Anova 2230

A warm sand beige, entirely made of fine dense grain in sand, ivory and pale brown, with the odd rust-coloured fleck scattered through. No vein and no direction — the pattern is identical edge to edge.

This is one of the most practical tones for a kitchen that gets cooked in: warm sand with a grain is the combination that best hides crumbs, dust, water spots and everyday use. And the evenness means there is nothing to plan in the layout — a join between two slabs is very nearly invisible.

Anova Quartz is an Israeli maker and importer based in Be'er Sheva, supplying engineered quartz with a high quartz content and a twelve-year warranty (registered online after installation). The quartz is non-porous — it will not absorb wine, lemon or oil, it never needs resealing, and soap and water handle the daily clean. Like all engineered quartz it is not heat-proof, so a hot pan goes on a trivet rather than on the worktop.