Whether for the bathroom vanity or the kitchen counter, surfacing materials are getting back to nature with colors and patterns that evoke the many shades, textures, and shapes of landscapes --from forest to desert, beach to prairie, and even to the stars and sky. Cambria. Nine colors join the quartz surfacing palette: Quay cream, Coswell cream, Carlisle gray, Bath blue, Wilshire red, Oxwich green, Stafford brown, Derby brown, and Burton brown. The quartz surfacing is available in 2-, 3-, and 4-centimeter thicknesses for kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, and other surfaces. (866) CAMBRIA. www.cambriausa.com.

DuPont. The company has added six colors to its Corian line of solid surfacing for 2003, including willow, acorn, blue pebble, doeskin, delta sand, and graphic blue. The material can be used for applications from countertops and backsplashes to vanity tops and tub and shower surrounds. (800) 4-CORIAN. www.corian.com.

Courtesy Cosentino U.S.A.

Cosentino U.S.A. Silestone quartz surfacing is available in seven new colors: Ivory Coast, ebony pearl, mahogany, rain forest, Brazilian brown, aguazul, and Kona beige. Engineered of 94% natural quartz crystals, the material provides a nonporous, scratch-resistant surface for countertops, vanity tops, tub and shower surrounds, and more. The material also resists chipping, cracking, and breaking, says the firm, because it has four times the flexural strength of granite. (281) 494-7277. www.silestoneusa.com.

Courtesy Aristech Acrylics

Aristech Acrylics. Acrystone mineral-filled acrylic solid surfacing is now available in a 1/8-inch thickness. The renewable surfacing material is easy to cut, sand, and rout, says the manufacturer, and most scratches can be buffed out. The surfacing is available in 24 stock colors and in custom colors. (800) 354-9858. www.aristechacrylics.com.

Courtesy Samsung Samsung. The company's Staron mineral-filled acrylic polymer solid surfacing is available in more than 50 colors inspired by natural materials. The surfacing can also be thermoformed and has been certified by NSF International, The Public Health and Safety Company, under its NSF51 rating for food zones. (800) 795-7177. www.getstaron.com.

Courtesy The Premium Solid Source

The Premium Solid Source. Ten colors have been added to the LG HI-MACS solid surfacing line: moonscape quartz, stardust granite, indigo granite, tapioca pearl, oregano sand, spiced java sand, foliage quartz, greystone granite, allspice quartz, and tundra quartz. The material provides the look and feel of natural granite, says the maker, in a renewable solid surfacing material. (877) 853-1805. www.lghi-macs.com.