In or Out? A Guide to Current Countertop Trends
Trends can give you inspiration. Confidence comes from choosing what you genuinely love.
If you have spent any time looking at kitchen inspiration lately, you have probably noticed that countertop trends are changing. Warmer colors are showing up everywhere. Natural variation and dramatic movement are getting more attention. Layered, collected spaces are replacing some of the perfectly coordinated kitchens we saw everywhere a few years ago.
And if you're planning a remodel, it can leave you wondering: How do I know what's actually going to look good for years to come?
We get it.
A countertop is a big investment. When you're choosing something that will become part of your home for years, it is easy to feel like there is a “right” choice you are supposed to make.
But here's what we think matters more than following a trend: Choose something you genuinely love.
Trends can give you a place to start. They can introduce you to colors, materials and design ideas you may not have considered before. But they shouldn't make the final decision for you.
So, what are we seeing right now?
OUT: Designing by Formula
For a while, it seemed like every kitchen followed the same formula. Bright white cabinets. Bright white countertops. White subway tile. A little farmhouse influence for good measure.There are plenty of beautiful kitchens and spaces that come from that era.
But we are seeing homeowners become more willing to step outside the formula and ask a different question:“What do I actually like?”
Instead of designing a kitchen simply because it looks like the kitchens everyone else is saving on Pinterest, people are embracing warmth, contrast, texture, color and personality. That does not mean white is "out." If you love a bright white kitchen, go for it.There are beautiful white countertop options that can create a clean, timeless-feeling space. The difference is that today, there seems to be more freedom to make the space your own.
Maybe you love white. Maybe you love warm taupes. Maybe you want a deep green or black countertop. Maybe you want something subtle that blends into the room. Or maybe you want your countertop to be the first thing everyone notices.
There isn't one right answer.
IN: Warmth, Movement & Character
One of the biggest shifts we are seeing is toward countertops with a little more personality.
That might mean creamy whites instead of stark whites, warmer veining, brown and taupe tones, deeper colors or materials with dramatic movement.
We are also seeing more interest in finishes and patterns that give a space texture and dimension.
Maybe your version of personality is something moody and unique like Cambria St. Isley.
Maybe it is the warm movement of LumaTaj or Carrara Oro.
Maybe you love the classic look of Miami Vena.
Or maybe you walk into our warehouse and immediately fall for the natural variation of Alpinus.
We love all of those for completely different reasons.
And that's the point.
Your countertop doesn't have to look like everyone else's to be beautiful.
We also regularly bring in special bundle materials outside of our normal stocking program when we find something we think our customers will love. If you're looking for something a little different, those materials can be a great place to start.
Our selection is always changing, so what you see in the showroom today may be different from what you see a few months from now.
Quartz or Natural Stone? You Don't Have to Pick the "Right" One.
We have watched countertop preferences change over the years. Quartz became incredibly popular, and at the same time, we have seen renewed interest in natural stone. But we don't think one material needs to win.
Quartz offers consistency and an incredible range of colors, patterns and design styles.
Natural stone offers something completely different: natural variation, individuality and the beauty of a material created by the earth.
Granite, marble and quartzite can each bring a completely different feeling to a space. And today's quartz options can create everything from subtle, classic looks to bold, dramatic designs
Neither is automatically better.
The right choice depends on your home, your lifestyle, your budget, your design goals and, perhaps most importantly, what you love when you actually see it in person.
View Our Current Stone Selection Here:
Don't Let Pinterest Make the Decision for You
We love Pinterest. It is an incredible place to find inspiration, save ideas and figure out what you are drawn to. But there is a downside to having unlimited inspiration at our fingertips. Search for “beautiful kitchen” and you can scroll through hundreds of kitchens that look remarkably similar. After enough scrolling, it can start to feel like there is one specific definition of what a beautiful kitchen is supposed to look like. There isn't.
Instead of only asking yourself what is trending, think about the spaces in your own home that you already love. What do you like about them? Is it the color? The lighting? The warmth? The texture? The contrast? The way everything feels collected instead of perfectly matched? Those things can tell you much more about your personal style than a trend report can. And if you are not sure how all of your choices will work together, that's where our team can help.
Bring your cabinet sample. Bring a paint color. Bring photos of your space. Bring your Pinterest board.
We'll help you look at the whole picture.
A Sample Can Give You an Idea. A Full Slab Helps You Know.
This is one of the biggest reasons we encourage customers to visit our showrooms whenever possible.
A small sample can tell you the basic color of a countertop.
A full slab tells you the story.
You can see the movement, veining and variation. You can see how those details change from one section of the slab to another. You can compare different materials and finishes. You can put your countertop next to your cabinet color and see how everything works together. And most importantly, you can find out whether you actually love it.
I know this firsthand. Before working in marketing, I spent time as a selection specialist at JGI, helping customers walk through the process of choosing their materials.
Sometimes we would start with a conversation about what they thought they wanted, then head into the warehouse and look at different options together. And every once in a while, someone who walked through the door saying, “I know I want quartz,” would walk out talking about how much they loved a granite slab.
That's why seeing your options in person matters.
You may surprise yourself. And that's okay.
You don't have to walk through our doors knowing exactly what you want.
Maybe "Timeless" Isn't the Goal
We hear the word “timeless” a lot.
Nobody wants to make a major investment in something that feels dated a few years later. But maybe the goal isn't to choose something that will look exactly the same 20 years from now. Maybe the goal is to choose something you genuinely love and that feels like it belongs in your home.
A countertop can feel completely different depending on what you put around it. Cabinets, flooring, paint, lighting, hardware and decor all contribute to the overall look of a room. A stone that felt very “of its time” in one kitchen can look completely different in another.
So don't be afraid of something simply because someone calls it a trend.
If you love it, that matters.
The Best Way to Know What You Love? Come See It.
When I was younger, my mom always told me: “If you don't love it in the store, you won't wear it when you get home.”
I think the same thing applies to countertops. If you stand in front of a slab and something about it makes you stop and think, I love this, pay attention to that feeling.
And if you don't love it? Keep looking.
You don't have to convince yourself to love a countertop because it is popular. You don't have to choose quartz because someone told you natural stone is outdated. You don't have to choose natural stone because someone told you quartz is boring. You don't have to choose white because it is “timeless.” And you don't have to choose something dramatic because it is “in.”
You get to choose what makes you happy.
Bring your cabinet sample, paint color, flooring sample or photos of your space to a JGI showroom. Bring your questions, your inspiration and even your uncertainty.
You can compare options, see full slabs, explore different materials and talk through how everything will work together.
Our job isn't to tell you what countertop you should choose.
Our job is to help you feel confident in the one you do choose.
Because trends can give you a place to start.
Pinterest can give you ideas.
Our team can give you guidance.
But your home should still feel like yours.
And the best countertop isn't necessarily the one that's most “in.”
It's the one you can't wait to see every morning.
