There is a moment in every kitchen remodel when the conversation turns to countertops and the room gets quiet. Not because the decision is difficult, exactly, but because it matters in a way that’s hard to articulate. The countertop is the surface you return to all day long. It’s the first thing guests notice. It sets the tone for everything around it. Get it right, and the rest of the kitchen seems to fall into place.

For a while, the answer seemed obvious. Walls came down across the country as the open floor plan became the dominant language of modern home design — airy, connected, flooded with light. Kitchen, dining room, and living room flowed into one another, and the result felt undeniably fresh.

Most bathroom remodels start with a feeling. The space feels cramped. The tile feels wrong. The layout has never quite matched the way you use the room. And somewhere between a saved Instagram photo and a call to a contractor, a decision that involves significant time, money, and disruption to your daily life gets underway.