Hummingbird - I know your original post was regarding Corian versus granite. Others have mentioned quartz which, in the mix of things, you might want to review and consider as well. We have it in our current home in OH and really like it. The fact that it requires no sealing and is also non-porous were pluses to us.
If it's simply the beauty of natural stone that you're after, granite beats out quartz. Quartz priced out less than granite when we installed it three years ago - things might have changed since then.
Quartz-based countertops are manufactured under a variety of brand names: Caesarstone, HanStone, Silestone, and Zodiaq to name a few.
Bill
