From an interior designer’s point of view, there are two options when it comes to bathroom countertops. They can either make a statement or subtly complement other surfaces in the bathroom, says Denver-based designer Jess Knauf. “If you choose a more striking countertop material, perhaps with lots of veining or an interesting color, that can become the focal point of the room, whereas a classic Carrara could be the more subtle complement to a more interesting tile elsewhere in the room,” says Knauf.

Regardless of which route you choose — statement or understated — there are a few practical considerations to keep in mind when looking at bathroom countertop material choices, says Knauf. Do you prioritize choosing an inexpensive material or do you want something individual? Are you okay with the patina and aging that a natural stone brings, or do you prefer a completely stain-free surface? Be careful: Makeup, hair products, and anything that contains oil — in other words, well-known staple products on vanity tops — can stain a natural stone, says Knauf. Meanwhile, tiled vanities can add an interesting texture, but the grout requires maintenance. Wooden bathroom shelves are prone to water damage, so you need to seal them properly.

We asked Knauf and other designers to share more pros and cons of popular countertop materials — including quartz, granite, and marble — so you can narrow down which ones work best for your bathroom, whether you’re remodeling it completely or just whip things up.

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Lindsey Black Interiors

Marble

With so many varieties to choose from, marble has something for pretty much every taste, and it’s a classic and timeless choice, says Lindsey Black of Lindsey Black Interiors, based in Memphis, Tennessee. You can be bolder or more subtle. However, it will age and may stain or etch.

“Most often I prefer marble in a bathroom because of its timeless appeal,” says Black. “I feel like you can’t go wrong with this and I personally love how it ages over time and gives a space a lived-in feel.”

Marble is incredibly versatile, agrees San Francisco-based interior designer Naomi Rigas of Envy Interior Design Studio. Depending on whether you choose a light or dark color, or a more or less dramatic grain pattern, marble countertops can really set the mood of a bathroom.

Just be prepared to have a towel nearby to wipe up excess moisture when washing your hands and face, Rigas says. Regular resealing will keep your countertops looking like new for longer, she adds.

Eleanor Williamson

quartzite

Quartzite looks a lot like marble and comes in a variety of colors. But it’s an incredibly dense stone, so it holds up better than more porous alternatives like marble, says interior designer Momoko Wong of Denver-based Naka Interiors. “Besides, it’s so elegant and beautiful, with its moving appearance and crystalline glitter everywhere,” says Wong.

The disadvantage? Quartzite tends to be one of the more expensive flagstones. Pure white crystal-like quartzite can cost $10,000 a slab, Rigas says.

Lauren Pressey

granite

Part of the reason granite is a popular choice for bathrooms is that it costs less than other materials and is easy to clean. But it’s also a workhorse. It’s dense, it doesn’t etch or stain as easily as marble, and finding some unique slabs can induce a wow moment, says Wong.

Lindsey Black Interiors

quartz

Let’s list the benefits: Quartz is easy to care for, resists stains and etching, and stays looking new, says Black. “It’s a good option if you want more of a background accent,” she says. It’s not the star of the design. While marble and quartzite are usually the favorites in a popularity contest, Black sees a trend towards using quartz, which is more reminiscent of natural materials.

Lindsey Black Interiors

concrete

Concrete can appear industrial or have a more polished appearance, Black says. It’s durable, comes in a variety of colors and shades, and is customizable. It’s a super-heavy material to watch out for when designing the vanity or floating supports, Black says, and it can stain if it’s not sealed. She likes concrete as a pool bath option because it feels unique. Concrete also performs well in wet or damp environments.

Home together

soapstone

Together Home designers Lissette Fernandez and Chelsea Murawski love working with soapstone, which they call the “little black dress of bathroom countertops” because it can be made more elegant for a master bathroom or a kid’s bathroom. Her suggestion: Embrace the mood of the stone. It comes in a variety of colors, ranging from gray to almost black. “We love contrasting the earthy, graphic element of the soapstone with polished nickel hardware,” says Fernandez. It’s pretty much indestructible, but you’ll need to reseal it once a year.

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When a tiny new dishwasher was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2018, I immediately wanted one for my equally tiny house. The device called Tetra could only clean a few place settings at a time, but took up little space on a worktop, washed the dishes quickly and did not have to be connected to a water pipe. It also used very little water – far less than what I used to hand wash dishes in drought-stricken California.

Heatworks, the South Carolina-based company that developed the dishwasher (with design work by Frog), initially planned to bring it to market by the end of 2018. Four years later, the company was taking pre-orders. This is mainly due to the fact that when the standard dishwasher was redesigned, it was realized that the detergent also needed a redesign.

