1. Definitely bold. I love it.

2 Very pretty. Not as bold as #1 but a beautiful & unique slab.

3. Boring/ugly. Wouldn't even consider it.

4. Boring, but safe choice that could work.

5. same feelings as #4

6. I really like this one! I have similar granite that reassembles areas of this stone and I love it.

Just keep in mind if you pick a bold aka "crazy" counter then the counter will be the center of attention, and that's fine if that's what you're after. But don't try mixing in other bold choices like busy backsplash or overly detailed cabinets because they'll likely clash with the bold stone choice.

Your floor sample looks very orange on my screen. I'd need to see better pictures in different lighting to determine if the stones work with it.

Only you can decide how much drama you want in a slab. As FeatherBee says, you only get one star though. All your other choices will be dictated by diva slab. I decided to make a very imposing island in my kitchen. That decision drives almost every single other decision. I am fine with that- but I truly do plan everything around my paonazzo marble monoblock kitchen island. It is a constraint.

ETA Equally you don't want to make a "safe" choice and then pine for the one that got away.

"visualize" the things you want to keep on the countertops on the granite i had beautiful granite with lots of movement in it installed a few years ago and when i put my "things" on it i disliked it within the first 5 minutes as did dh. when we took everything off we liked it again, but couldn't keep it that way was ever so glad we moved.....

That, zippity's comment, is a big part of what I meant with my marble. I designed a kitchen where everything is put away out of sight. Nothing on the counters aside from fruit bowl when I am not working in the kitchen. Paper towels, stowed away, cutting board on ledge of sink, utensils in a drawer, salt and pepper are out by cooktop, tea kettle is on cooktop, spoon rest is stowed when not in use. The counters are very bossy when they are the star of the show. It's not just about the backlash needing to be something plain.

I really like 2 & 6; both are so interesting to look at...

Most people will tire more quickly of any stone that is "strong" and "dramatic". Just think about that...

Feather, I will try and find a better pic of the floor tile and re-post later tonite.

zippity and Rita,

my current plan is to have the granite on my 10X4 island only. The perimeter counters are going to be natural maple on maple cabinets. So that option will have the uncluttered island be the star if I go with a busy granite like the bordeaux . The perimeter counters will be calm but cluttered :)

Although listening to your description of what it takes, I am a little apprehensive of

Usha

Is your floor already in? If not, does it need to drive your choice for a counter?

I like calm, so I'd keep looking.

I like # 1 & 6.

Colonial Cream and Ghibli are higher-maintenance granites, so I would remove them from the list just for that. I think I like #6, but it is so hard really to make a recommendation from looking at a pic on a monitor. I agree with the principles of only one star in the kitchen. And I think with that floor, you need something subdued, so as Linelle said, perhaps keep looking.

I am a very pro-granite person, yet I must say, perhaps look at some of the quartz counters.

Hi feather

here is a more realistic color of the tile

thanks for looking

Oh no, the tile looks so much orange-r on the screen than it did in my camera.

Wish there was an easy way to dial down the color to make it more realistic :(

and yes, we are somewhat tied to the tile since this is an open kitchen that directly looks into the family room ... the tile is already installed in the family room ...

Usha

Most people will tire more quickly of any stone that is "strong" and "dramatic". Just think about that...

I'm sorry but you've said this in several threads and it's just not true.

I had Typhoon Bordeaux in my condo and when I sold the condo last year after 6 years, I still loved that counter. And my DH felt the same way.

I think 2 would be perfect for the island.

I just have to say, the #1 River Bordeaux is an optical illusion, looks like a 3D of a mountains range, so cool. Does that make it a countertop choice? I have no idea! It's just cool.

I think all those slabs are beautiful, but they beg the question... why that floor tile?

Benjesbride

that was too funny :)

the short answer would be "becos we are cheap " lol

actually the kitchen is an somewhat open plan overlooking the family room and the family room already has the tile installed in it.

Usha

Miranda33

quartz is out for me. I liked some of the more blingy ones and dreamt of a red counter for a tiny instant in time.

but they just installed shiny quartz at my workplace kitchenette and I don't want to be staring at the same in my own kitchen.

I have a very calm monotonic brown pearl granite as my safe backup if all else fails...

usha

"Most people will tire more quickly of any stone that is "strong" and "dramatic". Just think about that..."

We get it. Boring/safe/uniform quartz is in style.

Who's to say boring quartz will still be popular in 10-20 years? Anything can go in and out of style. I get that. And I agree that the bolder choice could be riskier. But who cares. I've seen enough white quartz. If I walked into a home with a unique slab like the ones the OP has posted, they would definitely catch my attention (in a good way) before any solid color quartz top would.

For the record, I have white quartz in the MB and a unique granite in my kitchen. I love them both, but I especially love the uniqueness the granite offers.

Back to the OP, the floor is looking orange. I'm trying to picture it toned down some. I'd really have to see the space and have a better visual. Like I mentioned before, if you go big with the stone then keep everything else on the simple side. The secret to designing a space YOU love is filling it with pieces you love. And if you love one of those stones then go for it! I highly doubt you'll regret it.

