The BLANCOWAVE™ combines advanced technology with innovation featuring sound deadening pads identical to those used by luxury European automotive manufcaturers. Crafted of the finest Stainless Steel, the BLANCOWAVE™ features a 1-3/4 bowl perfect for the working kitchen.

Ann Sacks natural stone with a single Schluter-Systems strip detail provides an understated background to this custom built zinc hood. The Wolf 48” range top has plenty of surrounding counter space including a custom pewter insert, great for holding hot items. Two 30” Wolf ovens conveniently reside in the island opposite the range top.

This bright kitchen features gorgeous white UltraCraft cabinetry and natural wood floors. The island countertop is Mont Blanc honed quartzite with a build-up edge treatment. To contrast, the perimeter countertop is Silver Pearl Leathered granite. All of the elements are tied together in the backsplash which features New Calacatta marble subway tile with a beautiful waterjet mosaic insert over the stove.

The cutting-edge technology and versatility we have developed over the years have resulted in four main line of Agglotech terrazzo — Unico. Small chips and contrasting background for a harmonious interplay of perspectives that lends this material vibrancy and depth.

Calacatta Betogli Extra Polished marble slabs offer a refined, luxurious aesthetic with a crisp white background and striking gray veining. The high-polish finish enhances light and depth, creating an elegant statement that complements both modern and classic bathroom and kitchen designs, available through Arizona Tile.

Photography: Mia Baxter Smail
Huge transitional open concept and formal dark wood floor and brown floor living room photo in Austin with white walls, a standard fireplace, a tile fireplace and no tv

http://sonomarealestatephotography.com/
Inspiration for a contemporary kitchen remodel in San Francisco

The refrigerator is built into the cabinetry and rear wall adapted to allow the full depth to be hidden. A shallow depth pantry holds dry goods and smaller serving pieces. The dark stained natural wood island is in the foreground, housing the prep sink and seating for one. Access to the deck is through the slider in the background.

Decorative frosted and etched cabinet glass by Sans Soucie is hand-crafted, sandblast frosted and 3D carved. Cabinet glass can be created in any size or glass thickness, but will typically be 3/16" thick unless otherwise specified. The glass will have seamed edges (not polished, but rough sanded so the edges are not sharp) and will be tempered for strength and safety. Sans Soucie designs are sandblasted different ways, creating different effects for different levels of price and obscurity, depending on the need. The two most popular effects for cabinet glass are what's known as solid frosted glass: negative and positive effects. Solid frosted means that the sandblasted design elements are solid white, and have no varying sandblast density or depths. Positive is where the design elements are frosted and the background is clear. Negative is just the opposite: The design elements are clear glass and the background is frosted. Of the Sans Soucie Art Glass effects, these two are the lowest in price. Next up is 2D surface etched. 2D features "shaded" areas where the sandblast density will vary from solid frost, then fades back out to clear glass, creating a dimensional effect. The sandblasting is on the top surface only and is not cut deep into the glass like 3D carved glass. 3D carved glass is our most popular, trademark effect. Along with the shading or varying density in the sandblasting, 3D carving features a sculpted, relief texture of varying depths. The sandblast artist literally cuts deep into the glass. The edges of the carving illuminate bright as they pick up and reflect the surrounding light. If color is desired, the 3D carved glass is airbrushed with color, creating our 3D carved and painted glass. Sans Soucie has hundreds of designs available in our archives, from simple to extravagant. Let Sans Soucie Art Glass create the perfect cabinet glass to compliment and coordinate with your kitchen decor!

