A well-designed room goes beyond surface appeal — but it’s still essential to get the surfacing right. Step into a new kitchen, and your eyes will likely land on whatever material is cladding the central island. Lately, surfacing designers are acknowledging this fact by bolstering the eye candy factor of new porcelain, quartz and veneer designs.

Sure enough, the latest countertop materials are taking inspiration directly from the dessert table. True to Pantone’s prediction, mocha hues are front and centre, whether in the deep, dark hues of raw cacao, or swirled into patterns that evoke rich Italian gelato. Then again, not everyone loves chocolate. Thankfully, bright limoncello- and blueberry-like offerings prove just as enticing, while terrazzo solid surfacing treatments call to mind handfuls of crackling Pop Rocks. Here are 11 designs that turn dessert into a room’s main course.

Engineered Stone and Porcelain

1

Le Chic Bohème by Silestone

This is the year of mocha hues — and the Château Brown pattern from Silestone’s latest lineup is a great place to start. Bronze veining and pinkish-copper accents add to the low-silica hybrid mineral surface’s depth, while scratch-, stain- and impact-resistance mean it can stand up to dropped coffee mugs, too.

2

Supernatural Ultra by Caesarstone

Part of a new expansion to Caesarstone’s collection of marble-inspired designs, Calacatta Nectar pairs especially well with warm woods and metals thanks to subtle golden details. Sold with a lifetime warranty, the polished quartz is offered in supersized slabs that measure a lofty 3.3 by 1.6 metres.

3

I Naturali by Laminam

Laminam captures the expressive undertones of some of the most opulent varieties of marble, including mauve-hued Calacatta Viola (featured here). Each pattern in the collection is offered in porcelain slabs measuring 1.2 by 3 metres, and is available in two finishes: polished or natural.

4

Calcis by Italgraniti

Italgraniti merges inspiration from two distinct stones, recreating the texture of limestone as a backdrop for veining based on Marfil marble from Spain’s Alicante quarries. The resulting porcelain is available in a range of warm tones (including Custard, shown), four sizes and two thicknesses.

5

Beige Stone by Anatolia

Anatolia’s collection of sintered stone — available in thicknesses of six, 12 or 20 millimetres — includes a dozen patterns, all featuring a rugged, earthy warmth. Foresta / Block 56, shown here, lays dramatic brown veins against cream-toned channels running through a background of greys and rusty reds.

Solid Surfacing

1

Porta dei Colori by Durat

For the 2024 edition of Alcova Milano, Durat worked with interior designer Linda Bergroth to showcase creative pairings of its recycled-plastic composite panels. Featured here is an especially vivid juxtaposition of the brand’s densely speckled Bright Yellow and Grey-Blue finishes.

2

Growth by Polygood

Patterns found in nature — including spiderwebs, leaves and treetops covered in a fresh coat of snow — provided the starting point for Polygood’s collection designed in collaboration with Gensler. Each panel makes use of a mix of post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste, including elements recycled from consumer electronics and refrigerators.

3

Custom by 70Materia

Italian manufacturer 70Materia produces terrazzo-like styles using a base mixture of sand or gravel, cement and water. Its standard lines, Satellite and Fondamenta, can be customized with glass, marble or other salvaged materials for one-of-a-kind effects. Finishes vary depending on the amount of sanding, which can also help to easily remove future scratches.

Veneers

1

Living Impressions by Formica

Part of a recent expansion to Formica’s 180fx range recreating real metal, marble and wood patterns at full scale in high resolution, this Jatoba Brown pattern mimics a quartzite quarried in Brazil. Large bands of chocolate brown are accented with golden, reddish and cream-toned brushstrokes.

2

Wooclé Yellow by Alpi

Designed by GamFratesi, this design utilizes ALPI’s multilaminar FSC-certified material to create a pattern inspired by the kinship between wood grain and a textile print. Sheets measure 250 by 62 centimetres, boast a BS1D0 flame-resistance classification and are offered in two colours: grey and yellow.

3

Stormy Glaze by Wilsonart

Wilsonart’s blue-on-blue pattern is the Canadian tuxedo of high-pressure laminates. A matte-gloss texture runs along the length of the denim-like design, while aluminum oxide particles infused into the melamine provide added scratch protection. Choose from sheets measuring 1.2 by 2.4 or 1.5 by 3.7 metres.