The Evolution Of Kitchen Countertops

By Author: Rob Parker
Total Articles: 312
Comment this article

Ever since humans first began to build permanent residences, an area put aside for food preparation has been integral to the overall design. Over the centuries and the decades, the kitchen as a room has taken on a much more central role in the design of the house overall; today it is generally accepted that there is no room more important as far as selling a home and no room on which people are willing to spend more money.

Along with the ever-changing role of the kitchen and its place in the home, has come an evolution in the different components that make up the kitchen. Flooring, appliances, and cabinets have all followed different trends over the years. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the things that have contributed to the evolution of kitchen countertops.

The kitchen becomes personal

In the 1960s, housewives began to realize that they were spending more time in the kitchen than in any other room. While the reaction of some was to refuse to work, most took on the same attitude that you see in people who are stuck in an office today; they added more personal touches to their workspace ...
... in order to make them more enjoyable. Like the rest of the kitchen, the countertop became a reflection of personal taste and style. While bright colours were the order of the day in decades past, today's kitchen countertop is more likely to emulate the beauty in simplicity and style represented by marble, granite and hardwood designs.

Bacteria!

Great strides in our understanding of biology have also contributed to the evolution of the kitchen countertop. Smooth surfaces, or at the very least textures which do not include deep striations, are necessary in order to keep a sanitary surface which is easy to keep clean. Again, the marble and granite styles so popular today are reflections of this development.

Clean, defined lines

One of the final ingredients in the mix that has led to today's modern kitchen countertop appeal is in the well defined borders between surfaces in the kitchen. The modern kitchen does not seek to blend the sink with the counters and the countertops with the cabinets; instead, the different work surfaces are separated through the use of stark lines which add an overall appeal when taken in.

Today the kitchen is the room in the house that a family is likely to use the most, and the beauty and functionality of your kitchen countertops will reflect that. Today's countertops provide just the right blend of practicality and aesthetics for the modern home.