The Latest Colors and Styles in Engineered Surfaces
Dark and light hues, sophisticated veining and textured finishes stood out at the 2020 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show
Engineered surfaces are having a material moment. Engineered quartz, for example, typically created from about 90% to 95% ground quartz and 5% to 10% resins and pigments, is a durable, stain- and scratch-resistant material that works wonders as kitchen and bathroom countertops, shower walls, fireplace surrounds and more. In fact, more than half of renovating homeowners who upgrade their kitchen counters are choosing engineered quartz, according to the latest Houzz research. And despite dramatic price increases due to tariffs on imports from China, which is a big exporter of engineered quartz, the material’s popularity as a kitchen counter choice is up 5% compared with 2019. Nowhere has the popularity of engineered quartz been more evident than at the 2020 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show, held Jan. 21-23, 2020, in Las Vegas.
Engineered surfaces dominated booths to the point that it was difficult to find granite or marble slabs. Indeed, major brands and emerging players from all over the world had a strong presence at the event. Here’s a look at some of the latest styles, colors and other design trends in engineered quartz and other engineered surfaces.
Engineered surfaces dominated booths to the point that it was difficult to find granite or marble slabs. Indeed, major brands and emerging players from all over the world had a strong presence at the event. Here’s a look at some of the latest styles, colors and other design trends in engineered quartz and other engineered surfaces.
The Dark Side Awakens
One of the most noticeable trends at the show was the emergence of several lines of dark engineered surfaces, in colors such as jet black, charcoal gray and even dark green and blue. One of the most captivating was Dekton’s Laurent slab, shown here as kitchen countertops, island cladding and backsplash. The dark brown background with gold veining is part of the company’s new Avantgarde collection, which debuted at the show and features three dark hues.
If you were at KBIS and visited the Dekton booth, you might have seen the seemingly never-ending crowd gathered around the dark Laurent slab to snap photos of it and touch it.
One of the most noticeable trends at the show was the emergence of several lines of dark engineered surfaces, in colors such as jet black, charcoal gray and even dark green and blue. One of the most captivating was Dekton’s Laurent slab, shown here as kitchen countertops, island cladding and backsplash. The dark brown background with gold veining is part of the company’s new Avantgarde collection, which debuted at the show and features three dark hues.
If you were at KBIS and visited the Dekton booth, you might have seen the seemingly never-ending crowd gathered around the dark Laurent slab to snap photos of it and touch it.
Meanwhile, Minnesota-based Cambria is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2020 with 20 new countertop designs. The new line includes two saturated black marble looks, which grabbed a lot of attention at the show.
Its Woodcroft color, shown here, is a bold black with pale metallic streaks and sparkling golden veins, which is a veining color we saw a lot of at KBIS. As this photo indicates, the color will be available from Cambria this summer.
Its Woodcroft color, shown here, is a bold black with pale metallic streaks and sparkling golden veins, which is a veining color we saw a lot of at KBIS. As this photo indicates, the color will be available from Cambria this summer.
In addition to the aforementioned Avantgarde collection, Dekton — a brand owned by Spanish company Cosentino — introduced its Portfolio collection. Inspired by various natural rocks, the collection comprises three new dark colors. Bromo, shown here as kitchen countertops with waterfall edges, is a dark blue shade reminiscent of metamorphic rocks such as slate.
Dekton has clearly been busy. The brand introduced two other lines as well.
For its Liquid collection, Dekton collaborated with pattern experts and designers at London-based Patternity to launch three new colors inspired by liquid. The carbon-colored Liquid Embers, shown here, recalls swirling magma.
For its Liquid collection, Dekton collaborated with pattern experts and designers at London-based Patternity to launch three new colors inspired by liquid. The carbon-colored Liquid Embers, shown here, recalls swirling magma.
Blue Crush
Several of the new quartz colors play to the recent rise in blue cabinetry by featuring wisps of navy veining as well as colors that complement blues, such as grays, taupes and warm gold.
Included in Cambria’s new collection of 20 colors is Portrush, shown here as kitchen countertops. Its white base supports crisscrosses of navy, gray and black veining, with finespun filaments of gold flakes.
Several of the new quartz colors play to the recent rise in blue cabinetry by featuring wisps of navy veining as well as colors that complement blues, such as grays, taupes and warm gold.
Included in Cambria’s new collection of 20 colors is Portrush, shown here as kitchen countertops. Its white base supports crisscrosses of navy, gray and black veining, with finespun filaments of gold flakes.
