hate it or love it, the underdogs come out on top...

"Hate it or love it, the underdogs come out on top."
-50 Cent

For anyone who has been house hunting lately, I am willing to guess you are about as over granite counter tops as I am. Now, I mean no offense to anyone who has these- they are a lovely upgrade option in any home but in this world of mass produced homes and their "upgrades" I am loving that some unlikely materials are finally getting their due and breaking into more main stream homes...  So as the summer comes to a boiling point and drives you back inside and you start to ponder ripping up your kitchen consider using a less traditional material.

Stainless Steel- the material de jour for your kitchen appliances has hit the counters as well! They are sleek and hard working and scream that you know what you are doing in the kitchen. Stainless Steel will not patina and it is non-porous making it a great antibacterial and stain resistant option. It does scratch fairly easily so you will need a cutting board around constantly... but it adds character when you do mar the surface a bit...

Eleek tiles are 100% recycled aluminum and offer a slightly easier install than a solid surface like the stainless steel. However, these babies run about $95  per square foot so they are a really great statement for a small kitchen.

Zinc has a bit more of a traditional feel to it, especially is you let it turn to the blue-gray patina... a staple of oyster bars, it makes a great statement in a house- especially for a large center island.

Alkemi is one of the most fun new products on the market...scrap aluminum shards are sunk into resin forming the unique squiggle pattern that gives depth of pattern but also reflects light and gives a bit of shimmer to a kitchen.

Keeping with the more modern feel, glass is appearing all over the place as an option for counter tops. It is sleek and cool and very low maintenance. you can also use lighting under the counter to create stunning visual effects in your kitchen that you would never have conceived before...

For a truly gorgeous traditional touch consider pewter. A more formal and decidedly french touch, the edges are often molded into a decorative pattern and left untreated it turns to a soft charcoal patina that hearkens the romance of a french bistro or brasserie...

And my current favorite underdog...copper!

Not just for pennies, this super material is perfect for counter tops...it is highly antibiotic- without any extra help e coli dies on copper within hours of contact (it can survive on other surfaces for months-gross!)

You can keep it polished to maintain the golden glow or let it turn into its unique patina of burnished greens and browns- even the living finish maintains its antibiotic traits!

So as you sit around enjoying the AC during these dog days of summer, consider giving your kitchen a truly unique upgrade with a new counter top that I guarantee your neighbors will not already have...

Penny for your thoughts...

I absolutely adore Julia Child- don't worry this isn't some sort of Julie Julia thing- although I highly recommended reading both My Life in France and Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I have read and reread My Life in France, I love the way Julia chronicles her time in France based on what she ate and where- I sort of do that with what I was wearing or what was in fashion (sad but true). Anyway- I love cooking, my mother has instilled in me the art of cooking for an army of people; good thing I like leftovers as I usually only cook for one or two. Last year for Christmas she gave me my own copy of Mastering the Art and while I haven't cooked my way through it and doubt I ever it will, it inspires me. Short of The Joy of Cooking this might be the most influential cook book in my shelf.

For me, I can not think of Julia Child and not conjurer up the  image of her peg-board with those gorgeous copper pots hanging on it. I love copper pots- I have yet to actually cook in one so I can't speak to their merits other that how fabulous they look. I also spend lots of time dreaming of what my dream kitchen will be like and today I am dreaming about channeling my inner Julia and paying homage with copper!

As a practical matter I think butcher block will make a great foundation for the counter tops! If you haven't picked up on it already- I am biased and love using wood whenever possible! I love the depth and character that wood has- it is solid and reliable, unique and comfortable. The warm tones in butcher block will play nice with copper accents, like copper pots and pans...nahhh that is way too obvious for me! maybe some great copper pendants with traditional Edison style bulbs...

These! Love the brown glass that plays towards the dark tones in the wood while the classic bulbs play on the traditional aspects of the butcher block.

Hmmm... so now where will my copper go??

Brushed copper Kitchen Aid???  I like it but I think this is a good place to pop in some color...

much better! note to self- steal my sister's while she is sleep deprived from her new baby that will be coming any day now!

Now there is a copper treatment that I have been obsessed with since I saw it at the Standard Hotel.... The Penny Tile Floor- yes real pennies!

And since I love cooking I don't think this would be the best floor but I think it would make a killer back splash! and at about $2.00 a square foot I could easily pull this off!

So taa daa! my Julia Child worthy kitchen! I can't wait!! Time to start saving my pennies up!

Happy Friday!!!

photos: William Sonoma, Arteriors Home, Sundance, Willemette, Lustarte, Apartment Therapy,