That first stone looks like Fantasy Brown?

Some quartzes are less than some granites. I found this true for house-brand quartz options as opposed to name brand quartzes. There are quartzite options with soft veining and patterning (not a ton, but they exist). But the quietest patterns are in marble and quartz most of the time. Or Onyx if you want to get spendy.

Personally, I loved the depth of the natural materials and some quartzes felt like I was looking at a picture of marble printed on a slab. Except for one ... Borghini Divino. https://www.emerstone.com/product/borghini-divino/ But they only had one slab and I needed two, and it was VERY white.

I think quartz is probably better for resale because the slabs are more universally appealing (less likely that a new buyer will hate it). I went with quartzite because I liked it more.

I am a fabricator. My suggestion to my customers is always to search for the look you want and then assess the suitability of the materials mechanical properties for your intended use. A good fabricator can give you an objective list of the difference in material properties for various materials. I do not recommend quartz for a cooking area as it is too easily damaged (in a way that's typically not repairable) by heat. I have never been asked put quartz into a commercial kitchen although it is often used for food bar areas where potential heat damage is less.

I like the combination you chose. its Hard to beat natural stone for look and feel. I am so not a quartz person.

I have to disagree about the quartz.

http://www.rumfordstone.com/faq/quartz-myths/

I do agree that you should decide what you would like the final product to look like, then find the countertop that matches your idea.

"my brother-in-law in California who is a kitchen contractor says 90% of his clients are picking quartz now for the way they look."

Me, that would be the reason I would NOT go with quartz LOL. Everyone right now is using it. I agree with the above poster who said granite has been here for decades, which is usually a sign it is not a fad. But also, the stone you picked for your island is gorgeous. The perimeter black stone you show will be very carefree - do not seal that black one, it is too dense for sealant.

I also want to mention that the rule of thumb for design in a kitchen is 1 countertop with 2 cabinet colors, or 2 countertops with 1 cabinet color (if you want that kind of variety). The reason for that is that is it is much more difficult to pull off 4 different colors. Usually only a large kitchen can pull that off without looking like there is too much going on. Remember you will have to coordinate floor and backsplash with those colors - whether they be 2 different colors, 3 different colors, or 4 different colors. Although I am not a fan of quartz, its big advantage is that you can get quartz with no pattern or a quiet regular pattern which makes it easier to match the other elements in the kitchen.

We went with quartzite. All the quartz look so fake to me. Someone said the veining looks like spider veins on them and I completely agree. Our quartzite is called Mystery Gold and it's been a workhorse. We cook almost all meals and I have 3 kids.

I love the look of Fantasy Brown, but I believe it is actually a marble, not granite. Look for posts by Karin MT about the durability and properties of various stones. Our White Macaubus quartzite is also a workhorse.

Between my sisters and I we have granite, quartz, marble and solid surface. There are pros and cons to all of the surfaces and there is no perfect answer. In our collective experience the only no go would be marble. The marble surface is visibly scatched even though care was taken not to mar the surface and has a few stains even though care was taken to seal twice a year and wipe up stains immediately.

Of the other 3 surfaces the only one that has had any issues and needed repair was the granite that developed a crack in the surface about 2 years after it was installed and had a corner that chipped several years after installation.

The granite needs sealed twice a year, the quartz has had no special care and is not handled with kid gloves with normal use. Electric frying pans, slow cookers, and even cookie sheets coming directly from the oven are placed on the top without any protection. Most pots and pans stay on the glass top stove and meals coming from the oven are set on the glass top stove, so I can't speak to heat resistance at above cookie sheet temps. Does not require a cutting board.

Solid surface takes no special care, but hot pots, pans etc are not placed directly on the surface and a cutting board is used for knife work.

For the love of your knives, a wood surface is the best surface to preserve the cutting edge of your knives,

If you bake a lot of buttery pastry doughs, marble is queen, followed closely by quartz and then granite as all provide a cooler surface tempurature.

After 10-20 years of use all of the counters are still in what would be percieved as "new" condition by anyone not inspecting the countertop for flaws. All of us know of flaws in our own countertop that we know are there, but unless we point them out no one else would ever see them.

Pick what you love, be aware of the limitations of the product you select and make sure they are limitations you can live with. If you can't remember to place something under a hot pot, get granite or marble, if you won't reseal religiously twice a year get solid surface or quartz. If you can't remember to use a cutting board get granite or quartz. If you have bright sunlight coming through windows you also have to think of UV resistance. (Even some quartz is died and fades under UV light - so you have to ask specifically about the slab you have chosen).

There are also other stone materials (Quartzite, soapstone, limestone, slate)

other natrual materials (Bamboo, butcher block)

other man made materials (Concrete, recycled glass, paper composit, laminate).

and metals (Stainless steel or copper)

This is a balancing act - what bests fits your aestetic, your price range, your lifestyle.

