5 Kitchen Countertop Styles That Are Trending Right Now

When it comes to choosing kitchen countertops, even the best of us can have decision paralysis. There are so many options. The ultimate goal, of course, is to find a material that is both beautiful and durable. Quartz is often a favorite choice for designers—and for good reason. “The beauty of going with a quartz surface is that quartz is more resilient than many other materials,” says Mor Krisher, head of product design for Caesarstone. “Quartz countertops are very easy to clean, need no maintenance, and come in a wide variety of designs,” he says.

Quartz is also easier for your designer or contractor to work with. “Because it’s mixed and manufactured in a mold, slab sizes are consistent. You can use the entire slab instead of having to work around Mother Nature’s blemishes often found in natural stones,” says interior designer Allison Babcock of Allison Babcock Design in Sag Harbor, New York.

And since quartz comes in a multitude of colors, textures, and motifs, the possibilities for a bespoke kitchen are endless. To help narrow your options further, take a cue from these five popular countertop styles created by Caesarstone.

The Style: Industrial, Weather-Worn Concrete

The hard quality of concrete is giving way to a softer, warmer direction thanks to the infusion of natural elements that lend an earthy touch. “The idea is to give the surface an aged sense, that it’s been somewhere—maybe by the sea or in the highlands where the weather and the elements left their marks—and has a story to tell,” Krisher explains. It’s about going for a quartz material that has a poured-concrete look but is sturdier than actual concrete, which can easily scratch, stain, and crack, and requires a lot of maintenance. “Pair it with white painted shiplap for a modern beach bungalow aesthetic, a bleached oak finish for a rustic modern barn, or dark grey cabinetry for a sexy city loft apartment,” Babcock notes.

You Should Try: Caesarstone Primordia, which has more character than concrete thanks to added textures made to look like rust and watermarks

The Style: Matte, Modern Concrete

A tonal white patina with a rough, low-reflective matte surface takes the severity of concrete and makes it more approachable and modern. “A shadowy white effect adds interest and imperfections, which itself is a design statement,” says Krisher. This style would befit wide, open, light kitchens that have a modern industrial style. The design works with light and dark timbers, stainless steel, and concrete, providing a flexible style that can go from industrial to Scandinavian.

You Should Try: Caesarstone Cloudburst Concrete with its concrete look and a honed matte finish that has a light, white background.

The Style: Polished, Oxidized Concrete

Rough finishes designed to reflect the patinas of industrial materials are creating standout designs. It’s an excavated look that reflects the geological decay of stone with its multi-colored hues of deep auburns, chestnuts, and coppers, capturing depth, texture, and movement. “It suits a kitchen where the materials star,” Krisher says. And because of the movement and variation in colors, this type of surface is very forgiving, camouflaging crumbs in between cleanings.

You Should Try: Caesarstone Excava; the high-contrast colors and rough textures lend a multifaceted feel of rusty metal and unearthed stone.

The Style: High-Contrast Marble

While the look of marble is always classic, it’s having a resurgence of sorts thanks to cutting-edge technology, which makes it possible to apply veining to quartz slabs in interesting ways: from tiny intricately laced lines to dramatic oversized patterns. The sophisticated beauty of natural stone elevates any kitchen to elegant proportions. “It’s beautifully versatile and can be used with endless color stories, such as soft neutrals and jewel tones as well as wood finishes, brass, nickel, and chrome,” Babcock suggests.

You Should Try: Caesarstone Empira White, a delicately veined white marble-inspired design with a smooth polished finish that’s meant to be a modern take on Calacatta marble.

The Style: Subtly Speckled Terrazzo

While traditionally used for flooring, the terrazzo is a new favorite countertop material. “Using a white base creates a light, bright, and clean effect that complements everything from timber and concrete to metal and wood,” says Krisher. In addition, this look is endlessly versatile, acting “as a blank canvas in which you can play with a variety of finishes from oil-rubbed bronze to a bright, pinkish bronze. It creates a fresh and clean aesthetic while still inviting color play if you so choose,” Babcock says.

You Should Try: Caesarstone Intense White, a modern take on terrazzo, the glass-flaked white surface echoes the granular nature of stone and features a lightly textured concrete finish that adds depth.

For more quartz countertop ideas and inspiration, let the pros at Caesarstone be your guide.