I have a ss work table, which i am getting ready to reinstall in my current kitchen when we are done revamping. i love that thing. Yes it gets finger prints, but they are easy to clean. I always know if it is clean or dirty. It stays cool I can work with dough on it, well i could, doubtful now - personal disability not the table. it does not burn, i can throw a pot on it, if it is too hot. spills do nothing to it. I can chop on it with no damage and no microbe concerns. I just do not see the down sides to a true cook. Now if i had more space for an island or something like that, I dream of this..

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On a more knowledgeable discourse - though above is totally true, only the ss relates to your discussion. Copper, as you know from the bottom of some of your pots can have problems, but maybe it only takes a little extra care. after all to hear some people tell it SS is straight from he dble hockey sticks.

i don't know about tin on counter tops, I have heard/seen ceiling tiles can be nice as back splash.

And you have forgotten a few really old, tried and true counter tops. butcher block does everything that ss does, except it can scorch, but if you get a thick enough piece you can have it sanded every few years. Unlike stainless it does not hold the cold, a + and a -. As old or older is tile, it can crack, and there was the grout problem, but there are new grouts and a handy towel - which true cooks always have handy will stop cracking from hot pots. Finally, despite the supposed mad dash to this or the other stone, apparently and amazing percentage of us is still buying laminates, which seem to be improving all the time. I have had laminate in 2 kitchens and except for a couple old stains around the stove and a few cracks on the edge where someone hit it with something, they were in great shape and over 60 years old, that is a little hard to fight.

Be original, go with your comfort zone. and if laminate at $100 for 60 years is for you, then go with it. I will never tell. Have fun!

I have a metal sink that makes an annoyed warping noise when hot water is poured down it. I have copper roofs and copper tea pots. The tea pot needs polish to stay shiny, otherwise it's a dull brown. The roof is turquoise, thanks to years of weather. I'd think copper counters would be high maintenance and I'd suspect that certain types of food would cause them to react or spot.

I have a metal farm sink that makes that loud noise when hot water is poured down the sink as well. That "boom" freaks me out so I always try to let water cool before puring nowadays. Anyway, I realize that's not your question. ;) Although I have zero experience with them, I think metal counters look amazing! I do think they'd need "warmed up" with some soft colors or accents around the space - unless you're going for an industrial look. And I don't know about re-sale. It's a very personal choice. But if you love them, I vote yes. ;)

hmmm, i have had a number of ss sinks, none ever made that noise? reduced thickness perhaps?

love the look of copper...and SS for the durability...

It is common in a lot of households to have an enameled bakers hutch or table.. I wonder if an enameled section in a modern kitchen would be nice.

p.s. love the versions like this one appears to have a pull out flour bin and built in sifter.

I have copper on a hutch in my kitchen, purely decorative - not a food prep area. I love it, but it certainly does acquire a patina...

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my kitchen · More Info

Nothing wrong with patina, in the right setting.

I have a stainless steel counter top and I love it. The sink is integral to the counter. We also have a granite counter, and the ss is much easier to keep clean. We just wipe it quickly with a paper towel. It can take a hot pot. It did go through a brief (maybe two months?) less than lovely stage between totally unmarred and nice warm patina of teeny scratches. We could see that we were making progress every day :-).

The granite, on other hand, gets rings from glasses and other things that can be hard to remove. The only picture I have handy is a a panorama my niece took on a weekday morning while I was moving around the kitchen. I came out "picasso-ed". If you look closely in the foreground you can see the rings on the granite counter behind the sink, and that the stainless looks great as it always does. The granite requires fussing and only gets fussed over once a week, if that.

love your kitchen margaret, a true cook's working kitchen!