There is something about vintage design that is so appealing even in today’s modern world. Having a vintage kitchen design, especially in an older home, creates a beautiful and nostalgic aesthetic. Even if you don’t want to go all out with a vintage theme, adding elements of vintage design throughout your kitchen will create a warm and comforting effect. One of the best ways to achieve this vintage feeling is with granite countertops. Here are some techniques in your granite countertop selection and design to achieve the vintage look.
Color and Pattern
Part of the reason granite countertops continue to be a popular design choice for many homeowners is the timelessness of the stone. Granite has been used for centuries as flooring, counters, walls, columns, and more. Depending on what era of vintage you are going for, there are different options for your colors and patterns.
In ancient palaces, it was common to see pink, rose, and gold colored granite on every surface. If you are going for an old world vintage design in your kitchen, choose these warm rose hues is the way to go. The veining should have flecks of gold throughout to promote a sense of luxury that the leaders of the ancient world were going for. Combine the rose shaded granite with warm wood cabinets and flooring to accentuate the richness of the granite.
If you want to fast forward a few thousand years, granite is still being used in homes, restaurants, and stores as a countertop. However, the design trend in granite for decades was much cooler and neutral than of the ancient world. For a long time, the trend with granite was soft shades of cream, gray, beige, and brown. Incorporating these colors into your granite countertops will take your kitchen to an age of nostalgia at the turn of the century and for a few decades afterwards.
The base color of the granite should be those light creams, beiges, and grays. Choose a base color that best matches your kitchen design in this color family. From there, you can choose veining of black or brown to add some depth and darkness to the stone, but keep this minimal. Stick with the neutral color family with off-white shades to keep that vintage look. This vintage granite design works best with light cabinets of white or gray.
Edge Profile
The edge you choose for your granite countertop will contribute to the vintage look and aesthetic you are trying to achieve. A beveled countertop edge profile is the best to highlight the vintage quality of the granite you chose. There are a few different bevel sizes available, but the best for a true vintage look is a ¾ inch bevel. The ¾ inch bevel has a long slant in the top of the edge along with a short bottom half. This edge works so well because it slants the pattern of the stone downwards, highlighting the beauty and movement the vintage coloring and graining presents. The slant of the bevel helps promote an elegance to the stone as well, perfectly matching the elegance of a vintage past.
Vintage Details
Now that you have the actual vintage pieces of the granite decided on, it is time to highlight the aesthetic of the granite with details. One of the first details that will further accent the vintage design is installing a vintage faucet to match the granite. Stainless steel or a dark brown brass complement the vintage design. Choose a faucet with four pronged white knob handles to complete the vintage look. As well as the faucets, you want the lighting above the granite to not only highlight the beauty but match the vintage appeal. Choose fixtures that carry that vintage look, but that do not vary to radically from the other fixtures in your home.