[Image: courtesy Heatworks]The company first started working on dishwashers because the devices could leverage its core technology, which heats water without the need for electrical heating elements. CEO Jerry Callahan also reflected on dishwashers in his personal life. “My wife and I became empty nests, and we have this large, full-size Bosch dishwasher that runs every five days,” he says. “Leaving dishes in makes it harder to get clean. I started thinking about how dishwashers waste energy and water. I think there has to be a better way to do this. “

A simple dishwasher hasn’t evolved as much since the 20th century, apart from stainless steel fronts, a few extra buttons, and efficiency gains. Callahan wanted to rethink the size, both for use in small apartments and for households with only a few people who do not need the enormous capacity of an ordinary dishwasher.

[Image: courtesy Heatworks]The team hacked together an early prototype from larger devices. They quickly realized that the design wasn’t going to be all shrinking components. “We had to think of it as a whole new device,” says Callahan. For example, the water flowed differently than in a normal-sized device. They worked with Frog on a version of the prototype that was shown at CES, where it won an innovation award (and won another award the following year). People wanted to buy it – the first CES show generated a list of around 25,000 interested customers. However, Callahan felt that the company had to change fundamentally before it could actually hit the market.

The problem: It wouldn’t be easy to use detergent for larger machines. “We can’t get this thing on the market and we have to give the customer a matrix that says, ‘If you use a capsule, you have to cut it in half; or if you use a tablet you have to cut it down by two thirds. ‘ “For example, if a customer put too much detergent in because the machine was using so little water, it would not rinse well.

[Image: courtesy Heatworks]As we learned more about laundry detergents, it found that laundry detergents didn’t work perfectly: different ingredients perform different functions, from prewashing to cleaning to shining plates, but when mixed in a gel or capsule, the chemicals become interact to degrade one another. (“The trick is, when you buy dish detergent, use it ASAP because it degrades pretty quickly.. Relatively new,” says Callahan.)

Heatworks has teamed up with chemical company BASF to develop another system that injects ingredients separately into the machine at the right time in the cycle. When testing detergent labs for detergent, they found the tiny machine to clean dishes 35% better than the best standard dishwashers and detergents. A bonus for the company, of course, is that you now have to purchase your laundry detergent direct from them.

[Image: courtesy Heatworks]The design now also offers room for more dishes – and slightly larger items like mixing bowls – according to feedback from early tests. (It can hold a total of three dinner plates, three bread plates, three glasses and three cutlery sets, or a combination of other items like baby bottles. The fastest cycle takes less than 30 minutes.) The change in size meant more mechanical and hydraulic tweaks. The filtration system has also been improved so that the swirling water is always clean when you watch it through the clear window. “It’s pretty fascinating,” says Callahan. “Everyone who owns a cat should buy one, because cats sit there all day and watch it.”

He does not regret the delay in the market launch because it is fundamentally better than it would have been. And it still uses very little water – before using it, pour 3 liters into a small tank. If someone uses it once a day instead of hand washing it, the company estimates the device will save nearly 4,000 gallons of water in a year.

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Heatworks has finally opened pre-orders for the Tetra, a countertop dishwasher that the company made a big splash at CES 2018. Since the Tetra does not require any piping, all you need to do is plug it into an electrical outlet. The device has a 3 liter tank that you fill manually with water. Once the cycle (which takes less than an hour on the shortest setting) is complete, disconnect the gray water tank and pour out the used water.

The dishwasher can wash and dry dishes worth three place settings per load. On the surface, it may seem wasteful compared to manually cleaning those plates, cups, and utensils, not to mention the counter space the machine takes up. However, Heatworks claims the machine uses less water than it does to wash hands and wash dishes.

There are several settings, including a “fruit” setting for washing products. In addition, the dishwasher uses recyclable cartridges with concentrated detergent to reduce waste.

In addition, the Tetra uses less electricity than a conventional dishwasher, according to the company. To heat water, Heatworks uses Ohmic Array technology, as Gizmodo notes. The Tetra takes a microwave-like approach to heating water rather than using traditional metal elements. It uses graphite electrodes and “advanced electronic controls” to stimulate natural minerals in the water. This setup allows the Tetra to efficiently heat water and maintain precise temperature control, according to Heatworks.

While there are other table top dishwashers that don’t require a water connection, the Tetra has a smaller water tank than many of its competitors. Farberware’s FDW05ASBWHA model (currently priced at $ 340) has a five-liter capacity. The Tetra can also heat water more efficiently than other models.

The Tetra typically costs $ 499, but Heatworks is offering a $ 100 discount to those who pre-order now. The detergent cartridges cost around US $ 6 each and should be enough for 20 loads, depending on the setting and capacity. Heatworks expects the Tetra to start shipping by May 18, 2022, No Dirty Dishes Day.

Publisher’s Note: This post first appeared on Engadget.

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