Photo: Margot Hartford © 2015 Houzz http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/44876872/list/my-houzz-architectural-elegance-with-the-addition-of-built-ins

This West Columbia kitchen got new countertops in White Alpes granite, a stone with a light background scattered through with dark speckling and mineral flecks that catch the light differently depending on where you stand. It's the kind of pattern that reads calm from across the room and gets more interesting up close, which is exactly what you want on a surface you're going to be looking at every day. Granite like this is quarried and cut into slabs, then polished to bring out that natural fleck and depth. It's dense, heat resistant, and about as tough a countertop material as you can put in a kitchen. You can set a hot pan on it without worrying, and it shrugs off the daily knife-and-cutting-board traffic that wears down softer stones. With a good sealer applied at install, it resists staining from wine, oil, and the usual kitchen spills for years before it needs to be redone. We templated the space to fit around the existing gray shaker cabinets and stainless appliances, cutting the sink opening for the stainless steel sink and squaring up the seams so the pattern in the granite carries through cleanly from one run to the next. That's the part of the job that doesn't show up in a photo: getting the slab cut so the speckling doesn't look choppy at the seam, and getting the sink cutout dialed in so the reveal is even all the way around. With the backsplash area still open, the countertop is doing a lot of the visual work right now, and it's holding its own. The light background of the White Alpes plays well against the gray cabinetry, and it'll give whatever backsplash goes in next a neutral, textured surface to build off of. We do a lot of this kind of granite work around West Columbia and the rest of the Midlands. Kitchens like this one are a good reminder of why granite has stayed a go-to choice for so long: it looks good, it holds up, and it doesn't ask much of the homeowner once it's in.

Family bathroom for three small kids with double ended bath and separate shower, two vanity units and mirror cabinets. Photos: Fraser Marr
Example of a trendy bathroom design in Oxfordshire

Large trendy dark wood floor home office photo in Mumbai

Transitional home office photo in Pune

Calacatta Super White is brilliant, marble-like quartzite. Its background displays a classic white and grey palette highlighted by dark grey veins adding visual depth to the stone. The veins resembling deep rifts in the stone look edgy and sharp. Calacatta Super White quartzite is impervious to stains, scratches, and heat, making it a suitable choice for surfacing in high-traffic areas such as kitchen, bathroom, and living areas. Create elegant and enduring spaces with Calacatta Super White quartzite.

The cutting-edge technology and versatility we have developed over the years have resulted in four main line of Agglotech terrazzo — Unico. Small chips and contrasting background for a harmonious interplay of perspectives that lends this material vibrancy and depth.

A warm and inviting living room moment styled around a natural wood coffee table. Brass taper candle holders, a ridged blush vase with eucalyptus stems, and a textured ceramic bowl layer beautifully together. Blush linen curtains filter soft natural light, and a dark upright piano in the background adds character and depth to the space.

This West Columbia kitchen got new countertops in White Alpes granite, a stone with a light background scattered through with dark speckling and mineral flecks that catch the light differently depending on where you stand. It's the kind of pattern that reads calm from across the room and gets more interesting up close, which is exactly what you want on a surface you're going to be looking at every day. Granite like this is quarried and cut into slabs, then polished to bring out that natural fleck and depth. It's dense, heat resistant, and about as tough a countertop material as you can put in a kitchen. You can set a hot pan on it without worrying, and it shrugs off the daily knife-and-cutting-board traffic that wears down softer stones. With a good sealer applied at install, it resists staining from wine, oil, and the usual kitchen spills for years before it needs to be redone. We templated the space to fit around the existing gray shaker cabinets and stainless appliances, cutting the sink opening for the stainless steel sink and squaring up the seams so the pattern in the granite carries through cleanly from one run to the next. That's the part of the job that doesn't show up in a photo: getting the slab cut so the speckling doesn't look choppy at the seam, and getting the sink cutout dialed in so the reveal is even all the way around. With the backsplash area still open, the countertop is doing a lot of the visual work right now, and it's holding its own. The light background of the White Alpes plays well against the gray cabinetry, and it'll give whatever backsplash goes in next a neutral, textured surface to build off of. We do a lot of this kind of granite work around West Columbia and the rest of the Midlands. Kitchens like this one are a good reminder of why granite has stayed a go-to choice for so long: it looks good, it holds up, and it doesn't ask much of the homeowner once it's in.

