Michele’s Countertop Download
Countertops are an investment – not an ‘easy to swap out’ element like a toss cushion or that lamp you bought on a whim. We see them, use them, live with them every day – it’s a marriage – so understanding your tolerance for care and maintenance, how open you are to a colour commitment and where your budget sits is going to help you define your design personality and narrow your choices.
There are basically two general lanes for countertops – do you want them to whisper or do you want them to sing?
COOL AND QUIET
The quiet countertop plays the role of a great supporting actor or actress. It’s not the first thing you notice when you enter the room, so it leaves loads of room for other design elements in your space – edgy hardware, statement lighting, interesting wallpaper or art. Maybe it tones with a painted kitchen or contrasts with millwork, but it is a uniform colour. It’s beautiful and it’s good design.
Countertop shown: Quartex Simply White
BOSSY AND BOLD
This is ‘pulling on your big girl design pants’ sort of stuff: bold countertops are definitely having a minute. Installing a countertop with movement and colour, something that captures a
whole lot of design attention is gutsy and we are digging it.
Countertop shown: Arabescata Corchia
Although hesitant to ever assign rules to design, I do think one needs to be in play here: choosing a bold countertop means reigning in your other details – maybe it’s simple lighting or choosing clean hardware or quiet millwork. It means your countertop becomes where the eye lands first and becomes the loudest statement in your space. It’s a balance. Good design always is.
Countertop shown: Pink Marble
COUNTERTOPS 101
Manmade vs Au Naturel
Manmade Quartz’ like Caesarstone, Silestone and LG Viatera are all hardwearing, resilient surfaces. And they have come a long way baby – with a wide variety of colour ways, textures and finishes. Quartz is engineered with quartz crystals bound with resins, pigments and other materials to achieve whatever the intended look is. And I get its appeal in a busy household where precious things aren’t practical. Also, colour and movement are controlled so unlike natural stone, you know what you are getting when you order quartz. The sample is going to look just like what gets installed. No surprises.
Porcelain is another man-made beauty but it can be fragile. Perhaps best used in a kitchen that doesn’t see a lot of cooking or an elegant bathroom. But in the world of looking just like real stone, porcelain might arguably be the best at achieving that real stone, veined look.
Natural Stone
Granite, Marble and Soapstone are all natural offerings for countertops, each with its own virtues.
Granite is basically indestructible and disguises a myriad of sins because it is less porous and more variegated in colour than other natural stone varieties. To many people, it can feel a bit dated and reminiscent of an 80s choice but even to our surprise, we have seen some great examples of less dated options these days that can look great like honed black granite and white granite options as well.
Marble and Quartzite are certainly the bossiest of the stone bunch and can feature eye-catching veining and movement. There’s a spectrum with the very popular Carrara or Statuario marbles with grey on white sitting at the most subtle end of the range and some of the most popular Calacatta varieties like Viola (gorgeous purple veining) and Gold (beige-gold veining) sitting at the opposite end.
Soapstone is mega-porous and if managed and regularly sealed, it can offer a patina over time that is really unmatched in the stone world. But if granite is a casual hook up requiring no commitment to keep looking new, soapstone is a high maintenance partner. You are going to have to roll up your sleeves with this choice.
The Other Guys
Butcher Block, Copper and Stainless Steel are all statement options we see popping up in good design and they each earn a patina over time, curing with use. For some, this becomes a deal breaker. But for others, they represent a well-loved and used kitchen. They are options that will tell a story over time. In an active kitchen, there will be stains and imperfections and they will require a maintenance commitment. These are not for the folks who are unsettled by fingerprints.
Knowing what you can and cannot tolerate and having clarity on your design objectives will help you create a short list of countertop candidates. Pick a lane! There are fabulous options in all!.
Countertop shown: Oak, Raw Steel and Burnished Brass
Credits
Cool and Quiet: Kitchen Design by Stephanie Houghton, Emily Griffin Design Photo: Patrick Biller
Bold and Bossy: First Image Kitchen Design by Tali Roth, Photo: Seth Caplan for Homepolish Second Image: Elizabeth Roberts Architecture
The Other Guys: Kitchen Design by Garde Hvalsoe
