YouTube star Justin Tse features Silestone in impressive condo redesign

Justin Tse is a YouTube star specializing in tech who calls beautiful Victoria, BC home. With over 726K subscribers on the platform, Justin takes pride in sharing the latest in tech with his highly engaged audiences. When he’s not partnering with Porche or showcasing the newest Apple release, Justin can be found working on the design of his investment properties. His most recent project is an extraordinary condo in downtown Victoria with sweeping views of the city. We caught up with Justin to learn more about this stunning project featuring Silestone surfaces.

Tell us a bit about what the kitchen looked like before and how you envisioned it would turn out.

From the second I came across this property, I saw the huge potential of opportunity to refresh it into a clean and modern space. The bones were definitely there, with large, curved windows spanning the central area and panoramic views of mountains from downtown. But, with the mix of bland tile and wood floors, a disproportioned kitchen, and an evident laundry door, it was the perfect opportunity to open the entire space to even out the presence of the natural light with a beautiful kitchen.

What was the design inspo behind the kitchen?

After going with a modern industrial approach for my office loft kitchen, I wanted to go with a more traditional style in this vacation rental and investment property remodel. Starting with warm tones in the wood selection, the crisp white paint and white quartz countertops were a breath of fresh air for the unit. The kitchen’s inspiration was to open up the main wall and focus on a unified and seamless design that saw an integrated fridge and hood fan. This allowed the single-piece Silestone backsplash and transitioning countertop to stand out. This seamless design is also carried over into the double waterfall island that houses some rounded slatting detail.

Why did you choose Silestone’s Et. Calacatta Gold for this project?

The Silestone Et. Calacatta Gold is always an easy choice for a clean and elegant quartz finish with beautiful lines and subtle touches of gold. With a warm undertone, the Calacatta Gold ties together nicely with the white walls, while the gold hints link with the flooring and millwork. The polished finish allows the natural light to bounce off it, beautifully drawing attention to the backsplash and waterfall island features.

What I like most about Silestone is the colour selection and engineering behind high the brand’s quality products and finishes that suit projects of varying styles. From the Suede and Polished finishes, large slab formats, and tile options, I’ve had experience with different textures and finishes from Silestone on multiple projects and have enjoyed it each time. Quartz is the material of the future thanks to its extreme durability and natural stone look, and the Silestone product excels in every way. 

What are a few must-haves when designing/renovating a kitchen?

Despite doing three renovation projects in the last two years, each one had its own unique characteristic features and a few elements that carried over into this redesign. Waterfall island countertops are always a great feature to elevate a new kitchen. Integrated hood fans, whether seamless or standalone, give each kitchen a signature look, while panel-ready appliances are another must-have, in my opinion. The waterfall countertops and integrated hood fans are areas that I skipped in my first kitchen project, but I am glad that I have included them in my projects to follow.

My favourite part of the kitchen is the waterfall countertop island and how open of a layout we could achieve compared to the original kitchen. A double waterfall island is something I have always wanted to do. The kitchen is the first thing you see when you walk into the space; it looks incredible and provides a durable surface compared to millwork in a high-traffic area. With the large format slabs, the same piece was able to flow from one side to the other with the veining perfectly aligned.  

What tips or tricks do you have for individuals to make a space functional yet beautiful?

Tying it into one of my favourite overall parts of this kitchen, the tips and tricks I have for individuals looking to design a kitchen is to be creative with the layout. Think about the key features for your ideal kitchen and put together a wish list, from there to see how the layout can be opened up and reformatted to suit your visual and functional interests. I always like to make the space (especially in condos) feel as large, seamless, and open as possible. Once the kitchen is completed, feature decor and stylish countertop appliances to really make it your own.