39% of People Want White Counters, But This Understated Alternative Is Gaining Traction

Despite the rise in tiled and butcher block kitchen countertops, there’s one color that continues to reign supreme: white. Whether it’s marble, quartzite, granite, or laminate, the always-clean-looking hue is hands down the top choice among renovators. It’s a fact that has been backed up by the Houzz 2022 trends report, which suggests homeowners are increasingly choosing white for their kitchen countertops (39 percent, up from 33 percent the previous year), followed by multicolored (24 percent), while gray seems to be falling out of favor. 

But while the neutral clearly isn’t going anywhere, people are starting to experiment with unexpected veining hues like blue. Summer Kath, executive vice president of design at quartz surfaces brand Cambria, recently told us the company’s Inverness Cobalt, a cool white backdrop with rich navy veining, is the best-selling option out of the five products in its collection (it has even been outshining its white-on-white counterpart, Frost, since its launch in November). Kath compares the accent shade to everyone’s favorite wardrobe staple: jeans. She explains, “Blue is here to stay. As we launch new designs that are superunique and we’ve never done before, they are moving up to the top faster than what we’ve seen in the past.” 

The second top performer in the group? Inverness Platinum, a version that dials the contrast up a notch with soft charcoal veining. Another popular choice since the beginning of the pandemic has been Portrush, a slab that features flecks of blue and gold. Kath continues, “For consumers who are savvy designers, they want something different than just white and gray.” If going with full-on blue countertops gives you some hesitation but all white makes you yawn, these accented slabs are a perfect middle ground.