ABOVE:
Sonora Gold Leather Silestone Leather countertops in a matte finish are at the heart of the Smith home in Houston’s Memorial area. The kitchen opens to the breakfast area, where French doors open to the pool and outdoor living area

Betsy Smith pored over armloads of coffee-table
books on Italian villas and homes before settling
on the elements of style she wanted for her new
home in Houston’s Memorial area. The arched
doorways and charming courtyards of Tuscany,
in particular, caught her eye.

“I really liked the stone courtyards with fountains and wrought iron,” she says. “I was interested in outdoor living areas,” she says, “and I was into high ceilings, but not too high — no two-story ceilings — and I
wanted lots of wood.”

She also liked the open concept of modern homes. “I wanted a house without a lot of rooms,” she says.
She and her architect, Ken Newberry of Newberry and Campa Design Studio, decided that his design of her house should be informed and inspired by the ancient houses of Tuscany.

“The style suited her needs and family,” Newberry says. “She wanted a relaxed, comfortable house. She liked the materials of Tuscan architecture: stucco, heavy woods, clay tile roof and mix of stones.”

ABOVE:
Rustic wooden shutters bring a Tuscan look to a guest bath. The sink’s countertop is Yellow Nile Leather Silestone.

ENTER SILESTONE
Because Smith is a busy working mom with two teen-agers, the house had to be livable and low maintenance, as well as beautiful. That’s why she chose Silestone for her kitchen and bath countertops. She even put Silestone countertops in the outdoor living room, which is connected to her main house by a covered walkway.

“Silestone is maintenance free and easy to care for,” Smith says. “At most, all you need to do to clean is wipe it with damp cloth or sponge it with soap and water.”

Made of natural quartz, Silestone is one of the toughest materials on Earth, so it resists stains, scratching and scorching, and it never needs sealing, waxing or polishing.

The color palette and pattern choices for Silestone made it an even more attractive option for Smith’s countertops. Silestone comes in more than 56 colors and offers a new veined color collection called the River Series and a new matte leather finish that Smith knew would look smashing in her kitchen, which is open to the breakfast room and great room.

To help coordinate colors and acquire furnishings, Smith hired Cheryl Jackson, friend and interior designer of Interior Impressions, who had helped her with the interiors of a previous home.

For the kitchen countertops, they chose Sonora Gold Leather Silestone. “Betsy loves yellow gold,” Jackson says, “so we pulled a little bit of that into each room. The golds and the terra cottas happen to work well
with the Tuscan feel.”

Newberry appreciates how the matte Silestone in kitchen and baths complement the rustic look of the heavy woods, stone and stucco he had specified for the house. Silestone Leather “is still very new,” Newberry says. “It’s not well known yet, but I think the more that
clients find out about it and see that style, they’ll start using it more. I love Silestone. It’s a great product that’s very doable with the material selection we have and for most of the styles we do.”

ABOVE:
Tigris Sand Leather Silestone tops the bathroom vanity adjacent to a bedroom.

PLANS TO REALITY
Builders Kathy and Dan Sprouse of Sprouse House took the house from blueprints to reality, while Jackson helped Smith acquire furnishings and design details to complete the look of the house.

“Tuscan style is very popular right now,” Jackson says, “but we didn’t want to go all Italian. We wanted more of an eclectic mix.” Retailers who had furniture for the look they sought include Balinskas Architectural Imports, Bungalow Antiques and El Portan.

Smith, sitting in her finished home at the breakfast table, surveys her view of the kitchen, great room, pool and outdoor living pavilion and admits, “This is probably my favorite area.” Very few walls interrupt the space where her family lives and plays.

“I like to cook, and I like to have dinner here,” Smith says. Recently she hosted a dinner for her daughter and 40 of her friends. “I have had several parties and everyone always ends up around the island,” she
says, “so I wanted a nice kitchen.” Her Silestone countertop on the island is at the heart of it all.

On second thought, Smith says her favorite place might be the outdoor living area, with fireplace, next to the pool. “I was out there the other evening, and the fire was going, and it was pretty nice,” she says.
Flanking the fireplace, Silestone countertops in a limestone look are a key design element that dress up her outdoor living room.

ABOVE:
The Smiths’ chihuahua, Texas, enjoys lounging by the fire in the outdoor living room. Capri Limestone Silestone tops the cabinets flanking the fireplace.

MORE BENEFITS
“As public awareness of Silestone and all its benefits increases, more people are finding ways to use Silestone in other areas of the home, such as bath surrounds, shower walls, floors, vanities and fireplace
surrounds,” says Jeff Bednarz, general manager of Stone Systems of Houston, the regional fabrication facility of Silestone. The company has
grown more than 300 percent since 2001, he says, in response to demand for the product.

The company continually is developing and offering new colors. “Silestone has the largest selection of quartz surface colors in the U.S.,” Bednarz says. Three of Silestone’s new Mountain Range colors are the world’s
first five-color mix process in quart surfacing that adds depth and character for a new three-dimensional look.

All Silestone countertops now have the new antimicrobial protection of Microban, which is integrated into the product during the manufacturing process, making the entire product resistant to bacteria, mold and fungi that can cause stain and odors. It also is certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF 51) for use in food preparation areas and the Greenguard
Environmental Institute for emitting low-to-no-emissions (off gassing) of toxic chemicals into the indoor environment.

“Silestone is now the cleaner, safer kitchen for your home,” Bednarz says.

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This month’s In the Spotlight is sponsored by Silestone of Houston, 1.866.COUNTERTOP or www.silestoneusa.com. Available though local certified Silestone installers and The Home Depot

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