Kelli, do you have photos? I do not have Sophie's visual expertise and have no idea if they would clash. Or need to be voted off the island.

Here is a warm floor and I think this might be marble counters but not Calcutta, of course these are not cafe cherry... Pictures of your ideas might help.

Here is a photo - the cherry is the counter color, the jagged edge stone the floor, and the other the counter.

Oh I see it now, one is more cool and one is definitely more warm. Are you committed to these elements? Since you want to tone down the gray why not find a totally different counter. Maybe find something that will look warm and match the floors. These are from Lowes are silestone and LG

I really wanted the marble look of the Calacatta Silestone. I thought that as there were quite a few big runs of white in the travertine it would still work. That is also why I was looking for a back splash that would help tie everything together.

I think I've found a tile for the backsplash that ties it all together. What are your thoughts?

We need some of the experts here to help you. I think the stark white and the cream sort of go against each other but maybe a different tile could pull it together.. Do you have to go with the white silestone or could you find something else? Is it already installed or are you choosing options right now?

Find some images on Houzz and maybe there you can find a tile.

Is this the look you are trying to achieve? A cherry and marble? What about a slab backsplash? That is what I am doing.

Do they have a warmer silestone that gives you the feel of a calcutta marble? Or maybe mix two different tiles together to give you the warm and cool...

Kelly,,,no to that backsplash. sorry, but thats horrible. you will ruin the look of that beautiful countertop by bringing in anything resembling your floor tile. they do not mix.

look at the real calacatta marble like boxer pal mentioned. even a larger subway tile would work.

now the issue would be making sure the fake and the real stuff go together.

or bring in a solid white that will go w/the counter. do not put anything beige or tan against that countertop!

this is a very sleek looking counter. no rustic elements behind it. your best bet is to run the same material up the walls, or look into a plain white tile

Beth H, thank heavens you arrived. I just knew an expert could explain it all better and help Kelli figure it all out.

boxer, that first pic you showed is what she should do. run it behind the wall. (make sure they match the seam)

This countertop, although beautiful, would not have been my choice w/your flooring and your color cabinets.

You're right that those backsplash tiles pull the colors together. I don't like them because they're visually heavy and will overpower your gorgeous quartz...or at least engage it in hand to hand combat.

If you choose white tile, or do as boxer suggests and use your quartz as the backsplash, the backsplash and counter together will be framed and highlighted by the darker cabinets. The floor will recede. This photo shows calacatta gold marble counters, a honed calacatta backsplash, and a floor with some pinky looking tones, set off by darker cabinets to great effect.

You don't have to do shiny 3x 6 white subway. Find a white tile that works with your counter i.e. doesn't make it look 'dirty' or yellow or too grey. Either a shiny or matte finish will work. ( Matte tiles feel the same as polished glazes - they're just not shiny. ) You don't need to tone down the grey veining, just don't muddy things up with more tones.

Thank you all for your help. Attached are photos of the kitchen before Hurricane Irma. We lost the roof and although the kitchen looks like it was spared, the walls were wet so the entire kitchen including floors were taken out. We were able to save the cabinets so that's why I chose the cherry. I've always wanted travertine and think it goes lovely with the cabinets. Its the counter that I'm struggling with. I originally found a beautiful carrera gold marble that went perfect and I've been trying to match that look without going marble ever since. I've found another backsplash that might be better.

kelli,,,my suggestion and pro advice would be to wait until the countertops are installed. if you've made up your mind that this is the counter for you, then wait, (unless you are considering taking the slab up against the wall. then you'd have to order that all at once) if not, just wait. lighting and all sorts of things can alter the looks. while that random bar splash in the pic might look ok against your sample, once the entire thing is in your space, with your own lighting, it might not. So just wait.

Thank you all, this is the marble that I originally fell in love with before I knew marble in the kitchen was not a great idea. I've been trying since October to find the perfect thingl I haven't ordered the silestone yet but need to soon. Any other suggestions that might go better? I'm in Key West and have already taken three trips to the mainland to look at slabs and never found anything I loved.

