NEW YORK, NY - The Good Housekeeping Research Institute recently moved in to its new home in the Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan, and 2,800 square feet of brilliant white CaesarStone quartz countertops were chosen to create a sleek fresh look for the age-old institution.

Established in 1900, the Institute is the consumer product evaluation laboratory of Good Housekeeping magazine and was developed “for the purpose of improving the lives of consumers and their families through education and product development,” states Good Housekeeping’s Web site.

The Institute has departments specializing in engineering, chemistry, food, food appliances, nutrition, beauty products, home care and textiles. It reviews all advertisements submitted to the magazine; only those that it finds acceptable are published, and their products become eligible to earn the “Good Housekeeping Seal.”

“The Institute moved in [to the building] in early August,” said Sara Rad, Director of Brand Development. “It was an opportunity to modernize the facility.”

CaesarStone worked closely with Good Housekeeping to create a customized white color for the Institute’s countertops as well as some of the magazine’s offices and employees’ cafeteria. “It’s beautiful,” said Rad. “It has a white sleek look.”

Rad explained that the material had to first meet the standards of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute before it could be approved for the design. “Our engineers had to have it go through the rigor of our testing,” she said. “There were no problems with CaesarStone’s evaluation.”

CaesarStone, which is made of 93% quartz and 7% polyresin, successfully earned the Good Housekeeping Seal. The material provides durability, low maintenance and resistance to heat, cold, stains and scratches. Additionally, CaesarStone is non-porous, making it resistant to dangerous mold, mildew and bacteria.

“CaesarStone was selected over the other countertop materials for its ability to meet the specific demands of the designer and to provide an extremely homogeneous material,” said Pat Haegele, publisher of Good Housekeeping magazine. “Our choice was critical since the Good Housekeeping Research Institute is not a typical kitchen with limited countertops, rather the surfaces are expansive and very prominent. The space is not only a highly functioning laboratory environment, but also a tour destination for readers, consumers and advertisers.”

According to Arik Tendler, president of CaesarStone, it took about three months of sending samples and evaluations back and forth before final approval was given on the customized color. “We had to maintain the quality [of the material] while coming up with the right shade of white,” he said.

In total, CaesarStone USA supplied about 200 slabs of CaesarStone for Good Housekeeping’s new location. Approximately 90% of the slabs were used for the interior design of the Institute.

“The Good Housekeeping project was a very big deal for us,” said Tendler. “I am pleased that we can share a piece of American tradition, taking part in educating readers across the U.S.”