Caesarstone Launches Six New Colors

Van Nuys, CA (June 14^th, 2011): Caesarstone is pleased to announce the launch of six brand- new colors. These new hues range from classic to contemporary, rounding out a total of forty-eight colors in the Caesarstone Classico collection.

“We are so pleased to unveil these newest innovations. Our research and development team is constantly pushing the envelope of quartz capabilities to bring the most stylish surfaces to the market; we definitely achieved that with this new collection.” Maggie Amir - Brand Manager

The new colors are broken up into two categories stylistically. The first category is a trio, our fresh twist on a contemporary classic with the introduction of Linen, a rich greyish beige (greige) surface that compliments any design application; Belgian Moon, a stunning black surface that was designed in collaboration with Jeff Lewis, of Bravo’s hit show Flipping Out; and finally Haze, a light, clean, airy gray surface that is sure to suit any space. The second category is our nod to tradition; these are timeless classics. The first being Atlantic Salt, a color that looks the way it sounds, multifaceted with glimpses of peppered gray and whites, clean and serene; Wild Rocks, a sleek Mediterranean-inspired stunner, with hints of browns and blacks; and last but not least Late Autumn, a rich, bold surface with touches of greens, beiges and browns that too suit its name.

These new colors are available now. We invite you to design your dream with Caesarstone.

About Caesarstone

Caesarstone is the original quartz countertops and surfaces manufacturer. The company is headquartered in Southern California with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Colorado, Miami, New York, Atlanta, St. Louis and Dallas. Caesarstone produces premium quartz countertops and surfaces, complementing any design application, from traditional to contemporary, for both home and commercial applications. Caesarstone products are available through kitchen and bath retailers, fabricators, architects, designers, builders and distributors nationwide.

Offering a Residential Lifetime Warranty, Caesarstone countertops and surfaces are nonporous, stain, scratch and heat resistant. Caesarstone has earned the respected Good Housekeeping Seal from the Good Housekeeping Research Institute and is in compliance with stringent international environmental standards, including ISO 14001 (environmental management system), ISO 9002 (quality management standard), and NSF (public health and safety). A sustainable material, Caesarstone is GREENGUARD certified and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

For more information about Caesarstone and its products, please visit the company’s website at http://www.caesarstoneus.com, or call toll-free 877-9QUARTZ (877-978-2789).

Buying a Home? Make Sure you Check out the Kitchen First

Everyone has their own views on what makes a house ideal for them. Generally the kitchen is the first stop for most prospective buyers and often the reason why they choose one house over another. But when looking for a new home with a functional kitchen, what are the features you should be looking for?

Looks aren’t always at the forefront of making a kitchen right for you. The cabinets may look beautiful and the countertops may be expensive, but if the layout doesn’t allow you to cook/entertain guests easily, you won’t be too happy later on. One way to see if the layout works for you is to do a test run. Try pretending to prepare a meal. It may seem silly, but it will give you great insight into what to expect in your new kitchen. Do you have enough space to prepare? Are the sink and stove too far apart? In a short amount of time you should be able to know whether or not you can get into the swing of things, and compare this routine to the other kitchen’s you’ve tested.

Another important aspect to check for is the suitability of the countertop material, and how it works for your needs. If you are a more careful cook, you may clean up messes immediately. If you are more carefree, you may choose to do your preparation directly on the surface. If you have kids, you know the countertops need to be durable without staining or scratching easily. In the latter cases durable stone product such as Caesarstone quartz countertops, may be a more sensible choice. Real granite can be very porous and stain easily. To reduce the porosity and increase stain resistance, granite must be sealed about once a year, but if you are careful then you should be happy with any type of surface.

Another big deal maker/breaker will be the storage space. Cabinet doors may be the first thing you see, but the storage capacity is much more important. It is easy to change cabinet doors to give an older kitchen an updated look. You should first check the size of the cabinets and their placement. Do the top cabinets extend up to the ceiling? Or do they have an open space abover where grease and dust can collect? Do the base cabinets have fixed or pullout shelving? Pullout shelves definitely have more ease-of-use and storage capabilities, though fixed cabinets are almost always the case in older houses, unless the kitchen was recently remodeled. Though pullout trays can be more costly, they are much more accessible and could increase the resale value of your home.

So when looking at a new home, check out the countertops, the layout, and the cabinet storage space when deciding if the kitchen is right for you. Once you decide which features you can live with or without, the decision will be much easier.