Ask a kitchen designer in Chicago which countertop question comes up most and you will hear the same answer: white or off-white quartz, and which shade. Homeowners walk into showrooms with a photo saved on their phone, usually a bright, veined slab from a magazine spread, and leave an hour later realizing there are a dozen versions of that same look. The confusion is not about taste. It is about the fact that "white quartz" covers a huge range of patterns, undertones, and price points, and nobody explains the differences before the sale. Older bungalows and newer builds alike are getting stripped of their dated laminate and butcher block in favor of quartz, and the reasons are practical rather than trendy. Quartz does not need sealing, resists the kind of staining that granite can suffer over decades, and holds up to the freeze-thaw humidity swings that Chicago basements and kitchens go through every year. Once a homeowner commits to quartz, though, the real decision starts: which white, and does the pattern justify the difference in cost. This piece walks through three specific slabs that keep showing up in Chicago renovation projects, why designers reach for them in different rooms, and what actually separates a flat white surface from one with real depth. None of this requires a design background to follow. It is mostly about paying attention to how a slab behaves under kitchen lighting, how busy the vending gets, and how it photographs versus how it looks in person. Why White Quartz Took Over Chicago Kitchens Ten years ago, granite dominated Chicago kitchen remodels almost by default. It was durable, it looked expensive, and every fabricator in the metro area carried a wide range of colors. Quartz has since taken over that position, and the shift happened faster than most contractors expected. Engineered stone gave homeowners a more predictable surface, since natural granite varies slab to slab while quartz is manufactured to a consistent pattern batch after batch. The other driver is light. Chicago winters are long and gray, and a lot of kitchens, especially in older two-flats and courtyard buildings, do not get much direct sun. A dark granite countertop in a dim kitchen can make the whole room feel smaller. White and light-toned quartz reflects what little natural light comes through the windows, and it makes a galley kitchen or a north-facing space feel noticeably brighter without touching the cabinetry or the layout. There is also a resale argument that local real estate agents bring up constantly. White quartz photographs well for listings, reads as updated and low-maintenance to buyers touring in person, and does not compete visually with whatever cabinet color the next owner might prefer. It is a safer bet than a bold veined marble look or a colored quartz that might feel dated in five years. Arctic White and the Cost Question Among the flatter, more uniform whites, arctic white quartz price comes up constantly in budget conversations because the slab sits at a more approachable point than the heavily veined Italian-marble-inspired patterns. It reads as clean and bright without the busy movement that some homeowners find overwhelming in a small kitchen. Fabricators in the Chicago area tend to keep it in stock precisely because demand stays steady across both new construction and remodel projects. Part of what keeps this slab affordable relative to its heavily patterned cousins comes down to manufacturing complexity. A quartz surface with minimal veining and a consistent white base is simpler to produce at scale than one that mimics the irregular, high-contrast movement of natural Calacatta marble. That production difference shows up directly in what a homeowner pays per square foot, and it is worth asking a fabricator to walk through that pricing before assuming every white quartz costs the same. Homeowners planning a full kitchen, including an island, backsplash, and perimeter counters, often use a flatter white like this specifically because it lets other elements carry the visual interest. A patterned tile backsplash or a bold cabinet color reads more clearly against a calm countertop than against one already fighting for attention with heavy veining. Designers frequently pair simpler whites with statement lighting fixtures for exactly this reason. What Makes Calacatta Patterns Different Calacatta refers to a family of marble originally quarried in Italy, known for a bright white background broken up by bold, often gold-toned veining that moves in thick, dramatic streaks rather than thin gray lines. Natural Calacatta marble is soft, porous, and expensive to maintain, which is exactly why quartz manufacturers spent years developing engineered versions that replicate the look without the upkeep headaches. The challenge with any Calacatta-style quartz is getting the veining to look organic instead of printed. Early generations of engineered stone struggled with repetitive patterns that gave away the fact the slab was manufactured rather than cut from actual marble. Modern digital printing and layering techniques have closed that gap considerably, and the better Calacatta-inspired quartz lines now vary the veining across each slab batch so two counters in the same kitchen do not look identical. Chicago designers gravitate toward Calacatta patterns for kitchens that function as the visual centerpiece of an open floor plan, which describes a large share of the gut renovations happening in neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, Roscoe Village, and the North Shore suburbs. When the kitchen