Hi and thank you so much for your compliment! It really means a lot! :)

This kitchen does have Calacatta Gold marble and I will not lie to you; real marble and kitchens are a dicey call. You do get the beauty of the natural veining, however, as you already are aware, it is an extremely porous material and it stains and etches very easily. When you add children into the mix (who God love them don't mean to spill that Capri Sun all over the counter) and it's a disaster in the making because no matter how much you try and are diligent, its gonna happen at some point in time and it's typically sooner than any of us would like. When I'm designing kitchens for young families, I do try and recommend countertop materials that will perform optimally for the use and traffic its receiving. There are not a lot of granites that will get the 'look' of marble and hence why they have fallen out of favor somewhat with the big shift we have seen over the last few years to lighter and brighter kitchens versus the dark, earthy palettes that were coveted some time ago which embraced the rich and unpredictable splashes of pattern and color that granite is known for. I often try and steer people to a Quartzite (another naturally occurring stone) or a man-made quartz product, both of which allow for a lighter surface without the vigorous upkeep and anxiety marble has associated with it.

When thinking about what to use also consider the way the stones are formed. Granite is an igneous rock, which means it was formed from the hardening of lava in its molten state. Marble and quartzite are metamorphic rocks that have been formed by extreme temperatures (heat) or other pressure in nature; the difference between the two being that marble is derived from limestone whereas quartzite originates from sandstone and is one of the hardest materials and is impervious to water and/or acid, making it a nice alternative to marble while getting a similar look. The closest in color to a Carrera or Calacatta Gold is White Macaubus Quartzite.

Quartz on the other hand is a man-made product and is basically created by mixing quartz (a naturally occurring mineral) with polymers, resins and dyes to create an engineered stone countertop. It is also extremely durable, glossy like marble and resists staining and is essentially non-porous, making it a very reliable workhorse in the kitchen.

I am attaching some links of product I feel is the closest to 'real' as it gets and will alleviate your stress level in the kitchen so you can worry about cooking and not stress over who is where and doing what!

Cambria's choices

http://www.cambriausa.com/en/Designs/design-palette/Brittanicca

http://www.cambriausa.com/en/Designs/design-palette/Ella/

http://www.cambriausa.com/en/Designs/design-palette/Torquay/

Caesarstone's choices:

http://www.caesarstoneus.com/en/The-Catalog/Pages/5111%20Statuario%20Nuvo.aspx

http://www.caesarstoneus.com/en/The-Catalog/Pages/5131%20Calacatta%20Nuvo.aspx

http://www.caesarstoneus.com/en/The-Catalog/Pages/5141%20Frosty%20Carrina.aspx

LG Stone:

http://www.lgviaterausa.com/products/135/188

http://www.lgviaterausa.com/products/135/187

I hope this helps in your countertop quest!

Best,

Libby

Thank you Libby for such detailed, helpful information.

I'm just seeing this now--unsure how I missed it in my email! Thank you very much, Libby, for the very interesting detailed information and additional resources. This will prove extremely helpful!

Of course! Glad to be of help to you!

What an amazing response from an experienced designer! Thank you!