A homeowner who's thinking about renovating their house and wants something a little different when it comes to their bathroom counters or table tops now has a multitude of designs and styles to choose from. Since table tops and counters are small areas, startlingly beautiful and original designs can be had for not much money. Here are some ideas:
Table Tops
Geodes and Glass
One type of table top guests will never stop taking about is one with a base made of a huge geode topped with tempered glass. A geode is a hollow, stone-like formation whose inside is often filled with sparkling crystals most likely made of types of quartz. Most geodes are small enough to hold in the hand, but they can also grow to sizes large enough to support a table top. The transparency of the glass allows diners to admire the beauty of the crystals beneath it.
Glass River
One interesting idea is to create a table top that resembles a river. The top is made of a type of wood with a beautiful, curly grain that calls to mind isometric bars. Knots and burrs enhance the effect. The wood is split into two parts with the edges straight on three sides but irregular enough to resemble the meandering of a river on the fourth side. The two slabs are then mounted on a base with their irregularly cut sides facing. A slab of blue glass that follows the curves between the wooden slabs is installed. The effect is that of a river flowing through a canyon.
Other high end tables have tops made of layers of glass of different shades of blue that give the viewer the feeling of shimmering depth, as if they are looking down into the ocean from an airplane.
Sawn Logs
Placing a sawn log cut-side up in a cuboid of glass makes an interesting top for an end table. The glass can be perfectly clear and allow the log to be viewed from all sides or frosted on one or two sides for a more mysterious look. Other artists make tables of logs sliced along their side and set in glass or lucite or make arrangements of tree branches inside a cuboid. Logs and branches can also be paired with metals such as aluminum.
Table Tops Made of Grass or Moss
There's no reason why a table with a sunken top can't be filled with soil and have grass or moss grown on it. This creates a picnic even on the coldest day and in the middle of the most futuristic city.
Table Tops of Rough Hewn Wood
The imperfections, textures, grain and colors of rough hewn wood add interest to any table top. It's even more interesting if the homeowner's found a large piece of driftwood to serve as a base.
Carved Table Tops
Table tops can be carved or molded into a great variety of shapes, including leaves, boomerangs and abstract shapes made out of materials that range from wood to glass to plexiglass, melamine, metal, plywood, solid surface, plastic or even leather.
Bathroom Counters
There are probably even more things that can be done with bathroom counters than can be done with table tops. Table tops can be spectacular, but a dining table, for example, shouldn't be so spectacular that the diners forget to eat. But a homeowner and their interior designer can give their imagination run free when it comes to a bathroom counter.
Embedded Seashells
One advantage of having a bathroom countertop made of concrete is that seashells, dried starfish and sand dollars can be embedded in it. This helps give the bathroom a maritime atmosphere. If seashells make the counter a bit too lumpy for the homeowner to place toothbrush holders and other sundries, a deck made of ceramic tile framed by seashell impregnated concrete is a good look.
Marble
Since most bathroom counters are small, the homeowner can afford to splurge on marble. This metamorphic stone comes in all shades of colors, from pure velvety black to pure, sparkling white. Other colors are shades of blue, green, red, brown and gray. Since marble is soft and porous, it needs to be sealed every few years to protect it from stains. Polishing now and then enhances the look, though the homeowner should stay away from anything harsh or acidic. Find the best marble polishing formulas at the local stone mason's.
If marble isn't to the homeowner's taste, other types of stone include granite, travertine, slate and soapstone. Engineered stone is stone dust mixed with resin and pigment and is much tougher than even natural stone.
Shallow Counters
A really tiny bathroom or powder room may not have enough space for a regular sized counter. In that case, it's perfectly fine to build a counter that is 12 inches wide or less. The trick is to install a cantilevered sink and lots of wall storage.
Cantilevered Counters
On the other hand, a section of the counter itself can be cantilevered to accommodate a sink and its plumbing. The rest of the counter is more shallow.
Split Level Counter With Double Sink
A split level counter that holds two sinks is just the thing if there's only one bathroom, and some people in the family are considerably taller than others.
A Floating Counter
This counter is attached to the wall and has nothing beneath it, not even plumbing pipes. It saves space, for baskets of rolled towels and other needful items can be placed beneath it. It is also very convenient if one of the family members uses a wheelchair.
Counter Made of Repurposed Furniture
A chest or even an old table that no longer fits in with the decor of the newly renovated house can be repurposed and used as a vanity. Drawers can be altered and holes can be drilled into the top to accommodate sinks and plumbing. Make sure that wood counters are sealed to protect them from the inevitable splashing water.
Raised Glass Counter
One elegant look is a smoky glass counter raised above a wooden vanity by small chrome finished pillars. The counter may have a metal vessel sink the same color as the glass and served by a vessel faucet.
