INDOOR living
COUNTER INTELLIGENCE BY CLAIRE CELLA • PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC BROWN
Austin artisan Eric Billig with one of his one-of-a-kind custom kitchen countertop creations.
T
he choice of countertops for your kitchen is anything
wine, dropped knives. From one day to the next, your coun-
but a surface-level decision. It can establish the mood
tertops could be asked to serve a variety of unexpected roles
of the room, set the stage of a certain time and place
as cutting boards, office desks, snack bars, even seats.
and influence the style of your entire home. The heart of the home is, after all, the kitchen.
Of course, the plethora of options can be overwhelming. Just remember the advice of local furniture and countertop
Beyond their aesthetic qualities, counters also largely
artisan, Eric Billig: “There’s no one right way to set up a home
dictate how we operate in and around our kitchen area. For
kitchen. All that matters is choosing a counter that works for
most, an efficient kitchen is functional and practical, an in-
the way you prefer to cook, bake and just be in your kitchen.”
viting space to spread out ingredients and preparation tools with plenty of room to move around. So, while countertops
Counter Considerations
have the ability to create stunning lines and vibrant visuals,
n Not every surface has to be the same—consider installing a
shoppers should keep in mind that counters also need to be
section of wood for chopping, or a slab of marble for rolling
able to withstand the realities of an active kitchen—meal
dough. Different colors on a kitchen island can add intrigue,
prep, pots of boiling water, frozen casserole dishes, spilled
and creative edges and backsplashes can add more personality. EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM
HOME 2016
7