April 5th, 2009
Big Sink With Big Style
Paul and Kristen have been in their dream home for many years now, but they weren’t dreamy about the black laminate countertops in their otherwise beautiful kitchen. Kristen has imparted her fabulous artistic touches throughout the home’s open interior, but the plastic sink the builder installed could not look less inspired. It had to get kicked to the curb. They chose to integrate a large zero-radius sink into the island top. The counters are two inches thick with a square edge detail, and a cantilevered overhang for counter stools. The concrete is a gray-green color developed for them that we call sharkskin. The results are stunning.
“Our counters look like a piece of art. They are the best feature in our kitchen.” -P. Schlosser, Maineville, OH
March 1st, 2009
Oakwood Charm Works Well With Concrete
This 1920’s Oakwood, Ohio home had plenty of original charm but the kitchen was stuck in the ’80’s. A previous remodel had cramped the working area to allow the inclusion of a breakfast table. In this total remodel by counterevolution we opened up the layout by moving the peninsula, adding a breakfast bar counter to replace the table, and relocating the frige next to the pantry. The cabinetry is Kraftmaid Putnam in maple from Modern Builder Supply. The countertops are 1-1/2″ thick concrete with our permanent reactive sealer system. The last photo shows the fridge location before the recent remodel.
November 24th, 2008
Farmhouse Revisited: Zero-Radius Vanity Top
Clean lines inside and out on this vanity top. It is 2″ thick, with a 6″ deep zero-radius sink. This 49″ model can transcend design styles. “Here it’s installed in a 120 year old farmhouse,” says Jeff Robinson of counterevolution, “but this piece would work great in a contemporary, or Asian inspired design, too.” This model, and other concrete sinks can be seen in the showroom at our new concrete studio in Moraine, Ohio.
September 10th, 2008
Centerville Family’s Kitchen Grows With Concrete
When Joanna and Jim bought their tri-level in Centerville a few years ago they knew there would be changes coming. Now, after adopting three young children, they’ve built the environmentally sensitive kitchen of their dreams to help manage the big family meals. These busy parents came to counterevolution to shop for concrete countertops. Still frustrated following a visit to the home center’s kitchen department, they asked us for assistance designing, and building their project. We were happy to help. We have over two decades of kitchen building experience to draw upon, and can provide complete design/build project management services. The new layout opens up the eating area to the working spaces, and adds a 7′ long built-in sidebar. Other features of their expanded kitchen include concrete countertops, of course, fluorescent recessed lighting, engineered cork flooring, and reutilized appliances.
August 3rd, 2008
Log home’s owners choose concrete
A Xenia township couple have been building their dream home, a log home in the country. They have completed much of the construction on their own, just in time for their first child’s arrival. Some of their more challenging work has come here at the end of the project: Finding the right materials to complete the interior decor without distracting from the primative appeal of the homes architecture. They wanted to to use a concrete vanity top. Here at counterevolution we matched the color of our premium concrete mix to the dark gray grout used in the slate-tiled shower in their master suite. The bird’s-eye maple vanity base was beautifully crafted by the new baby’s Grandfather. Here at counterevolution we’re proud to be a part of this family project.
June 18th, 2008
Blue glass collector goes green with concrete
counterevolution recently installed this set of concrete kitchen countertops for a couple in Dayton’s College Hill neighborhood. The owners of this home, built in 1929, wanted to maintain the original English cottage-style aestetic, and elected not to replace the original cabinetry with its round-end peninsula. They chose to incorporate recycled cobalt blue glass in a concrete mix that included local river sand, and other recycled content. The countertops were the latest addition to their cobalt blue glass bottle, and vase collection that will decorate the completed kitchen.
“….we LOVE the countertops, what amazing work you have done.” EE & RE, Dayton, OH.
April 9th, 2008
Concrete sink with an American primitive style.
Thoughts of designing with concrete often bring to mind images of a slick modern, or contemporary industrial style. The Old Dominion Farm lav sink will open a few minds to using concrete sinks in historic homes.
A local antiques dealer recently comissioned a wall mounted concrete sink for a bathroom remodel at her 1859 Lebanon, Ohio farmhouse. She wanted the style to be minimal, and the construction details to reflect the uncomplicated rural craftsmanship of the mid-1800’s.
The overall size is 20″ x 13″ x 71/2″ with a 6″ deep basin. The zero-radius interior has a tapered bottom, and a flush, center-mounted drain strainer. The sink was cast with a high-performance concrete mix designed to capture some bubbles in the outside walls of the sink. The interior was finished for easy cleaning, and sealed with a satin finish, low maintanence, reactive sealer. The result was a very happy customer with a wall mounted vessel that appears to have been carefully crafted, a hundred and fifty years ago.
This model included a steel mounting bracket that was hidden behind the drywall. This sink design will adapt easily for use on an open wood stand, as a countertop mounted vessel, or it can be integrated into a concrete vanity top.
January 31st, 2008
Concrete Countertops At MBS Design Center, Dayton, OH
Update September 2008- New photos with new cabinets installed.
Counter Evolution recently completed the initial installation of the new coffee bar at the Modern Builder Supply Design Center showroom off of Stanley Ave. in Dayton, OH. “I love the section with the recycled glass,” said Jodi Wells of MBS. The three-piece installation includes post-consumer recycled bottle glass exposed in a medium gray concrete, with charcoal end sections.
