Update Your Kitchen and Bath with New Counter Tops

With an ever widening selection of countertops available, what you choose for your kitchen becomes all important, especially when it will add value to your home. Believe it or not, you can really personalize your kitchen or bath now with sophisticated colors and patterns. So they quite literally become "works of art".

The current trend is toward more stylish countertops. They even have countertops now that look and feel like leather. Not for me, but it's out there.

• For resale purposes, neutral colors are probably the safest, but bright primary colors are gaining interest, as well as black and charcoal.
• Just remember colors really lock you in design wise, so choose for the long term, not just the short fad.
• You can even find granit that is patterned instead of spotted or static. Look for swirls and sweeping brush strokes.
• Veining is also a newer look in countertops.
• Some companies now also offer countertops in microban, a built-in antimicrobial protection which is supposed to safelyinhibit the growth of microbes such as odor-causing bacteria.
• Traditionally kitchens have sharp, square corners. A newer trend is to soften the endges with gently curving islands with "waterfall borders".
• You can even mix it up a bit. Like with a granite countertop but a travertine backsplash.
• Travertine has a matte finish which compliments the high gloss finish of the granite countertop. Of course, one can always paint the backsplash a different color to add contrast for a fraction of the cost of purchasing a stone backsplash.
• Open up to the possibilities and create the kitchen or bath that reflects your unique personality. Do bear in mind, however, that the further away you move from neutrals, the riskier it is in terms of resale value.

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Barbara Jennings is the West Coast Pioneer in Interior Redesign and has been in the redesign/home staging market since 1986. She is author of 9 books on interior decorating subjects and her most recent one, Home Staging for Profit, is a tutorial for those wanting to start their own home staging business. For more on that book, please visit:



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