Fee yourself from the travertine floor or pick a plain soft white, plain Corian and call it a day and repeat the travertine on your back splash. That's the very brutal truth.

kelli,,,are you replacing the travertine in the kitchen or planning to?

as for marble in the kitchen, are you a really messy cook? you can have the real stuff, just using cutting boards and trivets, and wipe up messes quickly. the sealers will buy you time before the stain sets. etching is another issue, so you may want to choose a honed finish. but that's just part of marble's characteristics. the good thing is, a marble or stone restoration guy and come in and polish out etches or scratches (solid set stains, not so much, unless a poultice can draw them out) and make it look new again.

so if you want the gorgeous marble, then get it. and have a stone guy come out every few years to repolish the counter.

The floor in the photos is gone - it was Mexican tile - the new floor that’s already been ordered is travertine. I’m not a messy cook but I have messy kids.

I would get that marble, nothing is going to come close to it. it's beautiful

kelli,,,i've had travertine floors. is it installed yet? just make sure you pick a good penetrating sealer. if your kids are messy, the floor will be more of a problem than the countertop! make sure you use the newer stain proof grouts. Mapei FlexColorCQ is good one.

that marble you posted w/the warm tones, how does that look next to your travertine sample? any pics of that?

The cabinetry and flooring work great together(both warm tones-beige and reds) but the countertop conflicts as it has too much white and grey (cool tones). Countertop(granite or quartz) and backsplash(stone, marble, or glass) should also have warm tones using beiges, not whites.

Hi, Kelli--

Like you, I picked a natural marble-appearing Silestone product for my countertops throughout (kitchen, two baths, bar, two inset nooks), and I have warm ceramic tile flooring in my kitchen and hall bath. My Silestone is Lagoon - a calm, Calacatta marble-appearing pattern with light movement and cool undertones. But unlike you, my kitchen and bar cabinetry is finished out in white, which gives good neutral breathing space between floor and counter. Cherry cabinetry adds a layer of complexity here, but it's not an unclimbable mountain.

As Beth has suggested (and you've seen from the images here), I also followed common rule and went with a full Silestone splash to keep things simple in the kitchen. It wasn't cheap but I have never regretted it. And it's -- like so many have said here before of it -- bombproof. Still looks brand new all over three years later. If you haven't committed yet to a backsplash option, I seriously recommend a full splash to keep things calm and consistent. Cheers!

I've confirmed that I need two slabs for my kitchen and there will be enough left for my bathrooms. Attached is a photo of all of the tiles that have already been purchased for flooring and bathrooms. You all have convinced me to vote the silestone off the island. That said, I'm all over the map on which direction to take now.....quartzite, granite, quartz? I really wanted to lighten the kitchen up with a lighter counter....

The cherry is the cabinet, the travertine the floor, the white marble the bath walls, the hexagon the shower floor and niche, the gray niche trim.

Please help, any suggestions, comments, brutal truths welcome!

Kelli, i love that combo that you have. Can you do that in the kitchen? Or is that just the bathroom. I love that they look so beautiful together.

I am sad you had to vote silestone off the island. He was really pretty we just need to find Mr. Right for the kitchen. It will happen. And you say you are all over the place? I am in that very club! I wish I could find a granite that was white or as light and gray as possible. I can't so then I lean toward a Quartzite but then as long as I am going the high price of Quartzite why not take a look at Marble. I am in counter Chaos. You are not alone. I think the wizards on Houzz will help you narrow down some ideas.

Keep me posted. ~boxer

If quartzite is in your budget, take your samples to a stone yard and see how they look with something like a Taj Mahal -- light but warm so it may look great with what you already have.

actually the very first thing I picked out months ago was a taj mahal quartzite but I thought it looked too grey with the cabinets.....

check out cambria Brittanica warm or Brittanica gold for you counters instead. They both are warmer tones that (IMHO) may go better with your floor and cabinets.

yes, I loved Brittanica gold as well, the stripes are too bold and I have too many angles (house is Octagon) so worried it would look like zebra. It's hard to tell from the photos I put of the kitchen earlier in the thread but there are actually four angles....

i was also going to suggest Taj Majal. you have to look at different yards w/diff slabs. if you find one too gray, then keep looking. Taj is also one of the 'harder' quartzite types.

found a kitchen w/taj and a darker travertine floor so you could see.

Cristallo Quartzite also has your golden veins

Aria Quartzite

That is a fantastic suggestion Beth H. Taj would be easier to care for and go wonderfully with all her elements.. Simply gorgeous.

