Inside Houzz: The Right Kitchen Counters in Just a Few Clicks
John and Becky Trochimowicz’s suburban Pennsylvania kitchen was divided from the family room and breakfast area by a peninsula so long and imposing, it functioned like a culinary Berlin Wall. When John was cooking, it was hard for anyone else to get in or out. “Everybody likes to hang out in the kitchen, but it wasn’t big enough for everything we wanted to do,” says Becky, a family physician.
Clearly, the peninsula had to go. At the same time, the Trochimowiczes wanted to replace the granite counters, which were nice but similar to what you’d find in a lot of suburban kitchens, and not quite as edgy as the couple would have liked. “I always thought concrete looked great,” recalls Becky. “But I couldn’t find it anywhere.” Even though her town of Malvern is only 23 miles from Philadelphia, neither her contractor nor her cabinetmaker knew anyone who fabricated concrete counters. “They kept trying to push quartz,” she says.
On a whim she went on Houzz and typed “concrete counters” into the search bar. That’s when she discovered Jayme Guokas.
Guokas is the owner of Craftwork Home, a Philadelphia business that specializes in custom cabinetry and concrete counters. Becky at first had no idea you could find professionals on Houzz, but she admired Guokas’ work. “I loved the little details he did,” she says. “I saw they were in Philadelphia and saw that I could get the rest of his information on [Houzz]. So that’s how I contacted him.”
Once Becky’s new cabinets were installed, Guokas came out and made templates for the concrete counters.Then he returned to his Philadelphia studio, where he poured the counters and let them cure for several weeks before returning to install them.
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AFTER: John, a physical therapist, and Becky (shown here) asked Guokas to tint the concrete gray-green to better coordinate with their other finishes. Set atop the new island and surrounding counters, the concrete has a mottled industrial finish that feels much more contemporary than the granite that preceded it. “It urbanizes the suburbs, basically,” says Becky.
At Becky’s request, Guokas included an integrated drainboard and undermounted sink, which look sleek and make cleanup easier.
Becky liked the little glass inlays that Guokas incorporates into his work, and gave the artisan free rein to include them where he wanted. “I appreciated that she let me have some creative freedom,” says Guokas, who acquires the remnants from a friend who works in stained glass, and inserts them into the edges of the counter and inside the sink in seemingly random ways. “I try to have it relate to the design of the kitchen in one way or another,” he explains.
Even scraps of aluminum get the inlay treatment, making the counter feel like a work of art, not just a utilitarian surface.
The new island is open to traffic on both sides, making it much less confining than the peninsula it replaced. Level changes help distinguish cooking and eating areas; the latter offers ample seating for the Trochimowiczes’ two children, as well as family and friends.
The homeowners were so happy with the way the counters turned out, they invited Guokas to return a month later and replace the granite on the remaining counter as well. This time they opted for a slightly darker finish, to reflect the different color of the wood below and to help delineate the kitchen’s different work zones.
Not only did Becky and John get the look they wanted, but Guokas’ counters were about one-third the price of quartz.
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Learn more about Guokas’ counter construction process
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