Color Diary: Technicolor Countertop Ideas

Filed under: Color, Kitchen, Your Home, Design, etc, News & Trends

So long, neutrals! Color is making a comeback in the kitchen, and countertops (yes, countertops) are leading the charge.

For anyone renovating a kitchen, choosing a kitchen countertop has been as easy as deciding which neutral you'd go with: crisp white marble, slick black or gray granite, maybe tan Corian. But kitchen countertops are getting a major makeover. Think: fiery reds, soothing aquas -- In other words, color.

"We're definitely seeing a growing trend toward solid colors for the kitchen counter," says Stephanie Pritchard, kitchen designer at Middleburg Design in Middleburg, Virginia. "Variations of slate gray and white are still popular, but braver souls are taking the plunge with choices like lime green, orange and fiery varieties, like Red Dragon granite."


It's easy to see why these counters are so alluring -- they can brighten up the dullest of kitchens -- but Pritchard says to think it through before settling on something so bold. "Color is great, but it has to be in the right home or setting," she says. Still, it's an exciting development in kitchen countertops, especially since designs needed some shaking up.

If you do live in a colorful setting or just fancy yourself a home design risk taker, we say go for it! Joining the ranks of other colorful trends (think red refrigerators and cobalt blue dishwashers by companies like LG and Whirlpool), many of these punchy possibilities are also made from eco-friendly materials, making them stylish and smart. Here are a few of our favorites:


Quartz
Made from one of nature's hardest materials, quartz surfaces like Silestone and CaesarStone are pressured into dense, non-porous slabs, before being polished to a high-gloss shine. Vibrant color options include Apple Martini, Magenta Energy and Ruby Reflections. Unlike granite and other natural stones, quartz is also more consistent, with virtually no veins or surface flaws.



Recycled Scrap Metal
Made from aluminum milling scraps, these stunning countertops are filled with eye-catching metallic flecks, as well as a rich colored background (available shades include Plum, Paprika and Root Beer, just to name a few). Plus, it's extremely strong and durable, and it can be polished to your preferred level of shine. For more information, check out Alkemi.



Lava Stone
Available in an unlimited amount of colors and finishes (it can actually be dyed to match any area in your home), this ultra-resilient material is made from enameling natural volcanic rock (aka lava) at more than 1,000 degrees. Plus, it can be used outdoors, as it also holds up to freezing, thawing and heavy impacts. If you're interested, learn more at Pyrolave or check out these blue counters from Bis Bis.




Solid Glass
No longer just for dishware, glass countertops are available in a variety of colors (both solids and patterned variations) and textures, such as bubbled designs that mimic the look of a babbling stream. Plus, it's surprisingly sturdy (it comes in 1.5-inch slabs or thicker), and it can be customized with swirls of color to create your own personalized touch. We like this example from ThinkGlass.



Recycled Glass & Concrete
Strong like granite and heat-resistant like stone, countertops made from recycled glass and concrete are also an eco-friendly option since the majority of the countertop consists of old multi-colored glass from curbside recycling programs, windows, stemware, stained glass -- even traffic lights. Check out the colors at Vetrazzo and IceStone.


Recycled Paper
With more subtle color options (think hues like Chocolate, Gunmetal and Cabernet), recycled-paper countertops (made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper, resin and natural pigments) are a nice alternative for those with more understated tastes. Worried about it absorbing liquids? Don't be -- paper countertops' non-porous surface is extremely solid and stain resistant. For examples, check out PaperStone and Richlite.


Interested in other countertop alternatives? Check these out.

 

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