Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at the pros and cons of ceramic countertops. More

Last week my husband and I bought our first house, and it's a real fixer-upper! We are putting in a new kitchen (watch this space for lots on the IKEA cabinet planning process!), and I find myself wanting white marble countertops very badly. Am I crazy? Read on for some of the pros and cons of marble countertops, and to add your own advice: I'd love to hear your experience! More

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at the pros and cons of soapstone countertops: More

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at the pros and cons of concrete countertops: More

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? If so, then our Sink Spotlight series will help you. The last few weeks we've been looking at various sink materials, from stainless steel to enameled cast iron. Today we look at another popular material for farmhouse-style sinks: fireclay. More

Who: Alpes Inox
What We Noticed: German company Alpes Inox makes really solid, handsome stainless islands and workstations for the kitchen (we already mentioned this smart combo unit that has a dishwasher, oven, and fridge inside). Here's a look at some of their other island units — many of them fabulously arranged with built-in bins, u-shaped drawers, and great sinks. More

Who: Leicht
What We Noticed: We loved the bright, warm colors of these kitchens from Leicht; they felt refreshing and invigorating after all the grey and white at the show. This kitchen is also a really nicely-done set of built-ins. The cabinets are set into the wall and lift open, and all the appliances hide away, including the fridge and freezer drawers. One more nice touch: the oven has knobs that looks and feel just like a stereo! More

Are you thinking about renovating your kitchen? Doing research on countertop materials? If so, then our Countertop Spotlight series will help you. Today we look at paper composite countertops: More

Who: Marmo Arredo
What We Noticed: There are plenty of high-end, fantasy-kitchen items at EuroCucina, and this was my favorite: An entire island by Italian marble fabricators Marmo Arredo, carved out of one solid piece of statuary marble. It is paired up with some manmade black countertop material for a dramatic black/white contrast. Impressive, and the very epitome of a luxury item. More photos below... More

Who: Caesarstone quartz countertops
What We Noticed: Caesarstone had a big white booth gleaming with one of their new textured quartz materials: Crocodile! This was rather glam when covering drawers and cabinets, but we couldn't imagine having a textured material like this on the countertop! Click through for more photos... More