Interesting stone sort of like soapstone for care.I think gray will depend on what color of gray I think to be on the safe side I would do white cabinets and stainless handles and let the counter be the star

I'm with Patricia. Amsterdam can be a gray city unless it is summer and the sun is shining. I love Amsterdam. It is one of my FAVOURITE cities. I've visited many times and have many friends in and around the city...but it is gray. And it is gray. And then it gets a little gray. And that's in the summer. Winter is "Selbstmord Wetter" as the Germans say.

There is a reason why Denmark and Sweden go for Scandinavian Modern....the colours are bright and cheerful...because it can be so DREADFULLY GRAY all other times of the year (welcome to life on the North Sea).

I would keep the kitchen as BRIGHT and as WHITE as possible (or do something COMPLETELY out of the box like a bright red/yellow/orange or something fun like that) and let the stone stand as the single dark point.

I would stay as far away from gray as possible. It is deathly dreary on the North Sea. Look to the houses on the canals to see what pairs well with the dark slate roofs. The houses are bright and fun....because the environment is so dreary (like living in a prettier version of London).

Have fun....please stay away from gray.

We have these countertops in our kitchen with a cabinet color I call "greige" (light grey/beige). I love the color combination. And love this stone and all the fossils in it. One thing to realize with these countertops it that etching will be lighter than the dark stone color. So rings, spills, etc will etch and be more visible than they might be on a lighter marble. The flipside is you don't really have to worry about stains, can't see wine spills, tomato, etc. We still really like our Belgian Bluestone (2 years in) as we like things to look aged over time, Our house is 120+ years old and we prefer natural materials that age with the house and look like they could have been original. But I can see people who are particular about keeping finishes looking new not enjoying this counter. It is also very soft and easy to scratch, But the scratches come out very easily as well. If your countertops get light across them, the imperfections will be more visible. I might be able to get you a picture of mine if you are interested.

How about a splash of colour? Given the variation in hues in the Belgian bluestone you may find that it actually makes most whites and greys look a bit grubby, especially so depending on how your kitchen is lit, both electric and natural.

So how about a green, muted or bright depending on your taste?

Oh! Forgot to say, if I had access to Belgian bluestone here in Canada I'd be getting it in a heart-beat too. :)

I like your choice of Belgian Bluestone. Good for you to use something natural. Be sure to follow all the maintenance and it will do very well over the years. I like the idea of driftwood stained cabinets. Good luck to you, hope the project comes out exactly the way you want!

Thank you @mwinfield and @Gray & Walter. Appreciate there are fans of Belgian Bluestone with feedback on how to care for it. And @bubblyjock , I love the idea of a touch of color - we've committed to the pale grey cabinets but are going for a backsplash that incorporates some multi-color patterns. (See image reference - we'll probably go for a white tile base with edges and accents in orange and black). We love this style of tiling prevalent in Amsterdam.

Lovely! Looking forward to seeing the project once it's completed!

Here's another example of Amsterdam style tiling with the actual colors and pattern we may use. I think it will look nice with the pale grey cabinets and Belgian bluestone :)

Just an FYI that Belgian Bluestone is actually limestone. And bluestone is actually sandstone.

How's that for confusing terminology? :)

Teresa, you might want to determine what your stone actually is, and then start a new thread asking how to get scratches out of it.