Countertop & Backsplash History: Victorian Era to Today

American kitchens began as rooms filled with awkwardly proportioned and unrelated furnishings–like a collection of mismatched hand-me-downs in someone’s first apartment. Victorian kitchens sometimes had freestanding prep tables. Around 1900, kit and mail-order homes and furnishings produced by the Gordon Van Tine Co. and Sears allowed people to envision homes with design and purpose. Self-contained units in the 1910s, like the Kalamazoo Kabinet, included upper and lower cabinets and a stainless steel counter. An advertisement showed a woman sitting on a stool at a small counter kneading dough.

Concerned about sanitation, white-glazed ceramic and porcelain tile counters appeared in the 1910s for easy cleaning. In the 1920s, more colorful tiles, like hexagons, and different sizes and shapes became popular. In the early 1900s, marble slabs were used for making pastries and candy. Butcher Block transitioned from the local butcher to residential kitchens. In a 1921 ad, Van Tine described its latest mail-order bungalow, which included “wonderfully handy cupboards,” a tilting flour bin, removable maple cutting board, and a work table between the upper and lower cabinets: “so conveniently arranged that the work almost does itself.”

In the 1930s, high-pressure plastic resin for making electrical parts was used to manufacture decorative laminate countertops in diners, claiming to be solid and cigarette-proof. High-density laminate countertops appeared in homes after World War II in bright colors and imaginative patterns that reflected the optimism of new industries and homes. In the 1970s, butcher block returned as interior design trended toward earth tones and heavy, dark woods. In the late 1970s, granite surfaced in high-end residential kitchens.

The countertop is a prominent focal point within your kitchen and is the most-used surface in your house. Consider everything placed on countertops, like dishes, glasses, keys, computers, etc. The toll of wear and tear is considerable. When you choose a countertop material, consider its looks and durability. Whether this is your forever home or a pitstop on the highway of homeownership, choose something that will last.

The counter material you choose should be attractive but must be functional. Leading experts commonly advise selecting a countertop material before a backsplash since it will be used for all activities in the kitchen. While backsplashes play a crucial role in protecting walls, backsplashes are more of a design element.