What's trending in kitchen countertops?

If it's been a while since your last kitchen remodel, get ready for a bounty of new countertop materials. Here are the top trends Consumer Reports is seeing at Design & Construction Week in Las Vegas.
 
Laminate goes lux. Laminate is among the most affordable and durable countertop surfaces in Consumer Reports' countertop Ratings. But it's not thought of as the most eye-catching. That's starting to change as more designers embrace the utilitarian surface, which some have dubbed "laminate." Design maven Jonathan Adler, for example, has partnered with Formica to create a line of nine colors and patterns, including:

• Lacquered Linen, inspired by mid-century modern furniture, is available in green, orange, charcoal and crème.
• Malachite, inspired by precious stones and patterns of the 60s and 70s, comes in crisp blue and subtle charcoal, both with a glossy finish.
• Greek Key, a timeless motif made modern with bold color and scale, is available in orange, blue and charcoal.

Quartz comes on strong. This engineered stone, made from a blend of stone chips, resins, and pigments, replaced natural granite at the top of our countertop Ratings a few years back. In that time, manufacturers have been steadily coming out with new patterns for the versatile material, which can emulate the look of granite and marble or be imbued with bold colors. Wilsonart, better known for laminate countertops, is entering the fray with a line of quartz countertops.
 
Concrete returns with strength. Concrete's reputation as a countertop material is the opposite that of laminate: beautiful, but repair-prone, especially when it comes to staining and chipping. Caeserstone, manufacturer of quartz, answers that dilemma with its new Fresh Concrete, Sleek Concrete, and Raw Concrete colors. They have the look of concrete but with the heat, stain, and abrasion resistance of quartz.

New surfaces emerge. Dekton is an ultra-compact surface that can be used both indoors and outdoors because it's resistant to ultraviolet rays. It's now available in five new colors, including marble-like Aura and Kairos. Another new material is Avorio countertops, a sintered compact surface from Neolith.
 
The experts at Consumer Reports are eager to get these new countertop materials in our labs to see if they stand up to the slicing, dicing, and pounding in our tough countertop tests.

—Daniel DiClerico (@dandiclerico on Twitter)