Raising the Bar

A plywood base faced in stained oak veneer supports the concrete prep surface and backsplash, as well as the ebonized walnut counter. For the raised countertop "I wanted to use a black walnut tree from our yard, but just getting it to the mill would have been really expensive," says Thomas. So they had an aquaintence at a millshop notify them when some local walnut passed through. They ended up with two 2-by-12-foot slabs and set them right down on top of the integral concrete prep counter and backsplash.