• 5038 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60640
  • info@akbchicago.com

773.275.6275

MOODBOARDS

While navigating the design world it’s inevitable to come across various types of mood boards, but what are they? Moodboards are a compilation of finishes that compliment each other to help visualize how cohesive the materials will be together. Whether they’re digital or physically displayed before clientele; moodboards are imperative in the design process that

TREND ALERT: DARK CABINETRY

Everyone has heard and seen the timeless style of an all white kitchen; the cabinetry and countertops a pristine bright color that opens up the room and continues to be a mainstay in traditional and contemporary styles alike. Recently, newer and bolder hues have been dominating designs in the kitchen and bathroom design world. Rich

VARYING COUNTERTOP THICKNESS

The kitchen design is done, finishes have been selected and the surface material has been chosen. Now the questions stands; at what thickness should a new countertop surface be? When it comes to quartz surfaces; the standard thickness is three centimeters in order to accomodate the everyday use of a common countertop surface. As of

TREND ALERT: QUARTZ FINISHES

Throughout the past year there has been an increased interest in “rough” or “raw” surfaces in the world of quartz. What is the difference between these surface treatments in comparison to the standard polished and honed? Polished is the most standard quartz surface: easy maintenance, glossy finish and the ability to help open up a

DECORATIVE HARDWARE CHOICES

After weeks of browsing multiple showrooms and deciding what countertop, cabinetry, storage solutions and finishes are essential in creating your dream space; you realize that there’s one more step that has been overlooked. The Decorative hardware! Although it doesn’t seem like an essential thing to keep in mind when picking out various options for your

TREND ALERT: HONED SURFACES

While looking at new countertops in 2019, you’ll probably stumble across more surface finishes then the standard polished as there are a variety of countertop finishes such as: honed, polished, and raw. Although each countertop line may call these finishes different things, they are for the most part, very similar across countertop brands. In this

LET’S TALK TARIFFS

As of September 24th, 2018 the Chinese import tariffs took place on Chinese Quartz starting at an increase of 10%. As of January 1st, 2019 that will increase to 25%! This information is crucial because we here at AKB do not import Chinese Quartz so there will be no price increase on our quartz countertop

WATERFALL COUNTERTOPS

So after days of contemplating over a plethora of options you’ve finally picked out your countertops to accentuate your kitchen! But did you know that in lieu of the usual path of countertops with standard backsplash, you can also opt for a waterfall countertop? Now what is a waterfall countertop? It’s a continuation of the

QUARTZ 101

Quartz is becoming one of the most utilized countertop materials in home remodels.  Composed of about 93% natural ground quartz, It is a man-made engineered stone material, that combines the stone with resins, polymers and pigments to produce a unique color selection.  This also increases a manufacturer’s ability to produce consistent looking slabs. When viewing