The Aria Quartzite is beautiful too. I need to investigate that... I wonder if it would look good with my stark white cabs and navy island.

i think it would beautiful boxer. with soft gold hardware? yummy.

Agree with Beth. Had it in my comment and deleted. Care in selection is key as it has many tones warm / cool/ whites/ to golden. It can vary quite a bit.

boxer,,,let me know if you find this quartzite and what the cost is. I'm thinking it may be in the white macaubas family

this one is shown as a calacatta quartz. didn't know they had that. unless it's just a random name.

and Calacatta Do Brasil quartzite

OOooohhhhh Love them all,

I just love the Calacatta Do Brasil quartzite. But the Quartz Calacatta sounds very interesting.. The only big reason I have avoided Quartz is the uniform design that DH doesn't like. He wants natural looking. And he will neg the Gold Brass hardware. He had everything changed in this house before we moved in. Every door knob exterior/interior, every hinge... so if I say I am ordering gold he will be frustrated. I just ordered the stainless steel ones below in 7inch ( little larger than normal ) sizes for the cabinets.

And I am waiting to hear back from the stone girl to find out the cost. I really just want a number. Once I have that I can have her help me search out the above names and go check them out.

Thank you!

~boxer

I really like the aria quartzite too - have you seen macaubas - do you think it's too cool toned?

Kelli,,that last pic looks like something diff? there is also a blue macaubas that's very beautiful and very expensive. (they even make tiles with it for $75 a sq ft!)

white macaubas, and yes, it's on the cooler end with whites and grays.

do you see the Calacatta quartz pics I posted, above?

Yes, I liked the calacatta quartz but I was confused, I thought you were recommending for boxer....that seemed cool toned too?

well i was, but I thought since you liked the Calacatta, maybe it was something to consider. you have to look at the actual slabs since they're all diff. you might get one w/more of the gold veining that makes it a tad warmer than all the gray veins.

i still think Taj is going to be the best option for your floor. just look at as many slabs as you can find.

Yes, and thank you for all your suggestions. I'm headed up to the main land this weekend to look at some.

Kelli, you may want to check out the stone I am using as has similar warm tones as your travertine, Fantasy brown/ocean beige

Well I picked two countertops I think one goes better with the kitchen and one with the baths however they won’t know until the kitchen is laid out if I will need two slabs for the kitchen so I want to select the same. Thoughts? The one with the tiles next to it is macaubus - the other corteccia.

macaubas is too blue/gray for that travertine or stone floor (and the cherry cabs) in your kitchen.

in the other pic you posted your floor looks more creamy. how does it look out here in the slab yard? more neutral? what do you think it is at home?

you need a kitchen slab w/more creams or yellow or tan tones.

this is the color family if you want it to go w/that stone floor and that hex mosaic tile

I love the corteccia - if the specs of the slabs fit - it is what we are getting !!

I like that one. I think that will work. I've never heard of it. is is similar to Fantasy Brown quartzite?

Kelli , that corteccia is DIVINE. Love it! I think it offers enough cool to look like marble with a hint of warm that could really pull those elements together. I wonder if it is a hard or soft quartzite? It does look a bit like white fantasy. Here is what I did learn, (you may already know this)

Stone Design

Product Information

*IMPORTANT* This material is designated as a Soft Quartzite. Soft Quartzites are harder and more chemical resistant than marbles. However, they will still etch if prolonged exposure to acidic spills and messes occurs. Soft Quartzites feature the upscale elegance of marble with much better resistance to scratching and etching. That said, Soft Quartzite does require extra care when compared to Granites and Quartzites. Wiping up spills immediately and avoiding dragging heavy objects is a cornerstone of caring for Soft Quartzites. With proper care, scratches and etching can be minimized or avoided entirely.

My next question is about the edge. The quartzite is in 2 cm. The installer prefers that we laminate the edge - which takes more material. That is how my kitchen counter was done before however a few of my friends just put in countertops with only the 2cm thin look. I hear it's trendy now...but that said....will it go out of style?? I also heard you worry about edges chipping with 2 cm? Any input? I'm leaning toward an eased edge in just the 2 cm unless it's not wise for the bar.