Gold Rush
Gold accents are showing up in the new countertop offerings as well, complementing the rise in satin brass kitchen knobs, pulls, faucets and lighting.
Cambria’s Clovelly, used here for the countertops and backsplash, has a creamy background with copper and brown veining that coordinates with the brass faucet and island pendants.
Gold accents are showing up in the new countertop offerings as well, complementing the rise in satin brass kitchen knobs, pulls, faucets and lighting.
Cambria’s Clovelly, used here for the countertops and backsplash, has a creamy background with copper and brown veining that coordinates with the brass faucet and island pendants.
Engineered surfaces aren’t just for countertops and backsplashes. Cambria’s quartz product, for example, can be cut as thin as 1 centimeter and be used to clad fireplaces and shower walls, as shown here with its new Colton color.
Similar to Clovelly, this color offers a creamy background with rusty, brownish-gray veins that work well with warm wood tones.
Similar to Clovelly, this color offers a creamy background with rusty, brownish-gray veins that work well with warm wood tones.
Going Gray
Gray tones on white backgrounds are also popular when it comes to engineered surfaces. The two colors naturally complement and coordinate with popular cabinet colors, such as white, gray, medium-tone woods and navy blue. Here, Cambria’s Queensbury is used for the countertop and backsplash.
Gray tones on white backgrounds are also popular when it comes to engineered surfaces. The two colors naturally complement and coordinate with popular cabinet colors, such as white, gray, medium-tone woods and navy blue. Here, Cambria’s Queensbury is used for the countertop and backsplash.
The veined looks that recall marble certainly dominate most brands’ offerings, but other looks are worth considering as well.
Cambria’s Brittanicca Block, shown here as wall cladding, features recycled scraps of material discarded after fabrication, now reused to create a butcher-block-style design.
Cambria’s Brittanicca Block, shown here as wall cladding, features recycled scraps of material discarded after fabrication, now reused to create a butcher-block-style design.
Gray — or engineered surfaces, for that matter — isn’t for indoor use alone. At KBIS, Caesarstone launched its new Outdoor line, which includes three colors.
Its Clear Skies color, shown here as an outdoor-kitchen countertop, backsplash and dining table, has the look of pale gray concrete. The outdoor products have been refined to account for high heat, harsh sunlight and temperature variations.
Its Clear Skies color, shown here as an outdoor-kitchen countertop, backsplash and dining table, has the look of pale gray concrete. The outdoor products have been refined to account for high heat, harsh sunlight and temperature variations.
Other Notable Surface Innovations
As we’ve seen, slabs of engineered surfaces are the standard application for countertops, shower walls, fireplace cladding and more. But Spanish company Compac generated a lot of buzz at its KBIS booth with the angular island shown here. Designed by Arik Levy, the piece, called Mineral Mass, is made from cut quartz slabs set together to appear as if carved from a single block of quartz.
As we’ve seen, slabs of engineered surfaces are the standard application for countertops, shower walls, fireplace cladding and more. But Spanish company Compac generated a lot of buzz at its KBIS booth with the angular island shown here. Designed by Arik Levy, the piece, called Mineral Mass, is made from cut quartz slabs set together to appear as if carved from a single block of quartz.
Compac’s Waterstorm bathtub, shown here, perpetually drew a crowd as well. Also designed by Levy, it’s made from a single block of the company’s new Obsidiana material, which is made of recycled raw materials. The process requires about 80 hours of sculpting by machine and 45 hours by hand, with 84% of the material ultimately removed to form the fluted tub.
Diverging a bit from engineered quartz, Florim, an Italian company, showed off its new collection called I Filati di Rex, which includes large porcelain slabs printed in patterns pulled from Rubelli fabrics.
The photo here, captured at Florim’s booth during KBIS, shows a floral print in the Lady Hamilton Vaniglia pattern.
The photo here, captured at Florim’s booth during KBIS, shows a floral print in the Lady Hamilton Vaniglia pattern.
A nearby Florim display shows the various Rubelli fabrics that can be used for the porcelain slabs.
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Dekton, an ultracompact surface, is made through a process that heats and compacts raw materials used to make glass, porcelain surfaces and quartz surfaces.
But much of the excitement was generated by several new dark colors. We’ll return to the lighter shades later in this article, but first let’s take a look at the darker ones.