Design Dispatch:

Some design decisions are easy to change later.

This isn’t one of them.

Choosing the right slab is less about what looks good in the moment, and more about what holds up over time.

When clients ask me what stone they should choose, I do not start with the material. I start with questions.

How do you live in your kitchen?
Do you want something that stays pristine, or something that evolves over time?
Are you someone who will notice every mark, or not think twice about it?

Because the right slab is rarely about the stone itself. It is about how you want to live with it.

Most of what you see in magazines and on Pinterest falls into four categories: quartzite, granite, marble, or quartz. Each has its place, but they are often misunderstood.

One of the most common points of confusion is quartz versus quartzite.

Quartz is manmade. It is crushed stone mixed with resin and pigment, engineered for consistency. It is surprisingly resilient, but not as strong as natural stone. Because it contains resin, it can discolor or become damaged under prolonged heat exposure, but it is nonporous and does not require sealing unlike stone.

Quartzite is natural stone, quarried from the earth and valued for its durability. It performs virtually the same as granite; is dense, durable & sealing is recommended, especially for lighter slabs.

Below left is "Taj Mahal" quartz, Taj Mahal quartzite on right.

If low maintenance is the priority, quartzite and granite are usually my top recommendations. They are incredibly durable and tend to perform well long term, even in heavily used kitchens.

Quartz is a close second, though I generally prefer it in bathrooms rather than kitchens due to heat and food acids. It is a robust material, but if longevity is the goal, natural stone almost always wins out.

Marble is a different conversation entirely.

It is softer, but that is not a flaw.

It allows the surface to develop a patina over time that many people find beautiful. I tend to recommend it for clients who do not mind some evolution, especially in kitchens that are used often and lived in fully. Honed finishes also tend to be far more forgiving than polished.

There has also been a meaningful shift recently with the introduction of a product called Anti-Etch. Applied by a certified installer, these treatments seal marble in a way that significantly reduces staining and etching. One caveat though, it can change the look of the marble, which is worth a discussion; however, it is one of the first real solutions that allows clients to choose marble with far more confidence.

Even with all of that, there is no single best choice.

The right material depends on the client, the vision for the space, the budget, and how that space will be used long term.

Because the real decision is not about performance alone.

It is about how you want to live with it.

If you are in the middle of making finish selections, I also shared more thoughts on what is shaping luxury bathrooms right now, along with some practical guidance on selecting tile that will actually hold up over time over on the blog.

In the Mix:

Green has quietly become one of the most versatile colors in interiors, but as with any color, it is also easy to get wrong.

Most people tend to go too safe or too bright. Paint chips tend to reward brighter colors, which is often why greens that feel beautiful in the store can become overwhelming once they are on the wall.

Undertone matters more than most people realize.

Some greens lean too yellow. Others feel muddy or cold depending on the light and surrounding materials. There is no universal “perfect green,” but there are a few that consistently perform well across very different styles of homes.

​Rosepine is one of them.

It is a grounded mid-tone green that never feels too bright or too flat. We used it in a recent craftsman remodel, and it carried the weight of the space without making it feel heavy. It works equally well with traditional palettes and warmer combinations like rust, peach, and soft blush tones. It is also a strong option for an exterior door when you want a little more presence without feeling trendy.

That project was recently featured in Sunset for its use of color, which felt especially rewarding and reinforced just how timeless and versatile the shade really is.

Louisburg Green is quieter.

It sits in a softer grey-green range and can almost read as a neutral in the right setting. We selected it for cabinetry in an upcoming Scandinavian-inspired project that is minimal, layered, and restrained. I could just as easily see it in a colonial home paired with crisp whites and muted blues.

Different homes, different applications, but both greens hold their own over time.

If you are considering green anywhere, whether on cabinetry, walls, or even an exterior moment, these are worth keeping in mind.

If you are in the middle of a paint decision spiral, I rounded up several other greens and blues that tend to hold up beautifully over time here.

Off the Clock:

The garden that finally worked.

We used to have traditional raised beds.

For a while, they worked. Over time, they became more maintenance than reward. Between the weeds and inconsistent yields, it stopped making sense for the amount of effort required. To put it succinctly: our input was not matching the output.

So we shifted.

A few years ago, we converted that space into perennial flower beds and approached our vegetables differently.

Now we grow everything in large mesh bags set on casters.

It is simple, but the adaptation changed everything.

We can plant earlier in the season, move them into protected areas when temperatures drop, and adjust placement as needed throughout the year.

This year we planted a small salsa garden. Five types of tomatoes, a couple varieties of beans, and cilantro. I’m still working on how to keep the cilantro from bolting, so if you’ve figured that out, let me know.

The beans are already producing. We’ve had two meals from them, and it’s only early May. The tomatoes are close behind.

It’s not a large garden, and it’s not complicated.
But it fits how we live now, which matters more.

Some seasons call for more. This one doesn’t.

And for now, that’s exactly enough.
​

UNRELATED, BUT-

Spending more time in the garden lately has forced me to finally take sun protection more seriously.

After a recent dermatology appointment, I went down a rabbit hole on UPF-rated clothing and found a hat I am now slightly obsessed with.

Chris calls it my bonnet.😎

It is lightweight and has just enough stretch to stay in place without feeling tight. The kind of piece you forget you are wearing, which is exactly what you want when you are outside for hours at a time.

I have other hats, but this one has definitely become the one I am reaching for the majority of the time.

Sharing it here in case you are spending more time outside this season too.

Until next time,

🤍

Lisa

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This newsletter is meant to support and inspire you in the world of design and home—not as a business venture, but as a way to share insights, ideas, and resources I truly believe in. Occasionally, it may include affiliate links, which help support my work at no extra cost to you. I only share products and tools I genuinely believe will be useful to my readers.