The Snazzy Countertop Material That HGTV's Nate & Jeremiah Suggest For Modernizing Your Kitchen

If your kitchen countertops are in need of an upgrade, HGTV's Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent have a great lead when it comes to materials to consider. Even better, it's one of two modern alternatives to granite countertops. In a past episode of "Nate & Jeremiah By Design," the dynamic duo opted for white quartz with gray veining to replace outdated granite as a countertop material. Quartz is a super-tough material, perfect for dropped knives or anything else clumsily banged against its surface, since it just happens to be one of the world's most solid natural minerals. Just don't make the mistake of confusing your materials, however, as there's a difference between quartz and quartzite countertops.

Typically, quartz countertops are composed of 90% to 95% crushed quartz, and the rest tend to be resins, which hold the material together, and any color pigments. The toughness of these surfaces extend to heat, scratching, staining, and their ability to withstand water damage since they are non-porous (making them bacteria resistant as well). Although quartz can come in a myriad of colors, for amateur and professional designers, even a plain white quartz offers styling versatility, since both pure white quartz and veined white quartz — veined quartz having patterned lines running throughout the material — can create different effects based on your preference for texture, design, or just how it looks against other features in your kitchen, like oak cabinets. 

If you're looking to modernize a smaller kitchen, white and other lighter tones of quartz countertops have the effect of opening up a space, making a room appear larger than it is. White or lighter-colored quartz countertops also reap benefits from proper overhead or layered lighting, with a translucent quartz material making for a visually impressive kitchen. For kitchens that appear too monochrome, quartz with veining can add the pop of texture and color you need to elevate the look of your kitchen. Here again, lighting can make a big difference where veining is concerned, with bolder veining patterns making a textural statement in dimmer rooms or standing out in a spectacular fashion under brighter lights. In fact, it's a great opportunity to choose the perfect kitchen lamp as decor to beautifully highlight your counters.

For a sleek, modern vision, go with linear or cloud veining for a cleaner look. Linear veining is just that: Relatively straight lines with no exaggerated angles or curves. Cloud veining, meanwhile, typically mimics the wispiness of clouds, and takes on the color of the surrounding environment — brown oak cabinets matching with oak-toned veining in the quartz countertop, for example. Cloud veining also produces a laid-back, calming effect, which is wonderful when a kitchen is your happy place. While not the most affordable of countertop materials money can buy, you can't do much better than quartz if you want to modernize your kitchen with a durable, versatile, and long-lasting countertop.