Your kitchen looks beautiful so far! Have you narrowed down what you are considering at all? Are you set on granite?

No, nothing set in stone (no pun intended) but we need to know whether we should go dark or stay light with the counter and same with the backsplash. What did you have in mind?? And thank you for the compliment!!!

Kitchen gorgeous. Neutral colors so far so almost anything would work. What are your favorite colors? (If you need a clue, look in your clothes closet.) Do you like neutrals, brights, pastels, bold colors? How did you plan to accessorize after the essentials are in place? How would YOU describe the design style of this room? Need more info to help make suggestions for a room YOU would like.

Why thank you very much. I like earth tones a lot but I'm not afraid to step out a bit. I definitely want the wow factor when entertaining but not too overpowering. I love earthy greens and blues and black of course (im a guy if you can't tell already). Most of my clothes consist of jeans and white t-shirts so I don't think that will help too much :-) Not a huge fan of pastels or bright oranges / golds. Thanks again for the comment!!

How about a neutral stone backsplash? Counters I did granite and love them, I did do a bit of the darker neutral granite because you hardly see any messes and I have 3 kids. I don't have pure white cabinets more of an antiqued white... but love my counters.

How about white piracima (spelling??) anyone familiar with that color granite?

I like lighter on the countertop and am fussing with ideas myself. My cabinets are pale grey driftwood print laminate. I did rule out the recycled glass which is gorgeous but so shiny and vivid the samples just kind of did the flamenco in the middle of the kitchen.

What kind of backsplash do you like? Your countertop and backsplash should look good togehter. I am partial to tile and I love a mural above the stove. In one house, I used glass mosaic and matched the colors to the mural I chose. The rest of the kitchen now has to march along. In the kitchen in progress, I already have the backsplash, matched the mural to the backsplash and now am fussing with the countertop. I think that is bass ackwards at this point.

From my experience, I would pick the countertop and then the backsplash to coordinate. Do you love the Mediterranean look, earth tiles with some patterned tesserae? My brother-in-law chose that look and it is gorgeous, backsplash in tones of brown, countertops are black and gold granite.

Jeans and a white t-shirt are classic as is most of what you've done with the kitchen so far so we'll go in that direction.

Carrera marble is absolutely gorgeous and it doesn't get much more classic than that. Carrera marble subway tile on the backsplash. If the budget wont allow, try to get as close to the look of it with something else while not breaking the bank. Yes. The kitchen will be all white but a classic, quality white. One caution: marble does require care, as does any other natural stone.

If you feel like that's just too bland, you can have the tiles for the backsplash cut into a variety of different shapes (like quatrefoil) and applied in a variety of different patterns (like herringbone) to add some visual interest. I steer away from black countertops because the contrast between white and dark can be tiring for some people after awhile - unless you really love that look. It is YOUR kitchen. Also, for whatever reason, black countertops somehow begin to look 'dated' over time. If you do decide upon some type of black countertop, consider a gray carrera marble backsplash. This will soften the transition between the black countertop and the white cabinets.

If you stay with an all-white palette, you can bring in your greens and blues and especially black with your accessories: dishes, utensils, towels, floor mats, curtain, etc. Black and white also a classic combo. You will never regret keeping the permanent parts of your kitchen neutral and classic and the temporary parts trendy and colorful. That way you can change out the lesser expensive items any time for a fresh new look.

Well put!! How about white piracima (spelling??) Are you familiar with that color granite? I will look into the Carrera Marble as well. Love this website and all the helpful smartypants' in here!!!

Check out this site: http://roomstolove.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_archive.html
for some carrera marble kitchens. NOT a fan of the kitchen with the solid grey backsplash. NOT what I meant when I mentioned a carrera grey backsplash above. See what appeals to you, if any.

Love the white cabinets. To keep a cool palette, you could go with a grey counter with either a stainless steel or blue glass backsplash. If you want to warm things up a bit, go with a tan granite with flecks of gold and stone backsplash but change the paint to brown. If you really want to make a statement, red really makes white cabinetry pop but then go with grey counter and stainless steel subway tile for backsplash. Happy decorating!

I'd do a soft blue sky blue as far as paint goes and a nice crisp and clean white granite for the counter tops. So far looks beautiful!!

You have been given some great suggestions by other Houzzers! Your palette is muted and that is really lovely, how about a small scale granite countertop choice? The maintenance requirements are low and the price point is good. Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions! Best Regards, the New Marble Team.