If there was ever any doubt that natural stone is the preferred countertop material for kitchens and baths, a list of finalists in a nationwide competition for kitchen and bath designers and their choice of stone should put that to rest. Among the 30 projects selected as finalists for the National Kitchen and Bath Association's "Art of the Industry" annual design competition, 80 percent, or 24 installations, included natural stone for countertops. The finalists were selected from more than 550 entries from across the United States.

Half of the 24 entries that used natural stone included granite countertops, while five used marble, three limestone and one each soapstone and onyx. Among the six non-natural stone projects, two picked wood and one each utilized engineered stone, solid surface and glass.

"These results again reinforce the inherent beauty, durability, functionality and safety of all types of natural stone in kitchen and bath environments. The fact that a majority of designers continue to make granite and other natural stones their first choice for kitchen and bath applications is extremely noteworthy," said Gary Distelhorst, executive vice president of the Marble Institute of America. "We obviously commend the finalists for their selection of natural stone over other surface materials."

Finalists in the NKBA competition were selected in 10 categories, including small, medium, large and open plan kitchens, small, medium and large bathrooms, powder rooms, showrooms and specialty rooms.

The NKBA praised the designers for their "inherent talent and practiced skill and with an appreciation reserved for fine art." The winning designs will be announced at NKBA's national kitchen and bath show in Chicago, April 16, 2010.

Design finalists were reported in the Winter 2010 issue of "Profiles Magazine," official member publication of NKBA, in an article "Art of the Industry" written by Annette Gray.