• Counter Culture Concrete

  917-405-3191; countercultureconcrete.com

  More chic than granite, tintable to nearly any color, concrete is the countertop du jour for many designers, especially in lofts where the look is deliberately rough-edged. All the same, Christian Lincoln’s countertops are slick as they come. Rather than pouring in place, a procedure that’s messy and difficult to control, Lincoln casts his slabs on vibrating tables in his Woodstock shop; the movement purges air pockets as the compound sets. After 28 days of curing, the resultant countertops ($85 per square foot, plus installation) are all but uncrackable, with a surprisingly seductive texture. Counter Culture does colors—grays, sands, brights—and finishes at all levels of practicality. Clients with stain aversions, kids, or wok habits are nudged toward a high-sheen “bulletproof” epoxy sealant. But stains are chic, too: His beauties acquire character, reaching their prime after ten years.

From the 2009 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine