i love the slate tiles...keep them! ;) i'd go midrange on the color of hardwoods in the adjacent space....something like a walnut or chestnut which aren't too dark. fyi: super dark floors show every single speckle of dust, and you will be swiffering them all day long! go middle of the road with a brown stain that isn't going to conceal the woodgrain too much. as for countertops....i think a darker granite with a flat/honed finish would be soooo beautiful in here! and consider a farm sink and a really fabulous, stylish faucet...it's like kitchen jewelery! ;) keep us posted!!