Black countertops might be my new favorite thing.

I know the design and remodeling industries thrive on the next big thing, but I'm laughing at this post because I remember the "white kitchen with black accent" from the nineties. How many people reading this ripped out kitchens that looked an awful lot like those pictured?

@Rural and Rueful - I have no idea. I remember my grandma had weird mauve/taupe formica counters in the 90s though. I'm looking more and more at a kitchen remodel and even though black and white seems to be "in" I just want something very classic, and to me, black and white does that.

White, black, and silver-gray metal are kitchen neutrals and are the best choices for the expensive components. Pretty accent colors for cheaper, less durable kitchen accessories, or wall paint, can give a neutral kitchen different looks, much like they can a wardrobe.

@pi--The B&W style was big in, if I'm not mistaken, around 1996. Very much like the first photo, with the white subway tiles and white cabinets with millworker details, and the farm sink. The difference is that back then the countertops would have been black Absolute granite and the stove would be either stainless steel or the deep blue of a certain very expensive French cooker. I like the B&W style. Just laughing because if you live long enough you see everything come around again.

Black countertops will get visibly dirty about 4 seconds after you wipe them down. I'm avoiding that for good.

LOVE my speckled black Corian countertops (color = Mardi Gras) and chalkboard paint cabinets!

Jsmith87 tell me it's not so... are you talking formica, granite or what? Black counters are my dream.

Is Corian the same basically as Formica or is it a different thing altogether. I have formica now and love the durabliity but not the look-they are an ugly fake butcher blocky now. I do a lot of crafting at my counter and I love the way paint cleans off of them, I don't know if granite would be practical for me.

@TheForce - different, though they are both solid surface. Corian looks a lot more expensive, whereas Formica can't really look anything but fake.

Granite is surprisingly easy to clean. I have them in my apartment and I have had no problems just wiping them down.

As far as black counters getting dirty...every countertop gets dirty. White shows a lot of dirtiness as well. And I think "visibly dirty" is a little hyperbolic. If you wipe them down, then leave the kitchen, how are they going to get dirty again? Dust? Dust is everywhere and settles on everything. No biggie.

Formica is not solid surface. It is an applied veneer on a countertop base. It is made of plastic. Corian is solid surface - as in the product is homogenouse all the way through. If you scratch Formica - you will see the scratch. The material is not the same throughout. If you scratch corian you can buff the scratch out.

As for granite - I would not use it for a crafting surface. It can stain depending on what is put on it.

Most of the "dust" in your kitchen will contrast with black countertops because it is white or light gray: sugar, flour, dander, Bon Ami .... If you're getting black countertops, get something in a "dust" pattern. I wanted a black toilet when I renovated my bathroom, and kept reading about how impossible it is to keep them clean. I pooh-poohed that counsel but ended up with a white toilet for other reasons. I do, however, have black soap dishes and utility trays in the shower, and every speck shows. I would never get black countertops.

I have black (laminate) counters. Hate. Every crumb or dusting of flour is highlighted. Even if someone (not me...) wipes with a less than clean cloth, maybe with just a bit of that flour you've collected on it, you can see streaks. I like my counters very clean and I wipe often regardless but I don't need to be wiping down the bread flour before I even start chopping veg for the same meal, and that is how neurotic black counters have made me.

@THEFORCE and @PI - I was surprised by the newest looks in Formica--not your granny's kitchen countertops. Found this one on pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pin/239183430180133882/
And AT recently had a feature on Ideal Edge by Formica: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/idealedge-by-formica-kbis-2012-170058
These look surprisingly stylish to me, and they're sure easy on the budget compared with most other solid surface options for countertops. I may take another look at Formica if I'm ever redoing kitchen or bathroom counters again.

I have honed absolute black countertops and while they do show construction dust, it's not as big a deal as if they were not honed. I just can't wait to get in there and get them dirty. They've been staring me in the face for a week and I hope to get to try them out this weekend.

I actually prefer black appliances to stainless steel. Am I the only one?