Renovating your kitchen? Let this be your guide: We used and abused seven eco-friendly countertops to investigate if they could stand the heat of Dwell's kitchen.

The Lowreys worked with architect Luis Sánchez and a team of local craftsmen to complete the build. The custom counters in the kitchen are terrazzo and granite; the oven and cooktop are from Teka.

Guess used inexpensive graded pine plywood so that he would get heavy grain patterns on the surfaces. One of the main goals in the kitchen was simplicity. To that end, he opted for a poured-in-place concrete island. "We didn’t know if we could afford to do that, but we found a great subcontractor [Nate Francis of Countertop Creations] here who had never really built anything like that," Guess says. "Because he was interested in giving it a shot and adding it to his portfolio, he didn’t charge an exorbitant amount of money because it was sort of an experiment for him as well." The kitchen features a GE Profile refrigerator and KitchenAid range, microwave, and dishwasher. The sink and faucet are from Kohler. The project's builder was Joe Doherty with Custom Homecrafters of Austin.

"I'm a foodie, so this kitchen [holds] a lot of fun dinner parties," Nadarajah says. The island is a deeper shade of birch.

For the kitchen, American cherry wood was used to create cabinets that establish a warm and sturdy tone. Each piece of lumber was purchased at auction by the Brillharts and stored in New Hampshire, before being shipped to Miami and milled on site. The wood island is painted black to provide a point of visual contrast. Himalayan marble countertops and stainless steel appliances lend moments of clean modernism to the kitchen, which is flooded with bright light thanks to patio windows that open to the yard.

The family shares a meal at the counter in the kitchen.

Established in 1987, Tekserve grew into the largest single-site Apple specialist in North America.

In addition to a playroom, the children share a bathroom. “In a kids’ bathroom, it’s nice to have a little bit more fun,” Miller says. “The penny tiles are really nice because they are really inexpensive and have a nice blue delicateness to them.” A neutral palette of whites and grays is used throughout the rest of the space to make the blue penny tiles stand out. Footstools are nestled underneath the cabinets so the kids can access the sink easily.

Here's how a designer makes money: One day she dreams up a chair. She spends months developing the concept, selecting materials, devising the exact curve of the arm, the dip of the back. Satisfied with the piece, she works with a manufacturer to produce it. The manufacturer refines the design, invests in tooling to build it, promotes it, and gets it to market. You, the consumer, buy it. This is an original, authentic design. We discuss why knockoff furnishings may be cheap, but for the design industry, they come with a heavy price.

“Copying something without consideration of quality is now an epidemic. The world has been flooded with ‘stage props’—items that resemble useful objects but have minimal functionality.” —Benjamin Cherner, the Cherner Chair Company

Architect Paul Syme designed custom storage units with dark-stained walnut fronts that provide a place for everything in his clients’ Toronto bathroom. The wall-to-wall mirror and the Corian counter are custom, and the faucets are by Vola.

The dining table narrows to a counter attached to the island.

The custom zinc cabinets and quartzite countertops of Mark Berryman’s Tribeca apartment reflect the sun as it sets over Manhattan. Workstead designer Robert Highsmith kept the apartment’s original fir beams and painted its existing pipes Onyx by Benjamin Moore. The counter stools are by Sawkille, and the floors are white oak from LV Wood. The range is by Viking.

The minimalist kitchen features an array of lighting: can lights integrated into the ceiling as well as pendants.

Made from Kartell’s signature plastic, the Charles Ghost Stool features a shape that evokes stools made in the 1800s, while offering a decidedly modern slant.

Organization is critical in keeping the Tatami House’s minimalist vibe intact. Shoko keeps the kitchen drawers tidy.

The House of Earth + Light had been featured in the pages of the New York Times and on the cover of Dwell’s premiere issue, and was revisited years later. In the kitchen, an elegant palette of materials defines the open space. The rear counter is sanded stainless steel; the island counter is Purpleheart (an exotic hardwood) with a range by Dacor.

Along with the interior design’s emphasis on natural light, Montalba also wanted a minimalist look. That sense of “timelessness,” as he says, is achieved with help from the Bertoia counter stools in the kitchen.

Here's the counter filled with sandwiches and pastries.

Detail for Kitchen showing granite backsplash

Integral glass counter and sink top

Color is deployed to grand effect in the space. The achieve the cerulean hue, the architects specified commercial acrylic paint and developed a hand-rubbing technique to control the opacity. "We're interested in common materials and creating space which is familiar and develops character and life with age," David says. "We look forward to the blue wash and soaped surfaces wearing in and the painted floor being reapplied and thickened."

Ed Slattery, seen here with his son Matthew, wanted to create a sustainable home that is accessible without feeling like a hospital.

Foz Design raised the dining table from Skram to counter height in order to make it feel more informal.

Counter and basin mixer (€6,100).

The bathroom counter extends into the bedroom as a desk. A sliding door can fit on a track between the bathroom countertop and bedroom desk to seamlessly partition the two rooms. A blue Niche Modern pendant light adds flair to the bedroom.

A quick snap of the counter at Tinderbox on Byres Street.

Lucy counter stool by Gaurav Nanda for Bend, $440 A powder-coated wire frame means ultimate flexibility—the frame bends with the body and the finish can withstand the outdoors.

Taking the intricate seat of the Lucy Chair, the Lucy Stool is characteristic of Bend’s focus on versatility and innovation. With an elongated frame, this iteration of the Lucy is designed for use at a kitchen counter, high-top table, or bar. The elevated chair is also balanced on a supportive frame that features an extra geometric detail in its square footrest.

Counter-Composition VI, 1925, by Theo van Doesburg.

A butcher poses at the meat counter inside the Italian Market.

Kitchen with large, walk-in pantry, polished concrete counter tops, two level bar, plant shelf, built in ovens.

A dark concrete countertop is paired with blue laminate cabinets in architect Janet Bloomberg’s kitchen.

Chicago Net Positive Home (Kipnis Architecture + Planning) Architect Nathan Kipnis’ plans utilized super-tight construction, skylights, and carefully calibrated air flow to increase natural light and ventilation while lowering energy usage. Landscape designer Julia Bunn enlivened the 400-square-foot roof with a green rooftop garden.

The cabinetry was custom designed and built out of cherry wood, and accented with oil rubbed bronze hardware. The counter tops are a rich golden sea granite, which is the same material used in the main dining room that connects to the kitchen where the bar is located. A hammered copper vent over the range, as well as a hammered copper farm sink, added a rustic, handmade appeal to the kitchen. The backsplash is a mix of tumbled jerusalem gold stone, with a border throughout that pops up over the range area. The border is made up of 2 burnished metal pencil liner tiles, with a square, multi color glass mosaic in the center.

This private home is situated on a private street, right on the water, is surrounded by nature. It was important to this family, to bring in the elements of their outdoor patio and garden off the kitchen, into their interior. The stacked stone was the first element that was continued into the space, as well as the real slate flooring throughout the kitchen. A custom chandelier was made to go over the eat in kitchen table. Custom built by Michael McHale, this industrial chic chandelier is made up of a mix of pipe and Swarovski crystals. It sits under a skylight above, and reflects colors and light over the table.