I don't know..... with all the abundance of selection for this type of counter top material, neither of these slabs are very attractive. The top one looks like a big blotch and the second one is too fuzzy of a pattern-no white space. Keep looking for other slabs, I know you can do better regardless of the type.

Thank you MB Studio. My picture is not doing the Carrara slab justice. It is honed and really is beautiful, but the lighting overall issues with my lack of skills taking pictures with an iPhone obscures its beauty.
With that said, it is also a compromise. My wife wants plain. A brilliant piece of Statuario or Donatello or similar looks in Granite would be my first choice, albeit 5-10 times the price. But regardless, my wife will have none of it. She likes Danby, and some subtler (but not solid) Quartz options, as well as them more demure instances of Carrara (such as the slab I posted.)
The Quartz in posted is Color Quartz Statuario. They had one which I really did like. But as with other manufacturers they're constantly changing their designs. Their current slabs I am not a fan of. Certainly, I do like the Carrara options from Neolith. I just don't like the feel of the material in any finish. Plus with fabrication and materials cost it ends up in the same range as what I would deem "higher end" options, so it is not a clear choice.

Had to add my two cents I love marble but not the one you show in the slab. I did Cambria love it but I cook a lot and I wouldn't be able to deal with marble but you have to go with what you love

MM, which Cambria did you select?

mousemudgett, what Cambria did you go with?

Hands down I would choose natural stone. When designing my own kitchen I looked hi and low for a quartz product that would satisfy my desire for marble (because of the potential maintenance issues).....but....nothing comes close to a gorgeous slab of marble! I think if one chooses quartz, it needs to be appreciated for the material it is, and not for what it‘s trying to mimic. It will never look like the real thing. I went with honed Bianco Avian. It’s beautiful and “creamy” and has a depth that cannot be found in a quartz product.

Of your two examples of comps, the one on Jerusalem, the waterfall top on the island looks ridiculous. Its all wrong for the style of the house. And the kitchen is gray and white, yet the room right next to it is warms golds and beiges with a totally different wall color...???

Do you or your wife even really cook? All I'm hearing about is how it compares to the neighbors and what the "comps" are. Not how well it will how up when spaghetti sauce gets all over it or whatever....

Suzy, nice kitchen, but really, do these people cook either? It looks like a test kitchen, not a kitchen in a real home.

Melissa - I cook and we're huge slobs. The pics I posted are from the contractor after most of the install but before we moved in. Its not that pristine now believe me.

Interesting. Why do you believe the waterfall edge is wrong on the Jerusalem house? I follow you on the color contrast, and frankly I agree with everything you've said. I am just curious on the reaction to the waterfall edge profile. And yes both my wife and I cook -- certainly she does 7 days a week.

The waterfall, to me, is modern. I could totally see it in suzys kitchen; just not in that style of house.

I feel like there are so many options/ choices now that when someone tries to put too much/everything current or the latest in a space it's just wrong. It's over the top. It's unnecessary. It's doesn't add, it detracts.

You cook? Really? And you just did a replacement and not a redesign?

suzyq,,,,that came out gorgeous! you're neighbors to my sister. Ahem,,,,when is dinner??? lol

Sophie is that directed to me? Who says I just did a replacement and not a redesign?

You said the layout will stay the same

The layout is still fundamentally the same. There will be Island where there was an island. It will slightly bigger in its composition will be completely different, but in terms of where there's an island, where there is a peninsula, generally where the refrigerator is (albeit shifted to the right 8") where the sink was (i'll be at a new window and new sink design) -- generally the layout is the same.

We bought our home in 2011 and and change virtually everything, made structural changes, flipped rooms around, added doors, windows, etc. A couple of months ago we had an opportunity to have the previous owner walk-through and she was visibly moved by the transformation (she said "you've done much more than we ever could have done" which sounds like a polite, throw-away line, but this a very socially competitive couple who had really taken great pride in the previous remodel.

All rooms leading into the kitchen were fundamentally transformed -- The in formal dining area is now a fireplaced family room, The old play area is now a new dining area with all windows/ceiling/French doors, etc.

Literally everything changed, largely based on improving flow and going back to the original design of the home that was largely lost in the previous remodel. It was an extensive and expensive endeavor. The only thing *not* changed was the kitchen. I did swap out appliances, change some windows, change trim style and paint.

But I wanted to live in it for a couple of years and use the kitchen before making decisions about how to change it. We've done that and we began our design last year. And as of Monday it's completely ripped out. For the most part again we are keeping the layout as it was. Only two walls are being opened up, but otherwise were staying within the existing walls. The previous kitchen was done in 2006, and it is about exactly how you would want it given the shape of the home and the flow of the rest of the rooms.

Yet what we're doing within that footprint is significantly different. We are not simply doing a replacement. Well I'm not sure I follow the distinction, but if that means putting it back in place the same thing that was there no that is not what we're doing.

I'm all in on 100% natural stone. I've looked more than a year to find the right one, and I've looked at everything. My color palette is way different than yours, but nonetheless, natural stone is for me. I have yet to find anything but natural stone looking natural, if that makes sense?

