Without any question, the lighter one. Dark counter tops in a kitchen are not good. Kitchens needs to look clean and that is impossible with a dark color. Leave dark counter tops for bars. IMO.

I like the first combo

Without a doubt, between those two I would go dark......the gold gives it a warmer touch. I find the blotchy pale one too cold.

Please show a sample of the floor

the lighter one is nice. but if you have an open kitchen w/a lot of light and a lighter floor, then the darker one is nice too. just not w/that particular splash option in the picture. So I guess it depends on your type of kitchen and how light and bright it is. If it's not, choose the lighter stone.

Light too.

Thanks everyone!

I found some bigger images of the 2 counters, and Im not sure anymore when I see the bigger thing.

Love the richness and contrast of the dark. To me, the multiple shades of white are less interesting.

It really depends on your flooring in the kitchen and your personal style. Also, will you have an island? If so you could do the darker countertop for the main kitchen and the lighter color on the island. The backsplash in the pictures does not go well with the darker countertop.

what a difference seeing the slab in a kitchen vs. a small sample.

What are you thinking now?

Lighter one.