Carrara Marble This looks like a laminated beveled edge.

Rebekah Zaveloff | KitchenLab That looks like walnut, but you can get a similar color with stain on Cherry.

Stephanie Southwick It's Golden Thunder granite....or something very similar. Possibly Magma Gold. There are a few different names for it too...Sedna, Volcano, etc. http://www.granitegurus.com/2011/03/our-five-top-granite-colors-in-2010.html

bepsf Personally, I start with the space itself, and allow for at least 42" in front of all the wall cabinets, workspaces, etc - that leaves me a space in the center to work within...
...then I consider entrances and exits from the room and allow for pathways in between.
Then I consider the size of cabinetry and function of an island - I prefer not to go deeper than 4' since there would be wasted space between the backs of 24" cabinets...
...but I never use just a 24" deep cabinet either - it looks skimpy when there's a single side with drawers/ doors and a plain back.

Sometimes, after looking at the options and the space, i realize that an island just isn't the best use of space and a peninsula works better for the room.

Gail Kacich I have a traditional, Tuscan-inspired home and am renovating the kitchen. I'm using a rich chocolate and cream Quartz for the island top and dark brown wood for the cabinets.

My dilemma -- one side of my U-shaped kitchen is a curved wall -- convex at that! (the curve juts out into the kitchen.) The architect has designed several interesting shapes for the island top, adhering to the curve, but they all look very organic and "Star Trek" modern to me.

Is it OK to use a rectangle shaped island in a strangely shaped room?