I've actually never had a quartz countertop, but I have had granite. I'd say in my next kitchen, I'd most likely opt for granite just because it is SO easy to take care of.

For a backsplash, I am dying to do subway tile. I know it's pretty simple, but I love it.

We are in the midst of these decisions right now!

We are renovating a two-family house where we will live in one part and rent the other. In the smaller kitchen in the rental apartment I went with a dark green granite that came in at a great price point because we didn't need many square feet (+/- 20) and they were able to locate a left over piece from another job. Depending on the size of your kitchen this may be a great option to get a really beautiful piece at a very affordable price. I'm doing that kitchen for about $1k.

In the larger kitchen that I'll be cooking in we are going for a Parisian b&w look. White cabinets and black Absolute counter tops with a cove edge. Should be great!

Shop around at your local stone yards and ask about defect or sample pieces.

we live about an hour from about 6 granite warehouses. Oh it was so tough to come up with one as so many were so beautiful. One thing to think about most granite places have large pieces left over from other jobs and you can get some sweet deals on those pieces if your lucky enough to be able to get enough to do your kitchen. We were not so lucky in our m. bath we needed a very long piece and was sad to say one inch short of getting a very pricey beautiful piece of granite under half what it was worth . Good luck and have fun so much to see. We picked what is called Golden taupe Lots of creams and browns and bits of coppery rust. Beautiful

We just finished our kitchen and used quartz (Chroma). Love it! No stains, can take heat and we didn't have to build a support for the bar overhang as it is very strong. But if you want lots of movement go with the granite

Thanks for all your comments, very helpful. We are off to check out 3 more granite galleries today and a tile place.

good luck Kitchencounter and hope you fall in love with the right counter top and tile that will last many years Have fun send more pics love seeing progress

I love natural quartzite, some are even harder than granite. For my eye, I will always choose the natural stone. I think nature is so clever making all those crazy patterns and colors!

if you check out http://www.consumersearch.com/kitchen-countertops/reviews
there is a lot of good information

I would do soapstone. I think it's better looking than granite, and granite seems a bit overdone to me. Soapstone doesn't stain, can take heat, and buffs up nicely. But it's a lot more expensive. For backsplash, I would do a Heath Ceramics tile with lots of color variation. Can't go wrong with quality! Attached is a bathroom, but you get the idea.

My ultimate kitchen - clean lines easy surfaces and inviting for all ages
Neutral cabinets and countertops and walls- so accent colors can be changed easily
Have fun and remember you may have this kitchen for a long time!!

I am in the middle of my NEW kitchen redo. I picked soapstone. So easy to maintain just sand out scratches, hot stuff, no problem and it ages with such character. I was told to rub mineral oil (food grade) on it 4 times per year to season.

I'm partial to the Cambria quartz countertops. They have several new colors that have beautiful flow patterns and once they're in you don't need to do anything to them! Also, I love un-oiled soapstone but you'll find the color options can be limiting.
For backsplashes I always recommend that my clients show off a bit of their personality. This is one area that you can have a bit of fun with and if you want to change it out in 5 or 10 years, you can do so pretty easily. Go full height in a material that complements the countertops, but DO NOT use the same material up the wall!!! I like the long skinny glass tiles... :)

Thanks for all the help. For the countertop we have picked HanStone quartz - Bavaria, and for the backsplash we have a random glass and marble long thin tiles. We still want to do granite in the house, but now it will be the bathroom counters. The counter will be installed July 3rd and the backsplash shortly after. I'll post pictures. Thanks again!!