Though we loved our wonderful plywood countertop we’re happy to report that the real thing has now arrived, along with a fancy new backsplash. Oh, wait! And what is that? Our sink has returned… though still no water.

Picking a countertop was really hard for us. Our previous countertop was Corian, a solid-surface acrylic. It held up well but I was always terrified of sticking a hot pan on it and melting it so this time around we were looking for something a little less sensitive.

We looked at a dozen marbles and none caught our eye, not to mention it is fairly porous and thus stains easily and is susceptible to acid etching. Granite doesn’t suffer from these problems, though it does require periodic resealing. We looked at two dozen granites but, again, nothing jumped out at us. They were all a bit too busy for our taste.

We then turned to some “engineered stone” tops. Good ol’ concrete was actually a pretty solid alternative, if a bit plain, and then there were several quartz lines we looked at.

We happened upon a Silestone top called “Stellar Meadow” that was a pleasant shade of green and had small bits of mirror incorporated to give it some extra sparkle and shine. Both Marla and I commented on it and joked that it was the kind of thing you talked about but would never buy…

So, of course, we did.

I’m absolutely in love with it. The green is unusual enough that it really adds some interest to the kitchen but not so wacky that it is a turn-off. Everyone who has come into the house has commented on how cool it looks, especially the extra sparkle from the mirror. The pictures don’t really do it justice. A simple green stripe in the backsplash ties it all together.

Next up: new bamboo floors!