It makes sense Colbran. Albeit Neolith does indeed look totally like Carrara marble. If you sought on the walls of the hotel lobby you would never think it was anything but authentic. But for your own kitchen counters I don't think you'd be fooled. Not if you knew yourself and I don't think you'll be happy with it because of that. I'm projecting there of course, because that's exactly how I feel. I just can't get into anything synthetic on my counters. That's purely personal preference. It would be easier if I could, but I just can't. That's my dilemma.

I had granite; it's ok. I'm getting quartz now. I'm not trying to pretend its anything other than what it is. I'm excited that it's a hard material that won't stain or be super high maintenance.

To each his own.

LOL, oh believe me, I'm right there with you. Did I mention that it took me more than a year to make my decisions?

Nathaniel I did torquay cambria. It is what I could afford and I looked at every slab possible and I wanted something like marble without the care my kitchen was not high end like yours mine was less than twenty thousand Do what you love !!!!!! I have a picture of marble blacksplace and cambria counter

Whoops almost forgot pictures

Thank you, that looks very nice. Like your backsplash choice. Torquay is my favorite of the Cambria lines.

I'm just a homeowner and I wouldn't want marble OR a waterfall edge. I like the look of marble but I would be totally afraid to ruin it. I know how I cook and things fly when I get moving in my kitchen! If I were purchasing a house and walked in and saw marble, I'd walk out.

As for the waterfall edge? Again it looks great but I think that it will totally look dated and out of place in less than 5 years. Just like multi-leveled cabinets look dated now. Stick with timeless and classic.

Love the colors

I would do marble in a heartbeat. I can live with the etching and patina that comes with marble. I'm not a fan of the fake stuff. I think waterfall edges are nice, but will go out of style too soon to warrant spending the extra money.

Don't do anything you see already being done in pictures.

Nathaniel Palmer, sounds like we're going through the same thing. What have you decided? We love marble more than anything, but I cook every night and we are concerned about the potential problems. Some people have told me we are over thinking it way too much and it's not a big deal, but then others scare you away from it.

Does anyone have any thoughts on whether it would be harder to sell your house down the road?

I like the top and I like the waterfall and backsplash......but the kitchen might be a bit cooler with all that stone...lol.

Princess Leia, what marble do you have? Alba Vera?

I love the 1st slab! Just beautiful. My concern would be that marble is high maintenance. Have you considered getting a piece and using it to see how you like it?

Quartz with no waterfall edge. Kitchen is too traditional for a waterfall edge.

I have Carrara marble on my kitchen island and solid color gray quartz on the remaining counters. I LOVE my marble. Not for everyone, it I’m the one living in my house and after five years, I still swoon at the marble. The quartz is just there. Functional. Not beautiful. I like beautiful in my kitchen! I’m an avid cook. It hurts me when a new etch appears on the marble, but it’s lived in and I would do it all over again. And if the “resale” argument comes up..
It’s a minor slab, not the entire kitchen.

Good luck!

I covet Carrara...I would be okay with marks and would consider them to be proof (if you will) of a happy home.

Interested to see what you chose...

..... ..... - I have an Italian Carrara marble. I seriously love it!

Well, 9 months later it is finally done. The installer hired a photographer to shoot the results. I am not fully psyched with the quality of the pictures, but I am pleased the result. The marble is Carrara, just two slabs with virtually zero waste. The cabinets were rolled with Benjamin Moore Satin White Dove (50% tint) and the wall color is Marilynn's Handkerchief. https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/110460114

Would love your comments

Gorgeous!

very nice nathaniel. beautiful. I hope that marble is sealed to the hilt! Even so, clean up spills and splatters promptly!

Stunning! I really love what you have done.

you sure the color isn't Marilynns Dress? I mean, who is this chick that she has a color named twice after her apparel? (I used gray cloud and sweet innocence, that's how I know the name!)

Good catch, Beth. We have Lace handkerchief in an adjacent foyer and keep conflating the two names. It is indeed Marilynns Dress. It looks purple-ish in the photos with low light, but not in person and really responds well to natural light (which we have a ton of in this kitchen.) And indeed, thank you on the marble advice. It is Maintenance City, no more than I was told but more than I expected. It is not truly honed, which I didn't realize in the warehouse, it somewhere in between polished and honed. No regrets really, as I love the look, but yes it requires more attention than we had hoped for. I can appreciate the benefit of Quartz, I just couldn't fall in love with any of the patterns.

Hail naturalists! If it comes with the usual maintenance and the natural wear, so be it. Nothing actually replaces the real deal. Been around for centuries. Kudos to you. Beautiful kitchen.

That's truly lovely. I really like the corner stove...

I think the problem with marble (which I "voted" for) is that folks get upset with they see a new mark on it. Then they complain because it sticks out like a sore thumb. But give it time, and it will develop an overall patina and it will all blend...

I just put it in the bathroom and there are marks--I'm fine with it. I don't want perfection. Don't want that bar set too high in any one area of my home!!