Granite counter swings around to become breakfast bar

Sunset, Jan, 1988

Granite counter swings around to become breakfast bar

The stone age has returned--or so it might seem in this remodeled kitchen. Architect Dan Mello of Redondo Beach, California, used speckled granite (gray, black, and white) for the stain-, burn-, and scratch-resistant surfaces of the counter and backsplash of Barbara and Al Thomas's Palos Verdes kitchen.

Elsewhere in the kitchen, blacks, grays, whites, and stainless steel's silver complement the stone's natural colors. The counter snakes around three walls of the kitchen, then makes a U-turn to form a seating area. Behind the four-stool breakfast bar, a double-doored pantry tucks into one corner of the room.

Photo: Gleaming counter--matched by backsplash--doubles back to become galley for breakfasts, snacks. Louvered doors hide triangular pantry

Photo: U-shaped seating area has built-in bar sink. High-gloss surfaces (lacquer on cabinets; aluminum, steel, and glass on applicances) reflect light from twin skylights, windows at each end of room