Some words and phrases that come to my mind: Seedy part of town. Barrio. Abandoned warehouse district. Slums. May I ask why you are looking for a thesaurus item on Houzz?

quartz is a man made product using natural stone and a resin material. No sealing and is stain proof. I have had my granite for 10 years. I have never had a staining issue and set hot pots down on it seldom, but it has never bothered it. I've sealed it maybe 2-3 times over 10 years. granite really doesn't stain. So, compared to quartz, they are very similar. It all comes down to what you like the best.

Panth, Frankly speaking , it doesn't sound a great idea. If it's a professional advice by your architect then surely they must have a plan in mind but if it's just a wishful thinking.. then please avoid it. The top and bottom of the windows are getting covered as per the 3D plans. Not a great functional approach. And hanging wall cabinets is something new... Thanks, Nitin CORNERSTONE DESIGNS Bangalore

I have used both with good results. The main difference between Quartz and Granite are 1) price, 2) colour range. Granite generally works out cheaper, because you can buy the exact quantity you require. Quartz comes in large slabs of specific sizes- standard size being roughly 10'-0" x 4'6", so there tends to be more wastage if you don't plan the cutting well. But Quartz is pretty and comes in a wide range of colours and can be re-buffed at a later date. Quartz also comes in various thicknesses- the most commonly used being .75" to about 1.25". And especially when you use dark wood cabinets in a kitchen or bathroom, beige and white counter tops work very well. Some people go even with coloured counter tops like blue, orange, yellow. Natural stone in light colours tend to be porous and stain easily, so I prefer to go with pure black which is safe.