small space and not feel enclosed. In a matter of fact, dark colors can help make a small space feel a bigger. We also have here a black-painted glass door cabinet, giving us the ability to create a large amount of storage in a small amount of space without sacrificing quality and design in a small room.

The illuminated countertop and under lighting on the cabinet can be used for a variety of reasons, mainly a soft subtle light within the room itself, which can be a great feature in a master bathroom or even a guest bathroom in the sense that you’re not walking in in the middle of the night, turning a light on and blinding yourself as you walk into the room.

Very in today is the floating cabinet where you have more and more people asking for these newer modern concepts and the vanities such as the floating cabinets. This manufacturer has an array of vanity wall-mounted cabinets. They are designed and engineered to be wall-mounted, as well as carry the weight of a countertop. We used the oblique veneer on this, which has a very subtle movement and very crisp clean lines using the channel cabinets as well.

> Discover 2022’s Hottest Bathroom Trends

> Master Bath Remodel as Featured in Home & Design

> EXTRA: Cabex Showroom Bar Display

Outdoor Kitchen

We have an outdoor cabinet line called NatureKast. They’re complete weatherproof cabinets from a waterproof drawer system and interior components to the exterior doors. It’s a remarkable product and regarding the doors themselves, there are no wood pieces to rot within this cabinetry so it will last a lifetime outside.

In the exterior elements, the best part about working with NatureKast is their array of choices that they have. Unlike most outdoor cabinet line manufacturers, they have many amenities like your interior kitchens would have such as trash cabinets. They also have things that your interior kitchens will not have such as cooler cabinets, smoking egg grill cabinets, or cabinets specifically designed to house the larger grills on the market today.

Walnut Velvet Kitchen

The Elmwood cabinets in this part of our kitchen and bath showroom are a combination of a painted recessed or polished stainless steel along with brushed stainless drawer fronts. This is a natural walnut with a velvet finish. You’ll see a level of detail in this hood that you will not find in most manufacturers. Through each piece made on this hood, the grain matching goes all the way through. That is something that is very hard to pull off, and most cabinet manufacturers will not go to that extent to offer something like this in their product line.

We used a natural walnut finish with a velvet topcoat. It’s very soft and subtle to the touch. On the countertop on this display, we used a natural product known as quartzite. This particular quartzite is known as white oblivion. It appears as if smoke is coming out of the fissures and the stone itself.

Working Kitchen

In this kitchen consisting of Medallion Cabinetry, a little bit different than the standard shaker style. On display here is the Stockholm series door style, which has become really popular. It’s really neat because it has a little bit more of embellishment. The style can go either modern or a little more transitional.

Features here include countertops that are done in a leathered finish so that they have a matte finish. It has a little bit of texture, which is really interesting. We’re also showcasing a workstation here with the sink, which has multiple uses for when you’re cooking and love entertaining.

> 2022 Kitchen Trends According to Houzz

> Home Design Trends Unique to Sarasota

Wine Wall

For this wine display, we wanted to capture a few things at Elmwood that this manufacturer had in their cabinet line, one of which was their array of natural woods. Elmwood has a large selection of natural woods for a cabinet line. The rosewood here on the outside creates a border to keep this vignette all to itself. It’s a very interesting concept and design.

What we’ve done on the countertop and backdrop was incorporate some textures, so we utilized a split phase quartzite on the exterior back wall and a white high-gloss marble on the countertop itself. The lighting on this really makes the backdrop pop and sparkle within this display. Very popular today are bars and wine areas within your larger more custom homes, even in a small area such as what you’re seeing here. You can make a very large visual impact if done right with the right colors and styles even in a small space.

Non-Working Bathroom

This is a gorgeous traditional Medallion Cabinetry vignette in our kitchen and bath showroom. We incorporated beautiful backsplash on the back of this display, some very traditional glass globe lights, and a black quartz countertop. In the shower, we incorporated the same tile that we used in the backsplash into the niche. There is also a shower seat, which most people are using these days when we’re trying to design for aging in place.

Another great feature is the linear drain. There are a lot of different options of linear drains. This one in particular allows us to bring out the chrome accents, taking it from the plumbing fixture idea and putting tile on top. There are also several different ways that you can do grates as well. This one is a great way that you can utilize and feature linear drains that a lot of people are putting into these modern designs these days.

Contemporary Kitchen

In our contemporary kitchen display, we have three different upper cabinets that show you three different options on lift-ups. Two are both tap-ons but do it in completely different manners because it depends on what your need of the kitchen is as well as what you’re going to want to do with these. In addition to this, we have this great corner unit. A lot of people use blind corners for lazy Susan’s that spin around and have things fall off the back, but this is a great change to that because it’s pie-shaped and allows you to put everything in there and nothing falls off the back.

This vignette also showcases a great pantry with a diamond gloss on it. It was real wood, and then we added the gloss on top of it. It’s great for storage, and we used this wood like for the custom-built wine area as well to tie the whole space together.

Tour Our Kitchen and Bath Showroom with a Designer

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