I’ll Have My Cake And Eat It….On A Countertop… Too

Countertop Obsessions

More decisions today are made in our kitchens than in any of the board rooms across this country. This is especially true as life becomes more digital. How many times have you paid bills, planned trips, checked school assignments and synchronized calendars working off your kitchen countertop? We confess, much of this blog gets written in this exact way. Early mornings and very late nights, standing doing last minutes edits or notes for the next great idea we have. With our kitchens being the command hubs, counters have to take on so many different functions.  Because this is a design blog…we say those counters need to look good while doing it! So what better way than to make a countertop look good than to have a cake on it?!

Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Before we go further we need to give credit where it is due. We are obsessed with the recipes and photos by Sarah of Broma Bakery . We’ve followed her so long that almost all the photos in our library  we chose to use for this post of baked goods are hers.

Here’s our Friday Favorites

White Quartz Countertops

It is very hard, if not impossible to get a solid white stone counter top. The granites of nature just don’t like to play this way.  Stone fabricators offer quartz, a manmade product only to the extent that crushed stone is mixed with resins, to allow us all to get our “fix” of these lighter counter tops.  Because of the resin added, these tops are about as maintenance free as you can get. They look good in a lot of applications and really shine in the “all white” kitchen.

Frosted Sugar Cookie Donuts Recipe

When solid white is “too white” for your perfect LBD, you can choose from a variety of  other quartz options that offer some pattern. Patterns can be controlled for more consistency in a quartz than in a ntural granite.

Champagne Graduation Cake Recipe

Marble Countertops

In our design firm, laurel bledsose design we’ve only been touting marble in kitchens for 30+ years. Rome has done it for centuries. Marble has been the product most discouraged to use by many of the granite stone shops. Designers have been pushing it for years and it’s coming back as viable options. This post is not long enough for us to give you our entire view of this but we will be happy to chat for hours with you if you ask!

Blackberry Cheesecake Brownies Recipe

Honed Stone Countertop Materials

Almost every natural stone, granite and marble, can have a honed or matte finish. This process which is the opposite of the shiny polished finish, will change each stones appearance dramatically. Many of our best kitchen designs thoughout the years have used honed countertops.  We’ve even mixed polished and honed finsihes in the same kitchen.  Fab!

Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

One Bowl Lemon Cake Recipe

Stainless Steel Countertops

For a minute, forget our past post where we encouraged you to look outside the big stainless boxes of appliances. Now we want you to consider using the dense metal as counters and splashes. Stainless is the ultimate antibacterial material and lasts forever with minimal care. Got a hidden urge to be on Top Chef….this counter is for you.

White Chocolate Pistachio Macarons Recipe

Are Granite Countertops Over?

Granite counters will remain big players in the counter top market. This material has gone from being the most costly to the most reasonable for a natural stone. We are removing many of the granite tops installed in the last 15 years as so many were builder selections. Now the best stone shops look for unique pieces that can truly make a statement.

Ultimate Smores Brownie Recipe

Concrete Countertops

Right off the bat we are going to say that there is reason trained professionals fabricate concrete counters. 9 of out 10 DIY attempts end in a mess. If you are the one who got the perfect color and texture, and your counter dried perfectly level, then you get an A in concrete. The rest of us can get this outstanding counter from a local supplier that has a passion for mixology. But oh how worth the effort these fantastic concrete countertops can be.  The finishes are endless!

Espresso Brownie Sandwich Cookie Recipe

Wood Countertops

About every other kitchen client we meet with asks about using wood countertops.  There are two ways to achieve a succesful installation….custom and Ikea and not very many options inbetween.   Planned from the start of the  design, and implemented well, wood can be a plus in any kitchen.

 

Maple Cinnamon Sticky Buns Recipe

 

Yum and wow to all of the above!  There is one more material that seldom gets mentioned today in design blogs, TV shows and on Pinterest.  This material can be so design savvy and fits nearly every budget.  This material is ……………

Laminate …It’s not a nasty word!

 

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