Counter Effects

While the kitchen is most often thought of as a place to prepare and share meals, today’s kitchens don’t stop at meal time. Indeed, the kitchen is where we entertain, pay bills, do homework, surf the ’Net, plan household chores and just hang out. Is it any wonder, then, that countertops need to do more than ever before to meet the needs of demanding homeowners looking to multi-task in their kitchens?

Likewise, time-strapped families want bath surfaces that look great while requiring minimal maintenance.

Additionally, as designers work to provide more personalized touches to the kitchen and bath, there’s a growing demand for more versatile countertop materials and designs that will meet a family’s functional and aesthetic needs, while also creating a unique look that will set their spaces apart from their neighbors’.

As a result, designers are increasingly seeing a demand for mix and match countertop materials, as well as low-maintenance products that provide beauty and design flexibility.

That’s according to manufacturers recently surveyed by Kitchen & Bath Design News, who see countertop materials rapidly evolving in terms of functionality, versatility and aesthetic options.

Multi-Tasking in the Kitchen

Whether preparing food, doing homework, or serving an informal meal, consumers are busy and their countertops matter.

That means designers are being asked to specify surfaces that can stand up to all kinds of tasks – and still look beautiful doing so. “With the kitchen continuing to earn recognition as the ‘hub of the home,’ consumers today are looking for surfaces that multi-task, meaning that they are both gorgeous and easy to care for,” says Maureen McGeehan, DuPont Surfaces marketing manager for DuPont in Wilmington, DE.

“Islands are becoming somewhat larger and being used for multiple purposes [which means several kinds of countertops may be incorporated into them],” adds Ken Williamson, founder/CEO of Craft-Art Wood Countertops in Atlanta, GA.

McGeehan notes that homeowners desire “a customized kitchen that reflects their personal style and passion,” and finding “the best countertop option for their household and lifestyle” is key to achieving this.

McGeehan also states that “consumers are looking to connect with their spaces and express their personal style through design statements that reflect their individuality, so materials that are able to incorporate customizable accessories and features – such as inlays, integral knife blocks and routed cutting boards – will remain popular.”

Because versatility and personalization are so important, the biggest trend in kitchen countertops, according to Denis Buch, president of Qwinique, Unique Wood Surfaces in McHenry, IL, is “the use of multiple countertop materials in a single kitchen.”

Buch adds, “It is not unusual for a kitchen to utilize two or more different countertop materials such as stone, wood or wood and concrete.”

Indeed, designers are increasingly creating kitchens that mix and match several different countertop choices to maximize function while adding aesthetic value. Additionally, designers and manufacturers say that homeowners want an array of choices – not only in materials, but in colors, patterns, textures and customizable options.

Mix-and-match countertops are also part of a larger trend toward greater creativity and personalization in the kitchen, manufacturers note. As Brandon Calvo, chief operating officer for Cosentino USA, in Houston, TX says, “The trend is that you don’t have to follow the old rules of design and material usage. The island does not have to be a rectangle and you don’t have to use one material throughout. Mixing and matching colors, textures, shapes and even styles within a room is now the norm.”

Material Choices