White granite with gray specks and veins would brighten the room. You have to go to a stone-seller and look at the
amazing variations available. I would not do a mostly-gray counter because you already have a lot of gray.

You might also want to think about your back splash. Do you want that to have a wow factor? If so, then you need a quieter counter color/pattern. If you will be happy with simple subway tile, then you can go with a bolder counter.

It may have taken a while but I really like your kitchen so far!

I would really consider a counter that leans more white though (be it white quartz or white granite). Your cabinets are not white, so I do not think you need to worry about a "white on white" kitchen trend.

You do need contrast though from the gray of the cabinets and the gray of floors and gray (stainless steel) of appliances. I think medium gray or dark gray counters (including soapstone) will just have affect of making everything feel really dark.

You can choose a white material that still has grey flecks or movement in it - since BM Collingwood is a warmer gray, so be sure to pick something "warmer" rather than cool, or it will be jarring.

You mention that you don't want a white/white kitchen yet your cabinet color is a grey or is it reading more white in your space?

Since you seem to be leaning towards a solid pattern (or lack of-lol) countertop, I'd look at back splashes and see if there is something that hits you and then circle back to the counter top. Then you'll have a better idea of what direction to go.

I don’t think we want anything that is really busy but looks natural and not so modern/trendy. I am a bit/very ocd and I initially thought a darker quartz counter would be less upkeep or something like soapstone where there is character in just letting it be.

We also want something different. It seems like so many kitchens we see online have light countertops with light/white cabinets.

So what I’m understanding from everyone is that going with a dark countertop is not the way to go though.

I'm not a designer but I think you would be fine with charcoal countertops. Since you don't have much natural light in the space, would you consider a granite with some mica in it to bring in some sparkle? Something like Azul Platino or Blue Pearl? The Azul Platino reads more light grey while the Blue Pearl more charcoal. Steel Grey/Silver Grey is also a charcoal granite but doesn't have any sparkle to it. It's very consistent.

I actually think a dark countertop would work with what you have. I would go to the stone yard and walk around and look at the slabs and see what stands out to you.

I would go with quartz. There are lots of companies/brands. (I am partial to Silestone and Cambria) I would go with a white base … and you can see which one looks best with the rest of your kitchen or space. (Some all are all white. Some have flecks. Some have sparkly flecks. Some have colored flecks. Tons of options!)

You could go with black quartz … I find it too heavy. But it’s not my kitchen. Be you!

I would then had some color and/or visual interest with your backsplash. Could be glass, a mosaic, etc.

What colors do you love? Have fun.

Your cabinets are beautiful! For my taste I think you could go white or charcoal for your counters - it just depends on the look you prefer. If I were you I'd grab a big piece of plywood or cardboard and paint one side white and the other charcoal, and put it over a big section of your cabinets so you can get an idea of what white vs. dark will look like.

We installed Ceasarstone Concrete 2003 about four years ago and have really enjoyed it. Absolutely no problems keeping it clean and it seemed to be the most versatile out of all the grey quartz we considered.

My concerns are going with a grey counter top are; to visually make a space look interesting you need contrast. Adding a gray countertop (even a darker gray) is not going to do that. And as it is, it will be too matchy matchy with your flooring. 2. It's going to start looking very sterile. To do monochromatic "right" you need to do a lot of textures. And if you don't get the right shades of gray working with each other something will always look "off". 3. When you tire of gray, you are going to have to spend some big dollars to rectify it. I think there is less chance of you tiring of your kitchen if you put something other than gray into it going forth now.

Have you spent any time going to a stone yard and looking at granite slabs?

If your concern with soapstone is cost and maintenance, then get Virginia Mist or Via Lactea granite and have it honed or leathered. You get the look of soapstone for the price and maintenance of granite.

Quartz products are over priced and under performing in comparison.

I vote Virginia Jet Mist granite in a honed finish. It looks like soapstone but acts like a tough granite. Here is a photo of our old kitchen... and a slab I just looked at today. This granite will be cheaper than a Quartz and while it might need a bit more care it is one of those granites that is tough. If you are a bit OCD than Soapstone could be a challenge. Many soapstones scratch like you would a bar of soap, a talc kind of feel to the stone and it needs to be oiled if you want a certain look. You may already know this but if you don't I encourage you to read up on Soapstone.

