It's here! Our favorite time of year when we can look back on a year's worth of stunning kitchen and bath designs featuring recycled glass surfaces. From the beach to the city, talented designers are using crushed glass counters and mosaic tiles to create interiors with historic charm, coastal vibes and modern moods. (An amazing amount of style variety in this year's designs.)

When she sent her husband to the stone yard with a countertop sample, Karen Bednorz thought her dream kitchen had black counters. But when Gary called for her to look at a sample of cobalt blue and white recycled glass countertops she said, "That's it! That's the one."

"My husband hit it out the park with this one. I had wanted something recycled and I love cobalt blue," she said. "We actually have lapis in our wedding ring."

What do you give a homeowner who loves bold primary colors? A clean white canvas and ALL the cobalt blue. 

Located in beachfront Tequesta, Fl, Patty Anderson of Waterview Kitchens is used to designing bright coastal kitchens with a sea glass look and feel. But this Jupiter, Fl luxury beach condo packed the most color punch of them all. The ocean loving homeowner Gayle Fravel already had a bold palette of yellow, blue and red against crisp white. So when it came time to do a kitchen update her daughter Lindsey Diebler who is an interior designer said, “Mom, you have got to check out Vetrazzo.”

When an eco-conscious family wanted to transform an outdated kitchen they turned to designer Catherine Friis to create an eco-friendly and stylish space reflective of the Toronto woods just outside their door.

If there is one thing Erika Woelfel knows, it’s color.

For 20 years she’s been playing with color and building palettes, in graphic design, merchandising, color consulting, and for the last eight years, as the Vice President of Color and Creative Services at BEHR Paint.

She and her team design everything from the color card at the store and the home sets where the colors are showcased, to the actual paint colors you use, often test driving those colors in their own homes.

(Right now BEHR’s Polished Aqua lives in Woelfel’s kitchen where it’s paired with white cabinetry and earthtone granite surfaces.)

Out of all the questions I field about Vetrazzo’s recycled glass countertops - about color, texture, durability - it’s price that I’m most often asked.

Nowhere is color more important to design than in corporate branding. It energizes workers, inspires customers and reinforces brand identity. From coffee shops to financial offices, the color of surfaces underpins the look of a brand, and in some cases communicates the company’s commitment to sustainability.

When Quicken Loans opened a new office in Washington, D.C., designers went beyond red decor accents to represent the company. The nation’s largest home lender is probably best known as an industry innovator that approaches mortgages from the perspective of a modern consumer looking not just for a loan, but a new kind of loan experience.

Moody grey skyscrapers tower above dots of people on the sidewalks below, at the same time meeting the clear blue heavens above. Cityscapes are busy and bustling, but are not without a color palette all their own. One that is elegant but gritty, chic yet simple, timeless yet always changing. Cities are classic reminders of a time long ago and a beacon of the bright future ahead.

If you've been in the heart of one of America's largest cities you know that each has a personality all its own, and that's a look you can bring right to the center of your own home - elegant, chic and timeless. 

Beneath the towering peaks of mountains, and skimming the surface of pristine lakes, is a rich palette of deep greens, browns and blues that says one thing to your mind, body and soul - be at peace.

There is no greater feeling than being, for at least a moment, at the top of the world, surrounded by nature in its purest form, seeing as far as the eye can see.

If you traveled to a lake or mountain this summer you already know, it’s a feeling you want to capture in your everyday interiors - fresh, earthy, wholesome.

No one can dispute the effect a seaside escape has on the soul. Blue water and white sand are a salve for just about all that ails us. But why stop at a two week beachside escape?

Shouldn't our interiors reflect that same calm, cooling, and even energizing vibe of the sand and sea? (I mean wouldn't you love a coastal escape every time you stepped into the kitchen?)