It's really hard to tell in a photo, but this looks potentially like Danby marble. There is a lot of variation in this quarry and the "gold whisps" look reminiscent of some Danby we installed a few years ago. They have three pretty distinct color groups Best of luck

The listing identifies it as a Greek Revival and it does fit the general profile. The 1875 is a bit late for this style, but entirely possible, and Greek Revival and Italianate share some characteristics. It can be a very simple and dignified style. An Italianate circa 1885 that was torn down near me :( had nearly an identical staircase, and not a shred was salvaged. Wow, looks like really nice neighborhood, yard, nice size rooms, georgous staircase, farm style kitchen (is the Hoosier cabinet staying?) and new foundation and water and sewer, updated electric and plumbing. The bedrooms are a bit tight, but that is typical of 1 1/2 story houses. I'm in house envy. The casings in the hallway and staircase look original. I'm assuming you have storage in the knee walls of the bedrooms. as the attached pictures show, small windows in this area is a characteristic of both styles to light small bedrooms under the eaves or storage areas. Look at the framing behind the knee walls, and you should be able to tell if there was any framing for narrow horizontal windows, as long as it isn't totally obscured by insulation or plaster.. This was a very simple style house and whatever you do, you should maintain the simplicity and symmetry of the facade. I may have gussied it up too much if it is truly Greek Revival--of course it might have gotten some window dressing along the way and then lost it about the time the siding was redone, but I would try to research it first. Local newspapers can also be a good source--I estimated my rental property to date to about 1910 and was told it was 1924, and it was actually 1903, so the listing isn't the most reliable info.Talk to the sellers--they obviously put a lot into the place--and the local old-timers and the historical society and see what you can learn about it. LANDSCAPING If you do add a railing, it should be approx. equal to the bottom of the windows--an easy way to do this is to add two benches on each side so that no structure is altered. It does look like it is missing something in the porch lintel area- and-quite possibly the porch was added after it was built, or the brackets and arched trim was removed along the way... I took a look at the old street view photos and it looks like the landscaping was built up a bit--I would check to make sure that the mulch and planting isn't touching the bottom of the siding because it sits so low to the ground. The old pale blue and white paint didn't do much for it. It probably sat a bit higher when it was built--I found a flagstone path right behind my rental nearly 2 feet below current ground level! Just years of grass can build up the ground level quite a lot--4-6 inches or more in 100 years. Anyway, here are some Greek Revivals and Italianates so you can compare details, and a couple of renderings of the front porch trying different cornice patterns (which maybe can be stenciled on with some simple molding for now) and a arched or flat awning for the windows. SIMPLE LOW COST CHANGES Bare bone changes until you know what you want to do and have researched the house: Paint all doors Olive green to match front door. Paint false cornice with simple molding to finish, possibly stencil simple panels or add with lattice. Experiment with subtle color combinations. If you choose to do a lattice effect, do it all the way accross or nearly all the way and paint the background a subtley contrasting color. It would be eaiest to do in 3 or so separate pieces. Add bit of open arched trim to front porch to fill in lintel and sidessimilar to first picture--be sure to route edges. Make sure it is to scale. Perhaps could be made with scroll saw and router. Will be vulnerable, so fill with Bondo, sand, double prime and paint. Add some taller landscaping away from the house Add the simple window trim and drip ledge discussed, preferably to all windows and paint sills, possibly add bottom trim. Consider awnings--Awinings come in all kinds of patterns to pick up the white, grey, olive and a touch of burgundy or purple. If you do an awning, I would consider repeating for the side entrance., and painting all the doors to match the front entrance. Awning were popular starting about the time your house was built to the 1920s. I would mount it quite high to help even out the scale. It is difficult for me to draw a good awning and the colors aren't quite right--perhaps square top would be better. Consider adding brackets and more detailed cornice, perhaps frieze windows and such, when you learn more about house. It would be best if you could play house detective and find an old photo. Adding dormers will totally change the style of your house==consider carefully, as you can see in the refernce below, Ann Arbor is a hotbed of venacular (commonly built by people, not architects) Greek Revival architecture, and your house may be one of them. See the farmhouse on the right. REFERENCES Most of all, learn the style before doing anything too drastic, and hire an informed architect if you do. This house has real character and history that doesn't need a lot of frou-frou. Keep the old windows--they add a lot of character and can be just as efficient as new ones with proper glazing, caulking, weatherstripping and storm windows! http://www.antiquehomesmagazine.com/info.php?info_id=18 http://www.oldhousejournal.com/architectural_styles_italianate/magazine/1565 http://www.house-design-coffee.com/greek-revival-architecture-ann-arbor.html (right in your neighborhood!--not all the frieze windows in the farmhouses!) http://www.house-design-coffee.com/italianate-houses.html And go to the library to find books on architectural styles and details and research colors. Meanwhile the purple might grow on you and it makes your house easy to find. Dark colors were popular from about 1880-1905, and it is sort of an updated version that is kind of fun, and looks pretty good with a bit more detail. Authentic color would be a subdued midtone for the body and darker tones on the trim--tastes later changed to lighter tones on the trim after 1900. http://www.colorhunter.com/tag/italianate/1 (disregard most grass, sky and flowers colors) http://www.landmarkservices.com/blog/?Tag=Paint%20Colors http://www.oldhouseauthority.com/archive

I would never use slate on a countertop because it's too irregular and it can flake. You could use soapstone, but I think it would be too many different materials in one room. What about using one of the quartz slabs that looks like marble? Caesarstone 5141 is lovely--white with subtle grey veining. Put all your samples together and then try different countertop samples with them to see what blends best.

Late to the "party". Since you mentioned cost ... If you want to use -- not waste-- the original paint to paint something for the room, you might talk the guy at the paint store into adding more blue to the can and get it shaken again. Alternately, you might be able to get a sample jar of a darker blue … free or for less than a gallon of paint costs... and then you could add it to the rest of your gallon of paint yourself (being sure to stir it well). Just remember that it will be more difficult to match a color you "mix" yourself. If you've not yet discovered the "adventure" of shopping at used stuff stores, consider making a few passes through one of the larger Habitat for Humanity Restore Stores and/or Good Will and/or a Salvation Army Family Stores or any charity thrift store … and not just for leftover darker blue to add to the paint with the purple hue but for a child sized furnishings, such as wood table and chairs, or "school" desks to paint with it. You can cut some length off the legs of a too tall table and/or use a table intended as a coffee table or end table as a child's table. Most small children like bean bag chairs and, as school restarts and holiday merchandise arrives on the shelves, you may well be able to find one or more that suit you. The better ones have the foam pellets within an inner bag that is inside a fabric bag with a zipper so it can be removed to be washed as needed.