I like your choice. I have maple cabinets that are similar in light tone as yours, but i chose a dark granite (midnight black with flecks of gold in it). I have to say that after two years of living with my choice, I wish I would have picked something closer to yours. Its hard to keep streaks from showing.

I agree, with a dark granite you will always work to keep it looking clean. I had dark green (uba tuba) but streaks, dust, and fingerprints were always a problem.

Katwell914 I think UBA tuba is the name of my granite. Homedepot.

I have Uba tuba and love it! It's more forgiving than a solid black.

Quartz is great, but I'm thinking St. Cecelia Gold (there are variations of the name) granite. This has dark spots that will tie in with your dark island. You should be able to slab select, and go with a golder one.

I have a black granite with a mixture of tan in it with tons of sparkles and I just love it and wouldn't trade it for the world. Also I am a fan of darker granite anyways

I like that one too Eckert. No wonder you have such dilemma. Have you decided on a paint color? I think if you use the more yellowish granite you would have to stay with earth tones but the second choice of granite would give you the ability to go outside of earth tones

I'd be careful of something with so much cream / tan / beige in it. As light varies throughout the day, you counters and cabinets will reflect differently. In a similar kitchen that I did, we used red marinace to tie all the browns together and enable red accents in the adjacent family room.

I agree I don't think you could go such a light color for your granite

I really like both of the granites you are considering. I don't think you can go wrong with either of them.

Our room is about 25'x 25', we'll have a small couch or love seat by the picture window and TV on the wall where the hole is. Thinking we can add some color there. On the other side is a slider and nook where we will have a small table. We chose Benjamin Moore Manchester tan since we have such a large area to try and blend. This is the entry tile we chose. Obviously we're still under construction.

I love the uba tuba too, but I felt like I was always wiping it. Eckert, I love your choices because they are mainly light but tie in wonderfully with the dark flecks.

I like your second choice better.

Have you thought about concrete? I have done it and it looks great..in a light olive green for your kitchen???

We've chosen Cambria Canterbury with our maple cabinets, kind of a mix of light and dark.

The lighter one was my first pick! But my husband shot that down. He prefers the Canterbury. We met halfway on the New Haven but I think now that the project is coming together and we can see it with the floor and cabinets it's making it harder to decide. Thanks for all the help, I'm definitely not a designer/decorator :-/

Is the entry tile in the same large area? If yes, I definitely like the lighter one. If no, either works just fine.

you don't necessarily need to have granite :) you could go with quartz composite, something sandy and warm.

That is going to be a big slab of stone. I agree with the other poster that you should use your paint and accent colors (fabrics etc) as a guide to using a cooler or warmer stone.

Don't ever be afraid to use a darker colored countertop in such an open space. Especially with a lot of light. I used Cambria's new Hollinsbrook because of it's natural granite look with an open pattern. It brings impact to the space.

You can't go wrong with Cambria!

Engineered stone, of which Cambria is one, is a great choice since it is tougher and needs less maintenance. Some granites are being made so that treating them is unnecessary, however if not sealed and maintained, granite can absorb stains and can leave water glass rings. Engineered stone does not have this issue. If you light the veining of granite, Silestone has some selections which look like there's veins. Also, people will not tell you this, but granite is harvested by blowing out sections with explosives. Sometimes teeny fissures that we can't see occur and can crack over time. Also, I tested granite with engineered stone/quartz, by hitting both with a hammer. I can chip granite easily but nothing happened with the engineered stone.

Also, you don't have to use the same counter on the island and the other counters. You might want a lighter one on top of the dark bases and a darker one paired with the lighter bases.

Having lived with granite, and having designed kitchens, I swear away from the rally dark counters because they show dust easily.

Well, I see several typos....darn spell correct! I steer away from granite typically but take a look at silestone too.

I can understand staying away from dark solids tops dues to the fact that dust/smudges show. But I'm finding that the new cambria collections patterns keep that from happening. And yes, the maintenance was a big factor for me!

The Hollinsbrook pattern

Happy to see Cambria getting such a great response. We are using Cambria Buckingham in a kitchen with white cabinets. It's not installed yet, but it's a little lighter than the Canterbury and has more gold in it than the New Haven. Another stunning one is Bellingham--more gray and cooler. Their website is wonderful, and they even show Benjamin Moore coordinating color palettes. Be sure to see the stone "in person", as the photos are not exact. We've lived with Caesarstone for years, and once you experience the durability of engineered stone, it's hard to imagine having marble or granite.

There's lots of new corian out there too, Might check out some of the new ideas or glass is neat stuff too:)

As an interior designer I prefer to not use granite. It has become too common. If I do I only use it on an island and then a butcher block surface elsewhere. I prefer marble, cement or any solid surface product. I really am sorry that you didn't take the cabinets up to the ceiling.

I like brandy's suggestion .. i'd stay away from marble cause any spill on it would disturb it's porosity and have u pay to remove the ugly stain .. :( korean marble same thing. I prefer granite. Best for kitchens.

So many say that, but think about all the fabulous cafes in Europe where the table tops are marble and they sit there for years. I have installed over 40 kitchens and used marble with big side pieces so that the counter looks like a big slab. If you are afraid of any "patina"...then go with a solid surface produce that looks like marble. These days they are putting granite in trailers! Too boring...take a risk and don't be like everyone else. Of course, if you are using the island for doing a chemistry project, go with granite...

It would be very nice to go with a dark Cambria on the perimeter and a light granite (like the "other top you were contemplating") on the island. That way you would have lots of good backsplash choices to go right next to the simple Cambria.

By looking at you cabinet choices and flooring choices I would presume you are on the young and hip side. I would suggest Cambria Darlington. Why you ask. I use cambria because it has a "depth" for lack of a better word. Some quartz looks like the church floor I stared at as a kid, just big and little stones - no interest. The darlington is on the grey side. You would need to see it in person to decide. If you do choose it please send me some pics.

Try to fix with marble emperador!!!!!!

We have had Cambria shirebrook for almost 2 years now and could not be happier! It is easy to clean, durable, and loos fabulous! Good luck.

Oh, I forgot to add that ours is a darker pattern but nothing shows. Very easy to maintain.

Ended up going with the dark all the way around and love it! Laneshaw, Cambria Quartz. Will post more pics when everything is done. Thanks again for all the tips!

Nice! Saw Laneshaw while I was checking out my countertop. It's lovely. I really love the look of them both. They have a very dramatic pattern to them that makes them unique from granite.

Good decision!

We are probably going to put Cambria Lanshaw on our cabinets. Yours looks nice. Did you do a backsplash? I'm struggling with that part now.