Connor Renwick: Making a Case For Quartz: The Solves-All Surface

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Making a Case For Quartz: The Solves-All Surface

The following post is brought to you by Wilsonart. Our partners are hand picked by the Design Milk team because they represent the best in design.

As someone who works from her home office (aka the desk in my bedroom), I like to break up my routine and head out to a cafe or coffee shop for a change of scenery. I’m a bit of snob though — I tend to only seek out places with great design or a beautiful atmosphere that makes it worth it for me to pay for gas, metered parking, a $5 latte, and a filling lunch…and maybe a donut, too. That’s why I appreciate when businesses take the time to cultivate an aesthetically pleasing surrounding that I can admire as I sip my coffee and get down to work.

Honor Coffee, Newport Beach; photo by Vy Yang

Sorry Coffee, Toronto; photo by Vy Yang

Eightfold Coffee, Los Angeles; photo by Vy Yang

I can only imagine the choices an owner must face when it comes down to making design decisions that balance beauty and practicality. I used to think cafes were crazy for installing high-maintenance marble surfaces in such high-traffic, accident-prone areas, but now I realize those countertops were likely made of a more durable material, like quartz! These days, businesses (and even homeowners) don’t need to sacrifice beauty, practicality, or budgets thanks to Wilsonart, a world leading provider of engineered surfacing solutions who recently added eight new designs to their growing Quartz Collection.

“Marrara” quartz

“Lazio” quartz

“Vesuvius” quartz

“Empire State” quartz

I get it though. Sometimes, the heart wants what it wants, even if that’s a super high-maintenance, natural, beautiful slab of Carrara marble. Before you jump off the design deep-end though, take another look at quartz. As a believer that “personalization is not always black and white,” Wilsonart’s new surfaces look almost identical to a range of materials, like that popular marble with irregular veining or even industrial concrete, but in a practically indestructible material. That’s because as a non-porous engineered surface, quartz is stain-resistant and scratch-resistant, which means it’s much more durable than its traditional natural counterparts.

“Lucca” quartz – bookmatched companion available

“Manhattan” quartz

Countertops make a grand statement in any space because of their large size and they set the foundation of a space’s aesthetic, but it can be hard to commit to something that’s so highly visible. With the Wilsonart^® Visualizer tool, you can visualize over 800 different textures and surfaces in different kinds of spaces, like retail, homes, offices, or hospitality.

“Tellaro” semi-translucent quartz

For the commercial or residential designer, having flexible options is important, especially as business owners and homeowners become more knowledgeable about what they want and have more visibility to beautiful spaces (thanks Pinterest!). Like a Catch 22 though, the problem is less about a limited variety of options and more about having to narrow down your favorite colors and textures! We’d much rather have the latter problems, one that Wilsonart can definitely solve for you. Learn more about Wilsonart^® Quartz surfaces on wilsonart.com.