As for color? I say do what you like. While there are lots of kitchens with white counters there are many many gorgeous ones with beautiful counters that are dark or gray or even a mix. Only you know what you would love to work with.

FWIW, other than wiping it off, there is no maintenance required with soapstone. Zero.

;)

Very pretty, Boxerpal!

If you are interested in a gray tone we have a some stunning designs that will compliment your cabinets! Many of our designs now come in Cambria Matte finish as well. Inspiration can be found below or on our Instagram and Pinterest pages.

Queen Anne: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AR6JQ3Sv8dK6REnDDG9OL0SO4WE7jUkcRElk2vftzq9k_bf13Vmxqvg/

Queen Anne: https://www.instagram.com/p/BgTks6tACnK/?taken-by=cambriasurfaces

Carrick: https://www.instagram.com/p/BVkVQMegdJG/?taken-by=cambriasurfaces 

Carrick Matte: https://www.instagram.com/p/BciVT5fgijM/?taken-by=cambriasurfaces

thank you Sammy

I'd go with something black.

Very pretty kitchen! I agree with Chispa, who said it depends on what backsplash you’re planning on using! If you go bold, stick to something light and airy. I definitely would not do black in this kitchen.

Have you considered using a quartz product that looks like white marble, but with a lot of grey veining? I think it would add some gorgeous movement and texture to the space. I'm currently loving Vicostone products, and their Arabescato would look fantastic. Instead of a tiled backsplash, try installing the same quartz up the walls all the way to the bottom of the cabinets for a luxurious look!

Stay away from black granite. I have ubatuba and do Not like it. It always looks streaked. Never shines like I want. You must run your hand over it to feel if it is clean because you cannot see dirty spots.

Focal point is the marble slab back splash. To show you how the backsplash becomes the star and the counter is less of importance. And how a black counter top looks with the grey. Though floor is different than yours.

>>>>following..... new build here

This is tougher than I thought it would be. We were set on the dark grey of the caeserstone concrete 2003 but it seems too cold/dark now yet I detest too “bright” of a look and the counter not contrasting with the cabinets.

Have you any thoughts regarding the back splash?

Have you considered butcher block?

I love grey cabinets … love! (Mine should be up in a few weeks.) I think you need a contrasting countertop. You don’t want grey on grey on grey. (And I feel the same way about a white kitchen … it is all too much of one color.) You don’t have to go crazy or over the top … but it needs a punch of color or visual interest.

I went with White Platinum Silestone … I was sold the second I saw it. Go to a stone/quartz place and look around. A really good place will have lots of options from several companies. Bring a paint swatch or even a cabinet door to see exactly what works with what. Find something you love!

Like I said earlier, you could go more basic on the counter and let the backsplash be the real statement. You just want to make sure you don’t have too much going on. You don’t want to regret your choices. (That is painful!)

Yes, I don't want to regret this. Originally, many months ago, when we made our decisions, we had not seen the BM Collingwood painted on an actual cabinet and it appeared grey-er/off-white in swatches. Tested it on a trashed cabinet door (but a different type of wood) and not painted in the manner as the actual cabinet doors. Now the new cabinets as painted in reality appear beige or greige, it's definitely a warm colour, so the cool grey colours (like CS concrete 2003) for the countertop that we imagined for the countertop are not working.

As for the backsplash, it all depends on the countertop. My wife really likes the Marrakesh style but that would only work with a subdued countertop, or if we were really into a bolder countertop then we would do something simple like subway tiles.

Arghh. Frustrating.

Have you considered bamboo, we have high gloss white cabinets and it broke up the look well.....

I would get some veining on the counter with a touch of gray and some tan or brown mixed in. It needs something but not a lot of pattern. Stay with lighter background tone....you have to get samples because not sure if warmer or cooler undertone works better here.

Dark countertops for sure.

I started to look at grey, greige and beige cabinets and I found these images.... I think these could work with the tile you talked about.

Look at this granite below with a little bit of texture and color that are borrowed from the cabinets. Very pretty

i think your best bet is bring a cabinet door, your paint color chip & floor tile to a granite yard and see if anything inspires you.

i thought about quartz for about 2 minutes till i saw the samples and it was just so boring. but if that's what you like than go for it and get a stunner b/s.

soapstone is gorgeous but u have to be sure to get the hardest one you can!! you must go to a reputable store for that.

i would go with a granite with movement and a quiet B/S. there are some stunning granites out there. and with granite you can get a combo of light and dark, you are not locked into one or the other.

you can also run the granite up on the cooktop wall and tile the other walls. this way no grout on cooktop wall which obviously gets the dirtiest.

