Corian's new colors, clockwise from upper left: Juniper, Jasmine, Thyme, Witch Hazel, Saffron, Elderberry, Rosemary, Sandalwood.
Glamorous. Glorious. Sophisticated. Chic. My list of adjectives for the countertop and tile options at the 2009 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show goes on longer than Celine Dion’s heart. As decorator and designer Lyn Peterson noted during her talk on kitchen trends, “All the noise and action now is in kitchen surfaces.”
I’ve admired Corian’s Private Collection since it debuted a few years ago, but the eight new colors (shown above) just added blew me away. The depth of color and the movement of the patterns give the new colors an elegance and subtlety more often associated with natural stone.
Ann Sacks unveiled a real stunner: Dahlia, one of three organic designs in the new Blake Studios collection of hand-made porcelain and clay tiles. With its rippled surface and etched floral pattern, a Dahlia mural or backsplash brings texture and dimension into any design.
Dahlia shown in red, one of 18 available colors.
More textured surfaces showed up at CaesarStone, which introduced Motivo, a quartz product with an embossed surface in two different patterns of contrasting high-gloss and matte finishes. Motivo can be used for counters, walls, or custom applications. Looks like wallpaper, but with the benefits of quartz: resistant to heat and scratches, and easy to clean.
CaesarStone Motivo in Crocodile (black) and Lace (white).
If none of the above strike your fancy—and you’re willing to spare $300 a square foot—Cosentino (maker of Silestone) has just the thing: Prexury, a collection of semi-precious stones, petrified woods and fossils. Just like granite, these 12 surface options come in large slabs that can be fabricated to your specs.
Cosentino Prexury in Carnelian.
