Another vote for Dekton and Sileston Quartz worktops, use them all the time in our projects as so much more forgiving and low maintenance than granite or marble. Agree that Corian is a good option if you have a large island to prevent visible joins, whilst it has other benefits you do need to be very careful when it comes to heat. Vast range of colours and textures in all types nowadays so the type of material shouldn't limit the effect you want to achieve - be that traditional or contemporary. I am always a big advocate that a worktop is an investment, there is no point spending a large sum on a beautiful quality kitchen and then finishing it off with a worktop that won't stand up to time as well as the rest of the room or cheapen the look - I always recommend to go for the best you can afford.

Love your kitchen, you’ve done a great job, not only does the kitchen look good, it’s totally practical, drawers are the way forward, even if they are more expensive than cupboards. I’ve just redone a kitchen in a house we rent out, the old one was finally falling apart. I was going to go to Howdens and use the joiner etc we knew, but in the end we used a small local company, which cost us £300 more, but the quality of their interior cabinets and doors was so outstanding, plus they could do everything, including tiling, we went with them. We didn’t change the floor, but did everything necessary, I’m hoping it lasts well and our tenants look after it!

That’s a valid concern! It’s definitely a fine line with matte finishes since they can get too shiny if you're not careful. The ultra-fine Scotch-Brite pad is designed to be much gentler than something like a regular scourer, though, so it won’t have that same polishing effect. The key with soapy water is to keep the pressure light and work in small, controlled circle it's like "softening" the pad's effect while making sure it’s not too aggressive on the surface.

Agree with Minnie, excellent worktops but not heat or stain resistant but why would you put a hot pan straight on to your new worktop, if you treat them with care they'll last for years. Also its less porous and harder than granite and its the most popular worktop. Seeing more dishwashers that now 'feature' door opening as part of the drying cycle, i'd advise turning that off as i have heard of the steam staining the underneath. Newer tops are now silica low content/free due to fabrication health regulations, not heard of any issues with these, also seeing some that are prints ie the pattern isn't through the top but is layed on the top so where you have edges/cut outs it wouldn't look quite right imho. Any veined worktop will show a joint when you go round a corner as the pattern also changes direction, the joint will be about 1-2mm and filled with a colour matched compound. For hob splashbacks it can affect the price, quartz is usually sold by the slab [3.3x1.4 ish] so if the splashback can come out of the worktop slabs then go for it but if it means having to buy another slab then its expensive. I find that drainer grooves don't really work as they don't have sufficient fall to drain away so you can get limescale build up, i never recommend them.