I bought a place last year and what started as a straightforward project to remove a wall and redo the bathrooms spiraled into a full-on gut renovation. The kitchen turned out to be my favorite part of the design process because it really became the new center of the apartment.

I knew very little about kitchen design before starting this project so the learning curve was steep. For me, choosing hardware was the first step: I had been introduced to the E.R. Butler & Co.?s Butterfly Pulls by Ted Muehling years back and they left a huge impression on me - so when the time came I knew I had to use them.  I envisioned the creatures positioned haphazardly so they looked like they were flying freely around the room.  In my mind, that meant I wanted to create a simple and elegant world in which they could live and be the star of.
Other decisions were really easy, including my choice of plain front, minimal cabinetry, and drawers.  I wanted a floating shelf above the sink in the same material as the counter.

I wanted the appliances to all match- the handles on the fridge, dishwasher, oven, everything.  When it came to the countertop material, though, I hit a roadblock. I threw around the idea of using a marble or stone top, but I wanted the countertop surface to be the same as the backsplash (and the shelf!). I knew I did not have the patience to constantly clean up after myself in order to avoid stains on the counters and behind the stove.  And to be honest, I don't...