Another comparison

Either one is a nice complement to the beautiful leathered granite. My personal preference is the lighter, less busy one.

I like the lighter one in the first picture, on the right.

The first one.

Thanks ladies! I'm torn... I've looked at a ton of Bellingham pictures online and the busyness of it varies from pic to pic. I like the softer slabs with more white tones. The Chrome just seems so plain after looking at all the gorgeous Bellingham.
The island will have a 2 1/4" edge and I want it to be the focus without the leathered grey competing, if that makes sense.

Goodness... now I know why people hire kitchen designers!!!

Before deciding, visit MariaKillam.com asap!! You won't regret it :) Check out her White Kitchens link and remember to keep it simple. There's a tendency for homeowners working without a designer to think that their choices are too "boring" when in fact less is more, and more timeless. Two busy countertops in my opinion is not a good choice. You want the island to be the wow factor, however, you chose a busy, colored, leathered perimeter countertop so I would choose something very simple, with little to no pattern for the island; and this goes for the backsplash as well (no pattern, no accent tile). There should be only ONE focal point. In most beautifully finished kitchens in magazines, the design elements don't compete for attention but instead work together for a cohesive look. Remember the overall picture, and try not to choose elements individually. Another option is to put the same counter top on the island. Your cabinets and flooring are timeless choices, so you have a good eye :) But more pattern, means more confusion and could mess with the overall look…Good luck and this is just my humble opinion.

My vote if these are your final choices is the first, less busy one for sure!

Thank you Jeweledangel ~ I've been looking at that website and I obviously need a designer! I'd kick myself if I spent all this money and ended up disliking the final choice. I walked into the showroom looking for super white quartzite and walked out liking something I never would have considered. Now I'm second guessing the steel gray and thinking maybe I should use something less busy. The original plan was to use one stone for the countertops and paint the island some shade of gray for contrast. Oh, the dilemma is real!