In most homes, hygiene is a concern. In Richard Kiessig’s home, it’s a must.

This "Healthy House" was constructed in Los Altos, California, 40 miles outside San Francisco. The general criteria for the design were not unusually demanding. It had to be handicap-accessible. It had to be energy-efficient. It had to be durable, long-lasting and easy to maintain.

The key design criterion wasn’t so easy: The house also had to be airtight, nontoxic and allergy-free in order to maximize indoor air quality. That eliminated virtually all conventional residential construction methods and materials. Throughout the home, places where dust can accumulate or mold can grow had to be kept to an absolute minimum. "My wife and I are very sensitive to mold," Kiessig says. "This meant eliminating grout and other seams in showers or on countertops? Yet Kiessig wanted their home to be comfortable and livable. "Although the house was to be ‘clean,’ we didn’t want it to be ‘sterile.'"

One material the Kiessigs discovered could meet all their criteria was CORIAN^®. By nature, CORIAN^® is inert and nontoxic. With CORIAN^® , grout lines are eliminated and replaced with unobtrusive, impermeable, hygienic joints for a seamless appearance. CORIAN^® surfaces are nonporous, making them easy to clean and mildew-resistant. By discovering CORIAN^®, the Kiessig household has learned a valuable lesson: Clean living doesn’t have to be boring.

Turning Another Century In the landmark Latshaw mansion near the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri, a turn-of-the-century kitchen was transformed by designer Kristeen Armstrong-Scott, CKD, of Armstrong Kitchens. In the main kitchen (above), CORIAN® countertops of Aurora are complemented by backsplashes of Bone, overlaid with Aurora. These surfaces alone did wonders in terms of bringing the kitchen up to date. In the adjoining butler’s pantry, a "table-cloth edge" (below) was sculpted in Summit Pyrenees to create a unique focal point. A local craftsman employed a variety of techniques, including sandblasting, to create the effect. Armstrong-Scott is delighted with the result. "We wanted to show we could do things with CORIAN® that couldn’t be done with many other materials."