• wood cabinets in a natural finish - at least for the lowers,
• any backsplash material except for wood/drywall
• soapstone counters
• stainless steel workstation sink from Rachiele, Capital Culinarian range with open burners, SubZero refrigerator, KitchenAid dishwasher.
• hardwood floors that can be re-finished if necessary.

Pretty much 100% what @eam44 said in terms of cabinets, b/s, counters (also would add Corian), SZ fridge, and hardwood floors. No idea about the rest of the appliances mentioned.

Actually started writing an ebook on this type of kitchen design. That is how the Reality Sink came about.

Soapstone counters...one of the harder varieties.

Wood, not painted cabinets.

Wood floors...site finished, not engineered

Bosch 800 dishwasher

Thermador rangetop...with two large pots and pan drawers beneath

Vent A Hood for ventilation

Miele combi steam oven over Miele convection

Sub Zero fridge...innovators in refrigeration, best insulated, lasts for many, many years, and best customer service.

Large, single bowl stainless steel sink

Kohler faucet (along with Delta, best two warranties in the biz.) Great quality.

All drawers in lower cabs, even under the sink! Much more convenient and efficient.

Stainless steel cabinets, counters, backsplash, and a floor drain with non slip quarry tile, just like a commercial kitchen. And stainless appliances on wheels that could easily move out of the way for cleaning when I wanted to get the steam hose after everything and wash it down the floor drain. It will all last two lifetimes. Except the appliances.

I hear you LWO, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

Of course stainless steel would outlast tile with grout, but I mean have you ever known a stone, tile, or metal backsplash to fail? Backsplashes tend to last far longer than they are wanted, so I’m not sure they belong in this inquiry.

Stainless steel would be easier to scrub than tile grout, right?

Why all the suggestions for hardwood over some kind of tile?

“Why all the suggestions for hardwood over some kind of tile?”

Because, wood floors never go out of style (yes, I’m avoiding the “t” word, so overused in this industry), are durable, easy to clean, go with any style of kitchen, can be refinished, when needed, and are MUCH easier on the legs.

cabinets: stainless steel

backsplash: any solid surface - granite, quartz, corian etc.. No Grout

counters: solid surface ^^

appliances: induction cooktop, speed oven, miele DW, high-end Frig eg. SZ, Liebherr, Miele, Thermador

floors: linoleum sheet good, hardwood, LVT, concrete.... imho anything without grout

A Corian countertop doesn't stain and has never suffered adhesive bleed as some stones do. Save a remnant and repairs will nearly always be inconspicuous. Use a trivet, as you have to with stone and estone, and you won't have any.

Solid color Corian backsplashes never argue with floors and countertops and suffer no grout lines.

Architects don't specify stone, estone, or stainless steel for surgery room wall cladding in hospitals. There is a reason they specify Corian.

I agree with the lists that've already been shared, but I'll add a few things:

- Convenient access to the garage or family entrance so that groceries don't have to be carried far.

- Place a large doormat on the inside and outside of the garage or family entrance. Taking several steps on these two mats will STOP a great deal of dirt from being tracked into your kitchen.

- I don't love tile (makes it easier to break dropped dishes, is hard on the knees and joints), but -- if you go with tile -- choose tile the same color as your dirt. So we Southerners would choose red clay tiles, while beach-dwellers should choose sand color.

- Don't neglect to plan a place for your trash can (and recycling), and consider the pathway you'll use to take the trash outside (again, you don't want to carry a potentially drippy trash bag through the house).

- Excellent lighting everywhere, including natural light. Light switches at every door. Lights that dim or under-counter lights that could provide a low-level night time light.

- Small size -- too big a kitchen attracts clutter. Build a kitchen for every day /not big holidays meals that don't come around often.

- A large pantry (preferably walk-in), which provides excellent storage -- and is much less expensive than housing things in expensive cabinets /under store counter tops.

- Consider how you typically entertain. Do you need space to set out pot-luck dishes, or do you need space to "stage" dessert, or do you need a space for mixing drinks?

- Avoid (or minimize) open shelving, which will need to be kept neat all the time /will collect dust and grease.

- Consider an "away spot" where you can keep your coffee pot, cookie jar, bowl of fruit out of the main work area. This could be a butler's pantry or a cabinet run set apart from the main work area. Consider that you'd want people to be able to access these "always outs" without walking through the cook's area. If you're not a heavy microwave user, this might be a good spot for it to be placed too.

