My vote would be with those that have recommended black. Black is a great contrast with a lighter wood floor and the white cabinets and appliances you've chosen. Good luck with your decision.

I agree with the others that say to go look at slabs in person. I was thinking I wanted St. Cecilia, which is similar to the Venetian Gold you are looking at; however, when I went to look at the slabs in person, I fell in love with a slab/lot of Typhoon Bordeaux...it had all of the colors in it I was looking to tie together. It was perfect! You'll know the right slab for you when you see it!

new Venetian Gold, I would choose that in a heartbeat.

Probable could use dark for focus and contrast

Black galaxy if you can find that where you are...

Here are some photos ... It's black with gold specks... :) we have these in Sunny Singapore...

leslie44 - nice choice!

I too went to the "yard" to look at granite. I wanted something that would stand out and add a little color so I went with Blue Bahia. Love it and can't wait to get it in my kitchen!!! With this granite I don't have to worry about my kitchen looking like everyone else's. I have been in more than one house that has either Saint Cecilia or Uba Tuba.

There are SO many beautiful slabs of granite to select from.....be sure to consider your backsplash selection along with the slab. Another option would be to use a CaesarStone. Similar principles to granite, but man made and offers a great look as well.

If the granite comes from more than 500 miles away, I wouldn't use it since it's not a sustainable choice. But that's just me.

Can any realtors tell me if they think a nice kitchen with new laminate counters would appraise for less that one with granite or a solid surface like corian?

I agree with Pathagrean. Silestone is made from crushed Quartz with an added aggregate, so it can be made in tons of colors. I've had mine since 2001, and it is awesome. I can (and have) literally set hot pots of boiling water directly on it, and it still looks brand new...with ZERO maintenance. Granite is becoming a very dated look, in my opinion. Very, very happy with my choice.

Black Galaxy is nice-I just put ii in our bathrooms- but I am now noticing that water spots show.

Congratulations leslie44! you picked the one you love, and for all that reno agst, that is the way it should be. Never do the boring neutral re-sale unless you know you are leaving soon! Love what you live with all the way!

When we were looking at granite samples, we had them at home to see them in our own light. I opened a drawer and placed a piece vertically, then stepped away and turned around. I did this with all the pieces we were considering. I even put them against the back splash area. Our kitchen isn't that big so we had our back splashes finished off with granite. When a friend was redoing her kitchen I did the same thing with her pieces. I matched up what she was considering then reconfigured it with different materials. She changed her mind when she saw them at a distance. Also consider what is in style today may be out in 5 years and kitchens are expensive to redo. As for the care of the granite...you clean it and spray it with a sealer. It's not a big deal. There are a lot of different options today. Go with what you can afford and live with.

Not all granite is created equal! We have Baltic brown in our sunroom. Nothing shows on it and nothing(red wine coffee etc) stains it. We have the new Venetian gold in our cabin and it is very easy to stain! Ouch! Try to get a sample, take it home and do your own stain test. A friend wanted a certain stone in their kitchen, did the stain test and picked a new stone to fall in love with

I chose Venetian gold and I love it! The only thing is I have seen it used a lot but I have white cabinets that have been antiqued. I did go and pick out my slabs though.

I question the back splash first. Once you have selected it then move forward. I would get what you love and can afford, unless you were planning to sell soon....Let us know your selection. Best of luck,

I have both. I have white cabinets and Tropical Brown at my cottage. I have added black accents as in my fireplace surround and black cabinet. The counter top shows every scrap of dust and takes more effort to keep clean but its rich looking. At home I have the venetian gold countertop. I recommend this definitely if you have a large family or kids as it is so easy to keep clean. You will have to add a more spectacular backsplash for some contrast somewhere along the line. It's the safest choice and you'll enjoy it. I have spilt red wine on both. I worry less about the wine on the dark, but the white I make sure I wipe it up right away. Go to the manufacturer and pick out your slab. Each one is different. It is overwhelming as there are so many choices. First pick the thickness, then what's in your price budget. Pick out the three that your eye likes the best. Eliminate one. Then choose your favorite from the last two. That's how we indecisive people do it! Enjoy!

I see a lot of kitchens in my job and would definitely go with a quartz composite. They wear beautifully, you can cut or set hot pots on them and they never need sealing. The new generation products can imitate even the most sophisticated granites and marbles, great stuff and not that much more in price than granite.

We just remodeled and expanded our kitchen (very large now) and our cabinets are light...and to be honest, I had a lot of professional help in making my decisions. The kitchen, dining room and living room are all open. The floor blends with the cabinets with a little bit of brown/dark ivory and gray mixed in (not real warm colors). My island cabinet base is a antique green and the granite background is a dark charcoal with pale neutral green and dark green in it very few and tiny splashes of a dark blood red. The glass back-splash is shades of green and off white, the colors are very obscure.

