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" Ellen Cheever, designer: &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m seeing white countertops, whether Corian&amp;#039;s Designer White or engineered quartz. Consumers want simpler, minimalist kitchens. Countertops are either very thin, \u00BE inch, or very thick, from 2\u00BD to 3 inches. Color and pattern are still players in backsplashes. And combinations of materials are popular.&amp;quot; A good example: a kitchen that Joe Nahem designed combining lacquer, stone, wood, and antique tiles, above.  Karen Williams, designer, St. Charles of New York: &amp;quot;White marble is classic but people are looking for more durable options. Concetto is handmade from semiprecious stones and comes in brilliant colors. We create custom pewter countertops, which get a patina as they age. Lavastone is heat, stain, and scratch resistant.&amp;quot; Visit concettous.com or pyrolave.com.  Alice Min Soo Chun, professor at Parsons, New York: &amp;quot;There are more composite surfaces made of natural materials. PaperStone is a hard countertop made from recycled paper. It comes in many colors and is very green. Stone Source&amp;#039;s TorZo looks like stone but is actually recycled wood. GreenDepot.com has a great selection of sustainable surface materials.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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