island is visible from the living room and dining area, a dramatic veined surface becomes part of the home's overall design language rather than a purely functional work surface. Calacatta Arno Under Kitchen Lighting One of the more popular options in this category, calacatta arno quartz, balances a warm white base with soft gray and gold veining that avoids looking too stark under the cooler LED lighting common in newer Chicago builds. Homeowners touring showrooms sometimes make the mistake of judging a slab entirely under warm incandescent lighting, then get surprised when the same surface looks slightly different once installed under their kitchen's actual fixtures. What separates this particular pattern from flatter competitors is how the veining clusters rather than spreading evenly across the slab. That clustering mimics the way real quarried marble forms, with denser mineral deposits in some sections and cleaner stretches in others. Fabricators cutting a large island slab from a single piece will often orient the pattern intentionally so the busiest veining lands somewhere visually interesting rather than getting cut off at an edge. Because the background reads warmer than a stark white, this pattern tends to pair well with brass or matte gold hardware, a combination that has been showing up repeatedly in Chicago kitchen remodels over the past few renovation seasons. Cabinet painters report a similar trend, with more clients requesting warm white or greige cabinet colors specifically because they complement this kind of veined quartz better than a cooler, blue-toned white would. Silestone's Version of the Calacatta Look Manufacturers compete directly in this Calacatta-inspired category, and silestone eternal calacatta gold represents one brand's specific take on the pattern, distinguished by richer gold veining set against a brighter white base than some competing slabs in the same family. Silestone has built a reputation around anti-bacterial surface treatments in addition to the standard quartz durability, a detail some homeowners specifically ask about for kitchens used heavily by families with young children. The veining in this particular slab tends to run in longer, more continuous lines compared to the clustered pattern found in some other Calacatta-style options, which gives large island surfaces a sense of visual flow from one end to the other. Fabricators working with bigger islands, the kind increasingly common in open-concept Chicago remodels, often favor patterns like this because there is less need to worry about seams interrupting a busy, disconnected pattern. Price positioning for this slab tends to sit toward the upper end of the engineered quartz category, reflecting both the brand's manufacturing process and the complexity of replicating that continuous gold veining consistently across production batches. Homeowners weighing this option against other Calacatta-style quartz should ask their fabricator directly about batch availability, since premium patterns sometimes have longer lead times than standard stock colors. Living With Quartz Day to Day Beyond how a slab looks in a showroom or a listing photo, the daily experience of owning quartz countertops matters more once the renovation dust settles. Quartz resists scratching far better than laminate and holds up to the acidic spills, hot pans, and general abuse of an active kitchen without the sealing maintenance that natural stone requires every year or two. That low-maintenance reputation is a large part of why quartz overtook granite in the first place. Heat resistance is a detail that gets less attention than it should. While quartz handles moderate heat well, manufacturers generally recommend using a trivet or pad for very hot pots straight off the stove, since sudden temperature shock can occasionally cause stress marks in the resin binder that holds the engineered stone together. This is a minor precaution rather than a major limitation, but it is worth mentioning to anyone assuming quartz is entirely indestructible. Cleaning routines stay simple across almost every pattern in this category. A damp cloth and mild soap handle daily messes, and the nonporous surface means wine, coffee, and tomato-based sauces do not soak in the way they can with unsealed granite or marble. Homeowners moving from an older stone counter often mention how much less they worry about everyday spills once quartz is installed, which is a quality-of-life change that rarely makes it into the initial design conversation. Choosing Between the Three There is no single correct answer among these three slabs, and that is exactly why they keep coming up together in the same design conversations across Chicago renovation projects. A flatter white with minimal veining suits kitchens where other elements need to carry the visual interest, while a bolder Calacatta-inspired pattern makes sense when the countertop itself is meant to be the centerpiece of an open floor plan. Budget matters too, and it is worth having a direct conversation with a fabricator about where each option lands before falling in love with a specific slab in a showroom. Lighting, cabinet color, and how the kitchen connects to the rest of the home all play into which pattern will actually look right once installation is finished rather than just in a photo. Whatever direction a homeowner leans, seeing a full slab in person under actual kitchen lighting remains the single most useful step before signing off. Photos only go so far once the countertop is sitting in the room it will live in for years.