We have been thru with the remodel for three years. I wouldn't change anything and most of all, I should say that I have a tendency to pick trendy colors; this time, I picked more subtle colors and I feel that I won't get tired of these maybe ever. I have changed the color accents out once since the remodel by changing the drapery panels and a few accessories that blend with the living room, it looks new all over again. I wish you luck but caution you to be careful about the golds etc. I have wooden shutters over my windows the exact color of the hard maple and they really compliment each other. Good luck to you...

I would go black or a verde/charcoal tone. I think gold would only dirty things up. Darker countertops add great contrast to white cabinets and are very striking. As for a backsplash, no matter how commonplace you may think they are, subway tiles in a white kitchen are classic and will look modern for years to come. Going classic is the best way. "New" color schemes may look good for 3 to 5 years, but then what????Remodel again???? Remeber the avacado/harvest gold of the 70"s and mauve & aqua of the 80's.....UGH !!!!! Go for classic, not trends.

I agree with rower27, "Pick what your Love." Black shows water spots but looks good. Also, look at quarts composite, I think that is what I am going to use in me kitchen remodel.

I agree with those who say the countertop should be black, but NOT granite. Granite is hard to maintain, no matter what the color and it chips and will crack if something is dropped on it. Get one of the man-made countertops like Silstone. It looks just as good and is MUCH MORE DURABLE. Besides, granite has been done to death. A black countertop will allow you to change your accent colors whenever you want to freshen up the look of your kitchen. I absolutely love my black countertops.

Beautiful granite leslie44!

Also, I just want to clarify some information for you guys that are debating between granite and manmade quartz materials--this way you will have it for your own knowledge. They are both wonderful products, and they both have their advantages and disadvantages. You can cut on both granite and quartz surfaces; however, it is not recommended on either surface. In fact, it will actually dull your cutting knives. Also, you can put hot pots on granite, but it is not recommended to put hot pots on quartz. Quartz is approximately 93% ground up stone (quartz) and 7% resin. The stone is not going to burn, but the resin CAN burn. The manufacturers advise homeowners to use hot plates or trivets for this reason.

Personally don't understand what the attraction is with granite/marble type worktops? They're cold, hard, and unforgiving. I prefer solid wood, it's warm, soft and very forgiving. It can always be sanded so can look like new forever, plus it's a fraction of the cost? It's also neutral, you can have natural wood with any colour cabinetry, so you can remodel the cabinetry and wooden worktops will compliment any new scheme. Can someone enlighten me on the attraction to cold, hard (especially black!) stone/granite/quartz/marble kitchen surfaces because I don't get it? Is it because it's sooo expensive and you want the most expensive counter top on show regardless of what it looks/feels like?

I think part of the attraction is the reflection of light - plus you can set hot pans on it without getting burn marks - plus a knife won't cut it - it seems timeless & like it will last forever. But I've never had it & my favorite counter top ever was wood sealed with Formby's Tung Oil. Wood takes continual maintenance and the sanitation factor might come in to play for some people, so I understand why it's not at the top of most people's lists.

I used granite for my kitchen. I have white cabinets and white tile floors (both here when we bought) also used the granite for the backsplash.

I have granite in my kitchen.......absolutely love it. But I also like wood (butcher block), so had about 5 feet of it installed, during our remodel, in the prep area. I now have the best of both worlds. I don't find either difficult to maintain. I use a granite sealer about once a year, just wipe it on an let set for a couple of hours. As for the wood, after wiping it off after each use,I then sanitize it with lemon or white vinegar. I don't worry about the knife marks as that's just part of the patina.

Black granite or soapstone ina darker grey.

I didn't read every single post here but it seems like everybody is going with the same colors. I like my house to look simple but not so simple that it has only two colors in my main features. I would suggest going with something a little more colorful. Instead of a brown go with a blue tone. grey- blue would work really nice to compliment and allow the wood floor to stand out on its own instead of melt away with counter being in the same color scheme. The warm and cool will balance each other out and make your kitchen feel serene. Just a thought to add to the many listed. You don't necessarily have to go with a speckled look either a solid would look beautiful.

I would suggest Bianco Romana natural stone granite from Brazil. It is light with brownish flecks, grey, and white.

I have white cabinets in my new house..almost they are sitting in the garage waiting on corrections on the mudding/sanding of ceiling:( I am going with a butcher block island and black on the other cabinet tops. My problem is the floor...havent decided on the color i want to go with concrete stained because of my alergy's and 3 Belgians and 2 cats...just dont want to deal with carpet or wood floors:(

I like Venetian Gold. I have used both lighter and darker color granites. With my dark granite, I constantly see smudges and crumbs. My lighter granite that is gold with black/beige/white flecks always looks shiny and never shows crumbs.

Don't forget to make sure the granite is not very radioactive.

