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Your Oconee countertop needs to follow the rule: "Form Follows Function."

What do these items have in common?

Coffee pot.  Your purse.  School books.  A half-eaten sandwich.  Newspaper.  Paper towels. Plates. Your cat.

Give up?  They all at some point sit on your kitchen countertops!  

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Well, maybe YOUR cat doesn't get up there, but mine rules the house so she goes where she darn well pleases. And if I'm opening a can of tuna, there's no stopping her.

The kitchen countertops are definitely the most often touched, wiped, used, banged, chopped and smeared surfaces in your house.  They need to be sturdy and efficient.

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Kitchen countertops are the epitome of the golden rule of architectural and interior design: Form Follows Function.  

If your kitchen isn't brand new or recently refurbished, it is highly likely that you have laminate countertops.  If you are considering an upgrade to your kitchen, don't ignore the option of replacing old laminate with a newer version of the same.  While granite and other solid surfaces are all the rage now, you might still consider laminate before all others.

There is an amazing variety of finishes available in laminate, including very good  granite and stone imitations.  Laminate is easy to configure to any cabinet layout, and it is also easy to clean.  My favorite thing about laminate is the vast selection of color options,  some of which you'd never find in any solid surface, allowing for creativity in your kitchen. Additionally, they are very reasonably priced and easily installed.

Installation of laminate countertops is so easy even a novice handyman or woman can do it!  Larger pieces might require an extra set of hands, however.  If "handy" doesn't describe anyone in your home, fear not. Most will also install your new countertops and haul away your old ones (if you don't want to reuse them in your garage or shop!).

Another tried and true and incredibly durable countertop is true butcher block.  If you are the next television cooking show star, you will definitely want at least one area of your countertop surface to be butcher block or another wood finish, as nothing else fits the bill better for chopping vegetables or rolling pastry dough conveniently and efficiently.

If your budget allows for granite, marble, or engineered stone, you will provide yourself with one of the most durable countertops available.  They can literally last a lifetime and beyond.  No seams, no problems with edges, and a vast array of colors and patterns are just a few of the qualities these types of countertops possess.  A stone surface can also withstand a hot pot sitting on it, or provide a cool surface on hot summer days  for kitty to nap on! (Bad kitty!  Get down!)

If you have an odd configuration of cabinets, or want a more industrial look or a super sturdy surface, check out your options for concrete counters.  

Like any home decorating or remodeling project,  there are a lot of options to consider and steps to be taken toward both research and execution.  If you find yourself overwhelmed, don't forget there are many helpful designers and contractors out there who can guide you.  Any of the links I have provided in this story will lead you to experts in the field! 

The Internet is a feast for the senses when it comes to research on countertops and kitchen remodeling. And money is never wasted on magazines that cater to those kinds of specific projects. Nothing gets your creative juices flowing like looking at gorgeous photos of inspiring design ideas! Marking pages to carry with you when you shop is incredibly helpful.

If you have a friend who has recently taken on such a project, check with them. They likely have some experiences -- and perhaps some magazines -- to share!

It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic,
Of all things physical and metaphysical,
Of all things human and all things super-human,
Of all true manifestations of the head,
Of the heart, of the soul,
That the life is recognizable in its expression,
That form ever follows function. This is the law.
                            -American architect Louis Sullivan, who coined the phrase in 1896

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