If you visit many homes, you will find their kitchens with only one countertop material. While there is nothing wrong with this as it gives the kitchen a uniform look, did you know that you can combine two or more countertop materials to give your kitchen countertops a more interesting look?

Unfortunately, you can’t achieve ideal results out of the blue—you need to do a number of things. Which are these things? Here they are:

Pay attention to the countertop patterns

When shopping, pay attention to the countertop patterns and design. As much as you want to have different materials on your countertops, you don’t want them to clash, do you?

To ensure this doesn’t happen, choose countertops with an almost similar movement or pattern.

There is no way to tell you which is the best style and design to choose, as this depends on your preferences, but you need to ensure that the two countertops complement each other.

For example, if you are drawn to busy designs, ensure that the second countertop is solid colored or has a minimal pattern—this is to prevent one material from competing with the other, giving your kitchen an overwhelming look.

Coordinate your countertops with accent colors

Accent colors come from linens, furniture, plumbing fixtures, and even cabinet hardware. You can use the colors to guide you on the countertop colors to go with. If you have a shade in your house that you love, you can pick a countertop design that matches or incorporates the tone in its pattern.

While this is a great strategy, the downside is that the countertops might look out of place if you replace the cabinets or any other item you used to inform your color of choice.

Keep the accent colors the same to keep your countertops looking in place. This means that when you get sick of a piece of furniture, replace it with another of the same color and preferably the same design.

Have an accent piece of your island

If the rest of your kitchen has a neutral or muted color scheme, create a focal point that will stand out and give your kitchen an interesting appeal.

You might have the impression that you need premium over-the-top accent pieces, but this isn’t the case. You can go for simple styles that are appealing and still mesh with the rest of the house. If you aren’t sure about the right ones to go for, get the input of a professional.

Balance dark and light

Here you simply need to mix light with darker colored countertops. If the first countertop is on the lighter side, go for one on the darker side. There are plenty of options in the market you can choose from. Your choice will be influenced by your preferences and your desired final look.

As you are creating the light and dark dynamic, try to be creative in your approach. For example, if you have mixed cabinet colors, go with light countertops with light-colored cabinets. By doing this, you create a dramatic contrast between the two designs, which gives your countertops an interesting appeal.

You can also opt for balance by placing your darker selection of cabinets on lighter cabinetry.

If your cabinetry is the same color throughout, consider other factors when choosing the ideal cabinets. For example, consider how well each countertop design stacks up to your backsplash material.

Use both countertop materials on the same surface.

If you are unsure how to use two polar opposite materials, you can always use both. For example, you can use quartz and porcelain countertops on natural surfaces such as granite or soapstone.

If you are edgy, mix two different stone materials, such as mix granite countertops Durham and travertine.

While this will give your countertops an interesting look, the downside is that you often have difficulty cleaning the surfaces. This is because one cleaning material is often insufficient to clean both countertops properly. Sometimes you even damage the countertops when using one cleaning material.

For example, when you use Windex on engineered stone surfaces, you can’t use it on natural stone countertops as you will damage them.