Thanks for all of the advice everyone. I think we may have found a winner with caeserstone raw concrete. However, we are still going to explore the granite option and see if we find anything we like there. I really like the idea that sprt suggested about having granite run up the cooktop wall.

For now, here’s the potential combo along with some backsplash options.

Caeserstone Raw Concrete and backsplash options:

From my monitor, the flooring and Ceaserstone look to close in color which makes it look like you are putting the flooring on the counter.

This is an on-going thread that I think has a lot of good info for anyone considering Ceaserstone. I know there are many happy people out there with the product, too, but just want you to be aware of possible problems if you go with this product. I've also seen other threads with similar issues.

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/caesarstone-stains-will-not-come-out-dsvw-vd~4357435[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/caesarstone-stains-will-not-come-out-dsvw-vd~4357435)

Well that’s disappointing regarding CS. I’ve researched a bit and I wanted to find something from another manufacturer that I liked but we just love the concrete colour. Maybe it is a bit matchy matchy with floor but somehow it looks good to us that way. The floor is a lot busier while the CS raw concrete is more plain.

It seems like we would prefer something a lot darker if it’s not something akin to the raw concrete. That’s why I want to explore darker granite options.

You had half a year to look at countertop and backsplash materials.
Read up on the pros and cons of granite, quartzite, Quartz, Corian, and soapstone. Then make an educated decision.

Thanks felizlady. If you don’t actually have anything to contribute please don’t respond to the tread. We had a significant flood in our house in Dec and have been recovering for months now. Yes, we did do our reach and had a short list. Unfortunately, the cabinets were a bit more greyish then we expected so we are back to the drawing board. We were originally set on soapstone however it no longer works with the colours.

We visited a granite supplier and found a couple of contenders:


We are preferring the darker one.

Thanks Tedbixby! We r on the same page and really appreciate your input! Considering it’s a dark countertop, I would like a polished finish so that light is reflective instead of being absorbed into a honed or leathered finish.

My vote would be the first slab as well....love the slab

The dark slab will look fantastic! Love how it subtly pulls in the lighter floor tile color.

I like the idea of the polished finish to give you another "texture." When they template it see if they can get the area with the most movement on the peninsular part as this is the area where you are going to see the most daily wear- crumbs, water spots, finger prints, etc, and the movement will help hide some of it. And make sure you see how they templated it before they cut it. It will be all marked off as to what section will go where.

Wait on selecting the backsplash until the counter is in.

Just a side note. Are you doing any other lighting above the peninsular? It looks like your recessed lighting is behind it rather than over it? And do you have or have planned under cabinet lighting?

@NM what it is that lovely first stone? Is it granite?

@boxerpal, yes it is granite. The name is "Silver Forest".

@tedbixby, Thanks for your great advice again. As for the lighting, it fit our previous kitchen layout and we were hoping we could get away without re-arranging it. We realize that it is a bit off and now are considering re-doing it. If we were to do anything, we'd probably just move over the lights so that it fit the new layout a bit better. We will not be installing any pendant lights above the peninsula because it will obstruct the view from the sink to a huge window in our breakfast/dining area. We've thought about under-cabinet lighting. We had it in our previous kitchen but rarely used it, so we're not sure if it's worth doing.

OP: LOVE that granite!! i think it has everything you are looking for!! totally agree to be there for the templating so u will have input into what goes where!!

also agree to re-visit the ceiling lighting plan. they are a bit behind you which i would think would cast your shadow on the peninsula. that would drive me crazy!!

Great Choice!! i think you found "the one" :)

Yeah, get the light situation taken care of now while you are still under construction. I have that similar layout but with an island instead of a peninsular and I know that for me, I need the recessed lights over the island as that is where I do most of my work. I have no pendants for the same reason as you. If I just have the recessed lights that are behind the island on, they are pretty useless as far as lighting the island area. You will find as you age and if you are still in this house, lighting becomes more important .

I totally understand about the under cabinet lighting. I rarely use mine but when we have company over it is nice to turn it on once I'm out of the kitchen just to give ambiance. Also, I think you may have some "dead" areas, looking at your 1st photos, where the recessed lighting won't light the counter up well so it might be nice to be able to have that extra lighting for that purpose.