10 Kitchen Remodeling Trends

9. Custom Countertops

Counters are going from common to couture with custom touches such as wooden butcher blocks and marble pastry slab inserts. Homeowners are mixing materials, such as concrete embedded with bits of glass and metal. Stone, such as soapstone and marble, remains a popular countertop material.

Likewise, stainless steel, sealed concrete, engineered quartz (which has many of the advantages of granite without the maintenance requirements), and woods, such as mahogany, are gaining ground. The model at left is by Boffi.