Needing, Wanting, Loving: Thick Stone Countertops

The one room designers and architects are really pushing the limits on these days seems to be the kitchen.  From auto finishes, to bold paint color choices, to added features, the kitchen is quickly becoming the place to express creativity in design.  One trend I am loving is thick, hearty, stone countertops. They add richness and elegance to the kitchen and help to give the space a bit of personality:

{Ryan Korban}

{Katty Schiebeck}

While not a kitchen, I had to share this gorgeous bathroom by Rivera Fine Homes.  Hardware and fittings are the jewelry of the home to me, and the faucet here as well as the drawer pulls create a sense of glamour: 

{Rivera Fine Homes}

Depending on the surrounding design details, thick countertops can blend seamlessly in to both rich spaces as well as minimalist ones, like the kitchen below:

{Hecker Guthrie}

{My Domaine}

I knew I would get in trouble if I ONLY showed thick Carrera marble countertops (my personal fave), so I added in this stunner by Steven Gambrel.  This 1912 Upper East Side home includes a kitchen with rich black lacquer cabinetry, black and white tiled flooring, and a stone countertop- tres chic.

As I mentioned above, designers are making kitchens that are more and more intuitive.  A built-in warming drawer in this kitchen island fits nicely with the surrounding drawer moulding:

So let's discuss- are you a fan of thick countertops?  What are your current favorite trends in kitchen design?