When you build your home, you’re able to select style elements that give it the right look. Sometimes, though, those choices can feel overwhelming – especially when your options feel like only slightly different variations of similar products.
That’s where our designQ design centre and design team come in. We’ll help you choose the products that best fit your needs.
Today, the design team offers up some of their best advice for choosing countertops.
Granite and quartz are two of the most popular types of materials for countertops because they’re both beautiful and durable. In fact, there are plenty of both to choose from at Pacesetter Homes!
As you browse the countertop options at designQ, you’ll see countertops are available in a variety of colours with patterns often incorporated into the design. Choosing a lighter colour for the countertop is a good way to brighten up the kitchen. This might be especially important if you’ve chosen a home style with the kitchen at the centre of the main floor, away from sources of natural light.
On the other hand, darker colours on the countertops can create a more dramatic effect. They look especially nice with matching cabinetry, but they could also be a good choice if you’ve chosen a colourful style for the cabinets, and you want the cabinets to stand out.
Ultimately, it’s important to remember replacing your countertops is time-consuming and expensive. You want to make the right choice from the start. When you choose a neutral colour for the countertops, you can easily change the look of your kitchen in the future without the expense of replacing the counters.
You’ll also want to look at the designs embedded in the countertop you choose. Some styles, like the Chocolate Fudge and Concrete options available among our quartz styles, will look like a solid-colour countertop. Others, like the Titanium Black in granite and the Couture in quartz, will have dramatic swirls throughout the countertop. Most of the options have speckled patterns with different colours and spec sizes.
People tend to choose the styles with dramatic swirls when they want the countertops to be the focal point of the kitchen. The eye is naturally drawn to these types of patterns. Those who choose solid-colour countertops often have a more interesting tile backsplash as the focal point. Solid-colour countertops are often easier to clean because you can clearly see crumbs or drips that don’t belong on the counter.
One choice people might not realize they have is in the edging style of the countertops. As you can see in our designQ centre or in our show homes, we offer a variety of edge styles, including bullnose and half-bullnose, round top and bottom, ogee, and eased. All of these edges are slightly rounded, but they can have different effects in the home.
For instance, the bullnose and half-bullnose styles tend to have a classic appeal, and they fit well with a variety of kitchen designs. If you’re not sure which style you prefer, you should know this is a relatively safe choice. You’ll quickly see the ogee style has a far “fancier” look than most of the other styles. This is the choice you want if you’re going for an elegant look in your kitchen. Finally, the eased style is more modern. It’s one of our “trendsetter” options.
With the right choices, your kitchen will stand out from the crowd. Since most Pacesetter homes come with a meeting with a professional designer, you won’t have to worry about making the wrong choices.
For more information on design elements for your new home, check out our previous post, “Fun Flooring Ideas From Our Design Q Team“