If you’ve been following along for a bit, you know the journey to get our homestead built was a long one with many ups and downs and twists and turns along the way. Some things went right, and some things went sideways, but today I wanted to talk about one of the things that we ended up being beyond happy with, our countertops (which we got from Cosentino). If you’ve ever looked into remodeling your kitchen, you know countertops are a big deal and that there are sooo many different options for them now, it can definitely feel a bit daunting to pick it out when you’re starting from scratch. So I wanted to share a bit about our decision-making process, what we looked for, what we chose, how to make the most of your slabs, and how they’ve held up over the past 4 months of wear and tear.

WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR

Durable

In our previous home, we had wood countertops. They had a very cozy rustic look, but they scratched and dented very easily. As someone who uses the kitchen a LOT both for work and because I love cooking, I didn’t want to have to tip-toe around sliding objects over the countertop out of fear of scratches appearing. I also really wanted to be able to set a hot pan on the counter without worrying about leaving a scorch mark or scratching, so being able to tolerate heat was a big requirement, too.

Easy to clean

Our old house’s wood countertops were also made out of reclaimed wood. This made them have a nice rustic texture…but all the little divots and gauges in the surface were the perfect place for crumbs to get stuck. I’d have to use a bristly brush just to try and fling the crumbs out, and it was tedious work. So I definitely wanted a smooth textured countertop that would just wipe down with a sponge, easy peasy.

Attractive

It’s probably no secret that I really love interior design and beautiful things (but honestly, who doesn’t??), so whatever surface we picked also had to fit the warm, welcoming, and old-world feel of our homestead.

Stain resistant

I love cooking vibrant foods, like curries and beets and turmeric, and I didn’t want to be paranoid about getting stains on the surface. I also didn’t want the hassle of something like marble, where you have to worry about lemon juice or olive oil leaving stains on it, either. Basically, I was looking for a low-stress cooking environment where I didn’t have to be paranoid about ingredients spilling.

Environmentally conscious

As an environmentalist, I was also looking for countertops that had a level of sustainability to them, whether using recycled/repurposed materials or sustainable energy during their manufacturing. 

WHAT WE CHOSE

In the end we chose two different countertop types for different spaces in the house. For the kitchen, we went with Cosentino Silestone in ‘Nolita’ with a suede (aka more matte) finish, and for the rest of the house (bathrooms, laundry room, pantry etc), we went with Dekton by Cosentino in the shade Rem. So….what kind of material are those? Let’s break it down.

In the kitchen, we went with Silestone because it met alllll the parameters we laid out for our must-haves. It’s a manufactured countertop made with a minimum of 20% recycled materials and different minerals. It’s incredibly durable, stain-resistant, and easy to clean. It’s also manufactured with 100% renewable electric energy and 99% recycled water. There are a TON of different colors, so I went to the local Cosentino warehouse to see the slabs in person, which I highly recommend doing when you’re looking for countertops. It’s super helpful to see the pattern on a big slab instead of just a small sample square, so you can really visualize how it will look in your space.

Colorwise, I wanted something simple and elegant that wasn’t very busy or patterned because there were a LOT of textures already going on in the kitchen, with tiled walls and floors, wood cabinets, and a stone accent wall. And ‘Nolita’ fit the bill perfectly, there’s some muted patterned detail in it that’s more visible when you get closer to it, but from afar it looks very clean and simple.

In the remaining parts of the house, we went with Dekton because it had the appearance of marble (which I love) with the intense strength of an ultra-compact porcelain countertop, and it’s also cradle-to-grave carbon neutral which was *hugely* appealing. It’s also super easy to clean, scratch-resistant, and stain-resistant. So basically it met all the parameters we’d set out with, too! Since we were going with warmer tones in many of the bathrooms in the home, we went with the Rem color, since it looks like a warm marble hue. And there are also a lot of different colors for Dekton, with some of them mimicking the patterning of other natural stones, too.

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR SLABS

This is something I had no idea about until we built the house. Basically, when you’re ordering countertops, you’re ordering big slabs. And those are sent to a local fabricator who actually cuts the slab into the exact sizes and shapes for your home. So it’s important to try and get the most out of each slab if you can. You can almost think of it like cutting cookies out of cookie dough, you want to cut the shapes out in ways that minimize any lost or unused dough. So just make sure that whoever is designing the slab pattern (whether it’s the fabricator or an interior designer) is getting the most out of your slabs.

HOW THEY’VE HELD UP OVER 4 MONTHS

I know it’s not too long, but I have shot an entire cookbook in the kitchen during that window and we’ve been doing SO much remedial soil work out in the clay and gravel of our yard, so I feel like we’ve really put the Silestone countertop through the paces in the short time we’ve been in the house! In the kitchen, the Silestone counters have been better than I expected, honestly. I thought that for sure hot turmeric would leave a stain, but when I accidentally spilled a brothy hot turmeric soup on the counter, it wiped right off. I was pretty gobsmacked considering how much everything stained in our old kitchen. And it’s been the same with any sort of crazy colored foods, beet juice, curry powder, you name it. Nothing has stained the counter. It’s also stood up to tiny bits of gravel accidentally being scraped across it (zero scratching), hot pans being set on it, and pans accidentally banging into it. Hot oil from frying on the stovetop has splattered onto the backsplash and sat there for a week, and left no stain at all. It’s honestly been a HUGE relief to have a kitchen that I don’t have to top-toe around, and that I can clean with a simple wipe of a sponge.

In the rest of the house, the Dekton countertop has held up beautifully. We have well water, and even though it’s filtered, if the water splashes around the sink it leaves behind a slightly orange residue over time when it dries (due to iron content). I was nervous the first time I realized that maybe it would stain, but nope. It just wiped right off, no problem. Same with foundation splatters from make-up and the like. We’ve also had soooo many dirty clothes from working in the sticky wet clay soil outside, and the gravel really sticks to it, too, so the poor laundry room counter has really been through it. But, NO scratches and NO stains! It’s wild how durable and strong it is for something that looks so elegant and delicate.

I honestly couldn’t be happier with how everything has turned out in this regard. It’s been great having surfaces that we can live fully with, and not be worried about every little scratch or splatter or scrape. I’m so relieved we found countertops that fit our happily wild lifestyle and look good, to boot! I hope this helps you if you’re thinking of getting some new countertops in place, and if you have any questions or comments feel free to share below. I’m happy to answer them!

This post was made in partnership with the kind folks at Cosentino, and all opinions, thoughts, and otherwise are very much my own!