“if you won't reseal religiously twice a year get solid surface or quartz“

Some misinformation and mis-assumption in that. There are a number of granites that need no sealing whatsoever—none, zero. For example, the black granite pictured by the OP, and others that aren’t black. There are also many granites that need sealing just once a year. The granites that need sealing more than once a year are in the minority, though there are some. I’d just avoid those, since there are so many to choose from that don’t need sealing more than once a year, or at all. Also, it’s not like sealing a counter is difficult. You can buy the sealant at Home Depot (buy the smallest bottle sold). You wipe on a very thin layer, wipe off excess, done. Should take 3 minutes. If your granite needs sealing once a year, and you can’t remember to do it, put a reminder in your phone.

To me, the choice between quartz and granite is about aesthetics, appearance, and nothing else.

We chose granite, Everest white on the island & Silver Pearl, you can see the results on my page, under idea books, New build- Gabe. I had chosen a quartz for the perm wall run, but hubby decided he did not like the "man made materials and so we went back & choose the Silver Pearl granite.

You say you have teens using this kitchen. Then go with Corian, preferably Glacier White Corian. Do NOT use a dark Corian! It scratches white and you'll hate it!!!

I have had Glacier White Corian in my kitchen now for 34 years. I reused my countertops when I remodeled 3 years ago. I have had teens in this kitchen. I have had grandchildren. I have had cats who ate on the countertop as the dogs would get their food on the floor. I had a very messy husband until he died nearly 14 years ago (no, I didn't kill him for his messiness - prostate cancer did). And my countertops look as good today as the day they were installed. No seams. I also used an integrated huge single sink - SO easy to keep clean. I've had it for 15 years (yes, installed all those years AFTER the countertops - only possible with Corian).

People will tell you that "no one uses Corian anymore". That it's "low end". That it is "plasticky". Well, in it used extensively in the UK and Europe. And used there in only VERY high-end houses. Plasticky? Get a matte finish, not shiny. Quartz is far more "plasticky", popular as it is.

Kids made Indian food and got turmeric all over the countertops and left it over night? A quick go with a ScotchBrite pad and some Dawn liquid and you're good as new. This stuff is bullet-proof. Someone dropped your heavy Le Creuset dutch oven on the edge and chipped it? It can be repaired so you cannot even find where it happened.

Yes, I AM a "fan-boy" for this product, but that's based on my use for 34 years, and my DD"s for about 13 years. She has a SAHH and two boys. It has survived both and looks fabulous.

I can't stand quartz. To me it is like cultured marble(plastic). It's something that is trying to mimic something else and it looks fake. The veins never look natural.

As far as sealing granite. We sealed our granite in our previous house twice and never again after that and it was a granite that needed sealing. We lived in that house 14 years and cooked a lot. When we sold the house the granite looked as good as the day it went in. We have brushed steel gray granite now. I think the fabricator sealed it but we don't plan on sealing it again.

It basically comes down to preference. I like your two choices. They look beautiful and natural.

As Anglophilia has, I can attest to the wonderful durability of Corian. My current kitchen has 30+ year old Corian and the kitchen being remodeled in the new house had Corian of about the same age and it looked great. With the remodel, however, I will most likely not go with Corian because I'm simply tired of it. Am leaning towards quartz or granite.

Jennifer Hogan's post above has a wonderful comparison based on actual experience. Regarding baking buttery dough, Julia Child, on her original show on PBS, mentioned she had a piece of marble cut to fit her fridge. She placed it there to cool and then used it as a pastry board for rolling out dough. This was back in the day when pretty much the only choice was Formica or some other brand of laminate for a counter top.

Also, get what you like and don't worry about when it will become dated. Don't fool yourself - whatever you pick WILL look dated in 20 years and maybe sooner. However, what comes around goes around. Even boomerang Formica has come back in style.

Congratulations on your pretty stone choices Amy DaSilva! I would caution you not to choose your backsplash until everything else is installed. Things look so different once installed, and you have a lot of different looks to make cohesive. People often live without backsplashes for a few weeks because everything does look so different when installed and together. They find that the tiles they thought would be perfect do not look right with the kitchen.

i seconded Shannon's comment on waiting..

lovely kitchen! like your cabinet colour options..

agree with shannon, wait till all is installed!! beautiful choices and the FB is gorgeous and the STAR!!

b/s for me would be 'quiet', the first 2 that u have next to your counters would be a no-go for me...

b/s should be complimentary to the FB, not overwhelm it

ITA about waiting til the counters are in ... and yet ... the first one that looks like woven wheat looks like it would be really lovely above the honed black granite. It seems like it would be a nod back to the island with the Fantasy Brown. And with a matching grout, it would be more of a texture than a pattern.

But definitely wait ... especially to see how it all looks with your lighting (will your undercabinet lights be installed before the granite? That will help you choose tile, too).

We still have Uba Tuba granite countertops that are 25 years old. They are shiny & look new all these years later...NEVER sealed once after install.

Hi Rachel -- your quartzite counter is so pretty (Mystery Gold). What brand is it?