LEARN MORE Countertop lessons

Aim for materials that suit the style of your house and the era when it was built. The older the house, the more sensitivity required. For those of us with 20th- century homes, options abound.

1. Mix and match. Choose wood counters for a dry prep or pantry area, marble for rolling out dough, a manmade surface for wet or hot areas.

2. Play up the details. Finish counters with traditional edge profiles (ogee, bullnose) or, in mid-century kitchens, metal trim.

3. Consider an integral sink or a backsplash made of the same material as the counter. The sleek look is both of the moment and timeless—as well as easy-care.

4. Buy locally sourced stone. Soapstone, slate, and area-specific stones have been mined in the Appalachians from Virginia to Maine for more than 150 years; limestone, marble, and granite are quarried in the Midwest (especially Indiana). These materials are natural and authentic. right: New England soapstone fits the antique character of a kitchen in a 1730 house.