I am in the process of kitchen remodel and have chosen Cambria for my countertops -- one for the island (praa sands) and the other (torquay) for the other two countertops. The torquay is very light with very small streaks of gray and brown. My floor is gray and the cabinets are going to be gray (thermofoil).

Love the grays and blacks with white cabinets

My former kitchen had white cabinets and Absolute Black granite counters. They were incredible and did not show marks, etc. like a former blogger wrote. It was a shiny pure black and added great lovely contrast to the white cabinets and did not make the room darker. My present home has Uba Tuba, which has some black and brown and gold tones. It is readily available, very pretty and very practical. It would also give good contrast. My feelings are that a light granite with light cabinets will be a little bland. Both would be terrific choices.

Bianco antico - a whitish as opposed to yellowish background with lots of mica, taupe-gray and a little rust color. Beautiful contrast with white. Looks like jewelry. I have it on my desk area, stairwell half walls and guest bath. There is also a lovely paint color, Canyon echo, which is not brown and not gray, goes perfectly. One of the colors available at Home Depot, but I don't remember the brand. Very neutral but a lovely contrast with white.

we recently completely redid our kitchen, gutting everything except the load bearing walls, and the soffits which contained HVAC and electric. our choice of cabinetry was traditional white, as the room is quite long and narrow, with 5 openings. we used a black granite (i can't remember the name right now. i *think* black pearl) to go with the charcoal grey porcelain floor tiles and cabinets, with black appliances. our backsplash, which really is the star of the room, is recycled glass in shades of black/grey/white/red/blues. as for color, hints of red and blue work!

were i you, and using white appliances, with white cabinetry and hardwood floors, i would choose something that has a beautiful contrast to those, rather than something blending in. i have never had granite before, having only formica, but i love having it! it is, as someone else said, a pain to keep "clean" as it does show every little thing. good thing i'm OCD!

whatever you choose, it will be YOUR kitchen, and i'm sure you will love it as much as those of who have been through a reno already do.

I would choose a blue granite with gold in it- it's a great pop and allows you to do a colored backsplash to the in the blue or just a neutral gold- good luck

Forever creative I have developed/designed and am now offering a design tool online that will show your clients what you are thinking without a floor plan - just a photo, samples, and a description of what you are thinking of doing.
Xox

Why don't you use this online tool to figure out what you are going to buy?
Envisionroom.com

All of you need to realize that the countertop is a work surface and that as we age we need more and more light. Working on a black surface is like sewing on a black dress. It is hard on your eyes and absorbs a lot of light. Also, if you have under-cabinet lighting, which you should, the glare of the reflection on the shiny black countertop is annoying. Glare is non Feng Shui. The kitchen needs to be a comfortable place to work. I am not a fan of granite or quartz because it is unforgiving to wine glasses, is noisy, and cold. But, I know it is all the rage and all of the realtors will tell you that it is a must.

@twinturbogirl - I've seen these 10-year sealers, and even lifetime sealers, and I have serious doubts about them!! Plus, $250+tax and shipping? Ugh.
@reupser - um, ALL granite it porous. Do you think, that just maybe, the New Venitian Gold is lighter, and therefore you SEE the stains, where as the Baltic Brown is darker and more mottled and maybe you just don't SEE the stains???

We are skeptical about these 10 year and lifetime sealers, too. If you purchase one, be sure to read the ENTIRE warranty and see what is included and what is not included.

Staining is going to be more noticeable in lighter colored granites than in darker stones (obviously). However, some granites are more porous than others. Generally, darker granites tend to be less porous and harder than lighter ones.

reupser, have you sealed your New Venetian Gold counter lately?

Quartz…hands down. I have quartz, granite and marble.


I have this lagos blue (a beautiful brown) in the wet bar.

I'm with judyg. Quartz all the way!! Fabulous colours available, and never having to seal (or worry)!! What more can you ask for?

I do think soapstone is a lovely stone, but the colour is limiting, and many people prefer the high shine of granite / quartz. If it were MY kitchen - quartz!

I chose granite though that was not my original intent. I have cherry cabinets with cosmic gold granite (really more like cosmic black) and although I didn't think I wanted a dark counter (more light for me, please!), it is perfect for my kitchen.
Yes, absolutely look at the slabs in the warehouse. Never choose based on the little samples in the store. It is worth the drive and the time to see the slabs--they are all so different!
Manmade material always is a repeated pattern. Granite is God-made and unique--no other slab of cosmic gold is quite like the ones that are in my kitchen, and I never tire of looking at the variations and the uniqueness of the counter.
Any problem with water spots or streaks is quite minimal. I love being able to put something hot on it.
Yes, wood is lovely and i have seen some truly amazing wood counters (not butcher block). That or soapstone would be my second choice--and I am afraid that the kind of wood counter I had in mind would be prohibitive because of the price. (Could be wrong on that, though.)