- Full extension drawers (so you can access the stuff at the back) with heavy-duty hardware (so they'll last).

- Drawers that extend to the back of the cabinet (what I mean is, my current cabinets are 24" deep, but the drawers are only 18" deep, and I hate that space is wasted at the back).

- Avoid fancy pull-outs for spices, etc. that are "one trick ponies".

- Avoid cabinets with deep, decorative groves that will require cleaning. Similarly, avoid overly fancy hardware that'll trap dirt.

- If you have barstool seating, consider that little feet may "kick" the back side of your island (or peninsula). Consider tile or easy-to-clean wood for this space.

- When choosing cabinet hardware, avoid knobs that may "spin" in place
or open-ended pulls that'll "catch" your clothes as you walk by. Consider that
larger pulls may double as towel holders.

- Glass front cabinets are lovely, but they do require that you keep your dishes nice and neat -- and they require more cleaning. If you're putting glass fronts up high-high (above people's heads), consider using glass fronts instead. Glass front cabinets are also more expensive because they must be "finished" inside and outside.

- Wide cabinets give you more storage /waste less space for hardware and edges. A few wide cabinets will cost less than multiple narrow cabinets.

- A seating area -- could be a breakfast table, could be a barstool.

- A refrigerator that isn't set against a wall -- this means the door can't be fully opened /makes it hard to access for and makes it difficult to get shelves or crisper drawers in and out for cleaning.

- Position your dishwasher in such a way that your silverware and glassware are within easy reach -- and place your glassware near your refrigerator.

- Choose a simple "one hole" faucet. Less to clean. Consider a farmhouse sink ( or a bumped-out window over the sink), which will give you a few extra inches behind the faucet /will make cleaning that always-cruddy area easier.

- A built-in soap squirter at the sink means you don't have to keep the dish soap out all the time.

- Plenty of electrical outlets. If you have an island or a peninsula, place an outlet on the back side of it.

- Design a spot to store mail OUTSIDE the kitchen -- the kitchen is too busy a place for that kind of clutter.

- Do you need a place to store cookbooks?

- Choose a place for a fire extinguisher.

Another vote here for stainless - sink, counters, and backsplash can all be one piece so leaks are possible only where the faucet is mounted, or in the drain pipes.

But Corian can be scorched, as can quartz. Soapstone would be more durable than either. Stainless steel counters would probably be more durable than soapstone, but again, I don’t want to cook in an OR, or in a commercial kitchen.

@eam44, sure, I would prefer soapstone to stainless too - but the OP asked a very specific question, and for pure durability and maintainability, stainless is a champ.

@live_wire_oak Yes. I'm definitely getting ideas that are also aesthetically pleasing, for the most part. I think we're going to go for a "high school chemistry lab" vibe - blonde wood cabinets with a natural finish, soap stone countertops, stainless steel sinks, etc., so most of our decisions are lining up with what people are suggesting for durability and maintenance.

But I was also super curious to see what materials were maybe used in industrial or restaurant applications that might translate to homes. I totally looked up your suggestion of quarry tile (which I hadn't heard of before) - I can't say I'm visually attracted to that...but I really looove the idea of a drain in the middle of the floor so I can hose everything down. :) Haha, I have two little boys, but even still that's probably overkill...though I'm really into the idea.

@Mrs Pete Some great ideas, here, too!! I've already settled on the simplest faucet with integrated soap dispenser. I hate stuff on my counters. And you'll be happy to know that a fire extinguisher already has a place of honor. :)

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Yes, my parents put in a Corian tub surround back in the early 90s, and I can't believe how current it still looks. When we do a bathroom reno, it's on my short list of materials 'cause it's sooo much easier to clean than tile.

Actually, I just checked to see what chemistry lab countertops are made of -- although old school was soapstone, newer ones are made of "epoxy or phenolic resin" -- two materials I know nothing about.

Linden, yes, it’s basically solid surface which is less expensive than soapstone.

Issac, I get what you’re saying, but the question was, “if you're were designing a kitchen, and durability and ease of maintenance were the only two considerations...” If I were designing the kitchen - and I am designing a kitchen in my home right now, or trying to - it would not be an industrial space. Period. It might be worth mentioning that I’ve spent most of my young adult life in laboratories of one kind or another, and I’ve never worked in a lab with stainless steel counters. Stainless workstations in a biosafety cabinet? Sure, but not counters. Soapstone is more durable than stainless.

Epoxy like the Stone Coat Counter epoxy??