I love Cascade the most(I think it's number 2?)-just more up my alley. i like veining, and how it has two main colors..

the tile looks very orange but if you say it's more subdued irl -it might work?

i have uniform Quartz in the kitchen since there I was after the tile being my shiny star (and it is..second choice shiny star since couldn't afford the first one lol

and I have a very nice marble or limestone in the bathroom, it's warm gray with rusty streaks and it reminds me of a fluffy animal of sorts. it almost meows. and I'm not a stone person, I'd prefer for ceramics be a star, under other circumstanecs, but I really like it

i think: look at the big picture, other elements, house style, space..and don't forget yourself while putting together the equation

i don't get bored by stuff i love..but i need to be deadly sure i love it. and that it works like i want it to

then i can be happy with it for years and years.

why not look for a quartzite with some orange in it that is a bit quieter. Taj mahal or madre perla both can have lots or little of this color running through it and they are not as bold as the granite but yet not boring like quartz or corian. although I appreciate the arguments to use a stone like surface...I just can't, they are contrived and boring in my opinion.

whether or not something is "in" is not the question, it's whether or not something is done well and is nice to look at with all the components agreeing with one another.

as for the tile..you know when looking for non-slippery tile I purchased a product called "Slip Doctor"(I think)..I ended up not buying the tile since Slip Doctor worked BUT subdued the colors..made them paler..

if you have a spare tile or two..and you feel you'd like the tile a bit paler..I wouldn't know, since I see it on my monitor only..maybe you can try that Slip Doctor solution, see whether it eats a bit of the color?..

My tile was porcelain..the one I tried it on. Your seems porcelain too..?

Number 6. I think Taj Mahal would be a good choice too.

The quartzites we have seen so far are all in the $125+ range so above my budget although if I find one I love I could consider it. Based on the informal poll so far, looks like Bordeaux river and golden cascade are the winners. Blue Dunes didnt get as many votes but among people who voted for it, the blue dunes evoked a strong reaction.

RE tile, is this tile below a more neutral tile. We have heated floor in the kitchen so tile it must be. I dont really have a budget for the floor tile but if I go with Blue Dunes, I will likely have to change my floor tile.

Any recommendations for an inexpensive, porcelain tile in neutral shades ?

Regards

Usha

Daltile Catalina porcelain

hmm the tile pic did not go through. Try 2

You can do heated floors with LVT and or engineered wood floors. Ask in the flooring forum.

It appears that you like a livelier granite, so that's what you should choose.

yes, this tile would definitely work better

engineered wood will be beautiful too..I'd be incllined to go with it given bold granite, but you know your needs and space better..what is the other flooring you have in the house? if the rest is wood might be hard to match

You know there are some things that one is not comfortable with regardless of what is being said in the very well informed GW forums. ...and wood and heated floor falls in that category for me. OTOH, wood look tile sounds interesting, thanks for the heads up. I will look it up. What is LVP ?

cpartist, I am drawn to the drama in granite, but the Blue Dunes also speaks to me, its so different.... I am going to go back for a second look.

and Dan, I just dont think we are ripping up the family room floor unless god forbid its an emergency. ....the floor is heated and it would be a PITA. It might not look beautiful but it feels wonderful when we are in the midst of our long winters. We will just embrace its inner beauty :)

I just learnt that there is a new lot of Bordeaux River that has arrived at the stone yard, be back with more pictures!

Usha

and thanks April for the Doctor Slip, been looking for such a product for our bathroom tiles.

Count me as a fan of the dramatic granites. I would never consider 3 or 5, and 4 only if I was in love with a busy backsplash that I wanted to be the star. I love 1, 2 and 6 - especially 6! However, I don't like any of them with your tile. The paler, neutral Catalina Daltile you posted would be an enormous improvement and should work with any of the granites you posted.

What is LVP ?

LVT. Luxury Vinyl Tile.

cpartist, I am drawn to the drama in granite, but the Blue Dunes also speaks to me, its so different.... I am going to go back for a second look.

I love that Blue Dune. As I said, my favorites of your choices are the Blue Dunes or the Golden Cascade.

I think either will be fine with your floors too.

I think you could easily change your tile in the kitchen to a wood look tile and leave the other room as it is. Just put in a transition strip. Especially if you are going with something totally different as a wood look tile would be. I love my wood look porcelain tile.

If you have a habitat restore store in your area check it out for great tile prices. There was even wood look tile at ours. I bought all the tile for my guest bathroom there, beautiful porcelain tile, for 70c sq ft.

I got my wood look barn wood tile at Lowe's.

https://m.lowes.com/search?searchTerm=wood+look+porcelain+tile

Mine is the timber ash

Thanks Raven, I'll check the site and try to get a few samples from lowes

usha

I just wanted to thank everyone for their comments/critiques. They were all helpful, even in instances when I did not personally agree with all of them. Getting that impartial third person comment(s) helped me go over my choices and my decisions. Most importantly, I discovered that some options that I thought were writ in stone (my floor tile) were actually writ in water :) .

We are going with Slab 1, the River Bordeaux for the island. We will also be re-visiting the floor choice based on all the comments we got here. LVT and wood look or porcelain in a more neutral color. BTW, if any one is looking for granite in the SE Michigan area, I highly recommend Great Lakes Marble and Granite, Brandon was our rep - very knowledgeable and very patient with us.

Regards,

Usha

Great! We MUST have pictures! Good luck with the project. It will be beautiful.