Let’s Get Stone’d

By Brenda Lange
The Lukens kitchen and bath

“You name it, we did it,” is how John Lukens explains the remodel of his 1954 ranch home in Lafayette Hill.

In addition to adding a family room and master bedroom suite, John and his wife Kathleen renovated most of the rest of the house in the span of just a few months. Now that they’re actually living there, they love everything about it.

That happiness extends to the new kitchen and master bath where they installed granite counters from Let’s Get Stone’d in Warrington. The couple worked with a kitchen designer in renovating their L-shaped kitchen, who recommended LGS from the beginning.

“She had them do work in her house and knew others too who had good experiences with LGS,” says John Lukens. “So we tried them out.”

The new dark cherry cabinets, Brazilian cherry floors, and brushed stainless hardware and appliances are beautifully set off by their choice of Paradisio-bash granite. The blue-gray stone is accented by salmon-colored swirls, which add a depth and richness. “We had originally picked out a lighter color, but we talked to Adam Karp at LGS and chose this color from the samples in the yard,” says Lukens. “We couldn’t be happier.”

Even though LGS is about a half-hour’s drive from their home, they decided to visit the shop on their designer’s word. The fabricator they worked with from LGS had to make the trip twice to double check measurements after the Lukens bought a new slide-in range and were anxious about the original measurements. They followed Karp’s advice on the cut of granite to use, but wanted special attention paid to the island slab.

“Our counters are broken up by the sink, refrigerator and stovetop,” explains Lukens. “So we felt the island would be the room’s focal point, and we wanted that piece of the slab to be perfect. It is the focal point, and it is perfect.”

The 5×3 rectangular island seats two and the couple often uses it as a breakfast bar. The cherry base offers additional storage with cabinets and drawers. Track lights above the island set it off even more and illuminate the bright white tile used as a backsplash along the main counter.

The blue-gray coloring is carried over into the furnishings and window treatments in the new family room, which opens up into the kitchen. The cherry floor was carried over as well, making the two rooms appear as one large gathering space.

The couple loved the kitchen granite so much, they decided to use it in their new master bath as well. The Paradisio-bash was again paired with dark cherry cabinetry with stainless knobs. Additional granite pieces were used to create the sill to the large, 5×4 walk-in shower with glass doors, two granite shower seats and two soap dishes.

“When we find something we like, we just stick with it,” Lukens says.

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Let’s Get Stone’d sells granite, marble, travertine and limestone and is a member of the Marble Institute of America, the trade organization that sets the industry standard for quality craftsmanship. They specialize in providing the highest-quality granite at the best possible price with stellar customer service.

Brenda Lange is a Doylestown-based freelance writer.
www.brendalange.com