Lexington outdoor kitchen in Black Motion leathered granite

This one's an outdoor kitchen in Lexington, built into a stone-clad structure that was still under construction when we set the tops. The base is wrapped in stone veneer, with an U-shaped layout and a raised bar counter off the main run. Stainless cutouts are already in place for the grill and the rest of the appliances. It's the kind of setup built for cooking outside and having people around while you do it.

We cut it in Black Motion granite with a leathered finish. Black granite reads deep and dark, and the leathering is what makes it work outdoors. Instead of a high-gloss polish that shows every water spot and every bit of glare from the sun, the leathered finish has a soft texture with a low sheen. You run your hand across it and feel a little movement in the surface. It hides fingerprints and smudges, and it holds up to the weather better than a mirror polish would.

Granite is the right call for a kitchen that lives outside. It's hard, it takes heat off a grill without a worry, and it doesn't fade in the sun the way some materials do. Set a hot pan down, no problem. Sealed properly, it shrugs off rain and the odd spill. The dark color pairs against the stone veneer base for a look that feels solid and grounded, not fussy.

The edge is a standard eased profile, just a slight softening of the top edge. On an outdoor bar where drinks and elbows land all day, an eased edge is easy to clean and there's nothing sharp to catch on. It keeps the whole thing looking clean and simple, which is what you want when the stone and the stonework are doing the talking.

Templating an outdoor kitchen like this takes some care, especially with the raised bar counter and the U shape thats trapped between columns. We want the seams tight and the overhangs right so the bar reads as one piece. Once the structure's finished around it, this'll be a spot that gets used hard and holds up for years, right here in Lexington.