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Counter culture

Last Updated 04 September 2014, 14:14 IST

Gone are the days when Kitchen Countertops were all in Cudappah Stone (Black) or at best Granite, also in Black. 

Now countertops are works of art displaying the owner’s taste at their best. For example Eleanor Zuckerman’s San Francisco Kitchen countertops are handcrafted works of art made of concrete.

Such counters are custom designed by, among others, Futun Cheng. They feature colours like brick, and flowing lines or even pictures of shells. Concrete offers a lot of room for creativity and variation in colour.

You can spice up your kitchen by installing a variety of countertops that go beyond the traditional laminate, tile, and granite. Today’s most popular options are concrete and wood. These come in a range of custom designed colours and shapes. One company even uses recycled glass from broken bottles!

Till about a couple of decades back, even in the U.S., 90 % of countertops were laminate and the rest tile. But now, 

granite and quartz have taken over. The interest in alternative countertops is a result of their becoming affordable.

The next step, particularly with well-heeled customers, is to spend more to bring an artisan’s touch to their kitchens. Today companies in the West are offering options to do it yourselfers who want to shape, mould, and install countertops themselves. They can choose the lines and colours of their countertops. The positives of concrete are that once installed and sealed they are as durable as limestone and marble.

Concrete can stain, so it is very important that it be sealed properly.  Wooden countertops are not suitable for cutting on directly; however, they can easily be maintained with periodic sanding.

Your kitchen countertops are an area where you spend a lot of time. So it is very important that they portray your personality. When you choose your ‘counter culture’, do so very carefully.

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(Published 04 September 2014, 14:14 IST)

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