7 Trends for Countertops and Other Surfaces in 2023
See the latest looks for engineered quartz, natural stone and other materials showcased at the KBIS 2023 trade show
When you get down to it, a home is mostly surfaces. So the material choices you help clients make for things like countertops, floors, walls and other features have a huge impact on the way a home looks and feels.
Engineered surfaces have risen in popularity in recent years due to their durability and ability to take on the look of real stone and other materials. Meanwhile, natural stone remains popular, delivering authentic style with a little more upkeep than synthetic materials. New looks and innovations for both products were on display recently at the 2023 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas. Here are a few of the latest trends and features for engineered and natural stone surfaces.
Engineered surfaces have risen in popularity in recent years due to their durability and ability to take on the look of real stone and other materials. Meanwhile, natural stone remains popular, delivering authentic style with a little more upkeep than synthetic materials. New looks and innovations for both products were on display recently at the 2023 Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (KBIS) in Las Vegas. Here are a few of the latest trends and features for engineered and natural stone surfaces.
Caesarstone announced it’s expanding from a quartz company into a multimaterials company with a new line of porcelain slabs and natural stone.
Caesarstone already has a line of outdoor quartz products, but its new porcelain collection is also durable enough to be used outside. Here, the new Aluminous style of porcelain slabs is used for outdoor kitchen features.
Caesarstone already has a line of outdoor quartz products, but its new porcelain collection is also durable enough to be used outside. Here, the new Aluminous style of porcelain slabs is used for outdoor kitchen features.
Compac’s new Terrazzo styles from architect and designer Elisa Ossino is also made to withstand outdoor conditions.
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2. Dramatic Stone and Stone-Look Countertops and Other Surfaces
All-white countertops and light marble and marble-look countertops and other surfaces remain popular. But styles featuring bold, dramatic sweeps of veining seem to be proliferating.
At KBIS, a slab of Caesarstone’s new Deep Blue Ocean quartzite was rarely without a crowd of people holding up cellphone cameras in front of it. The Brazilian stone, shown here in a living room, features intense blues with large fissures of warm golds.
All-white countertops and light marble and marble-look countertops and other surfaces remain popular. But styles featuring bold, dramatic sweeps of veining seem to be proliferating.
At KBIS, a slab of Caesarstone’s new Deep Blue Ocean quartzite was rarely without a crowd of people holding up cellphone cameras in front of it. The Brazilian stone, shown here in a living room, features intense blues with large fissures of warm golds.
Dekton’s new Avorio quartz in the just-launched Pietra Kode collection mimics the look of Avorio Italian stone, characterized by embedded fossils.
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3. Colored Veining
Grays, tans and golds are common shades of veining in many marble-look surfaces. But some manufacturers are branching out.
Compac debuted its Ice of Genesis collection, which includes the Ice Max Green shown here, with a topography of green rivers and tributaries that nods to Arctic glaciers and frozen lakes.
Grays, tans and golds are common shades of veining in many marble-look surfaces. But some manufacturers are branching out.
Compac debuted its Ice of Genesis collection, which includes the Ice Max Green shown here, with a topography of green rivers and tributaries that nods to Arctic glaciers and frozen lakes.
4. Rough and Raised Textures
Smooth finishes, either polished or matte, seem to dominate countertop and other surface materials, but rougher finishes with raised textures and markings are on the rise.
Caesarstone offers an Ultra Rough finish on several new porcelain styles, including White Ciment, shown here, which features raised mottling similar to raw concrete.
Smooth finishes, either polished or matte, seem to dominate countertop and other surface materials, but rougher finishes with raised textures and markings are on the rise.
Caesarstone offers an Ultra Rough finish on several new porcelain styles, including White Ciment, shown here, which features raised mottling similar to raw concrete.
At KBIS, Cambria showed off its aforementioned new Harlow marble-look quartz style in a custom fluted design, used for the island backing seen here. The range hood cladding features a custom rough-texture application. (See next photo.)
Here’s a closer look at the Belcaro Lilac fluted marble tile.
Compac’s KBIS display included several custom fluted, rough and ridged looks.
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5. Bookmatched Looks
Bookmatched stone is nothing new, but the cutting style — in which the stone looks like a just-opened book with mirroring pages — was all over new releases at KBIS.
Caesarstone shared this image of a large custom bookmatched slab of Taj Mahal quartzite from its new natural stone collection.
Bookmatched stone is nothing new, but the cutting style — in which the stone looks like a just-opened book with mirroring pages — was all over new releases at KBIS.
Caesarstone shared this image of a large custom bookmatched slab of Taj Mahal quartzite from its new natural stone collection.
6. Extra-Large Slabs
When it comes to countertops and other surfaces, seams seem to be the enemy. Many homeowners and designers are eager to use large slabs to create seamless planes for extra-large countertops and other surface cladding. As a result, manufacturers appear to be in a race to create the largest slab that can still maintain structural integrity.
Cambria launched Super Jumbo slabs that measure 136 by 80 inches (that’s 76 square feet!), shown here behind its other large slabs on offer.
The extra-large — or Super Jumbo, rather — slabs reduce seams and allow for more continuous pattern display, uninterrupted by multiple slabs pieced together.
When it comes to countertops and other surfaces, seams seem to be the enemy. Many homeowners and designers are eager to use large slabs to create seamless planes for extra-large countertops and other surface cladding. As a result, manufacturers appear to be in a race to create the largest slab that can still maintain structural integrity.
Cambria launched Super Jumbo slabs that measure 136 by 80 inches (that’s 76 square feet!), shown here behind its other large slabs on offer.
The extra-large — or Super Jumbo, rather — slabs reduce seams and allow for more continuous pattern display, uninterrupted by multiple slabs pieced together.
And though it debuted in 2020, Cambria’s Brittanicca Block still attracted fanfare at KBIS 2023. It’s made from 99% recycled scraps of Brittanicca Gold material left over during fabrication and reused to create a butcher-block-style design. It’s shown here as wall cladding.
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There have been many innovations over the years in engineered surfaces that allow them to stand up to wet indoor environments, such as bathrooms, as well as the harsh conditions found outdoors.
Dekton’s new Pietra Kode collection of ultracompact material is a collaboration with designer and architect Daniel Germani that mimics the look of classic Italian stones and can be used indoors or out. The new Nebbia style is shown here as countertops and surface cladding.
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