That stone is what my husband's client chose for his kitchen about 10 years ago...because it was one of the most expensive stones he came across. It's beautiful and unique...and not all of your neighbors will have it. Embrace it and work around it!

Yes, that is Green Marinace, a conglomerate, not a granite. Last year I ripped out 3 slabs of it when I remodeled my kitchen. Some can have a lot of pink in them. It just sucked the light out of my kitchen and I was very happy to see it go after living with it for 8 years. The previous owners had put it in 20 years ago, so it has been around and not that popular right now.

I went with Taj Mahal quartzite for the new kitchen and even though the new kitchen has slightly darker cabinets than before, the lighter TM counters make a huge difference in the way the space feels lighter and brighter.

If you don't love it, let it go! If you have the budget for it, life is too short to live with the expensive choices someone else made ...

Exactly what cpartist said!!!!

start by replacing the kitchen floor.

"Remember Corian?" Yes, I do...and I still have it in my kitchen! It's still a great product. I prefer Corian in Glacier White - it's the "great white blouse" of countertops. It's bullet proof, goes with color changes of walls etc, and is so easy to clean. I would have nothing else no matter the cost.

I'd keep the cabinets and the countertop.

I honestly don't know why anyone would rip out a natural stone countertop and replace it with 'man made' quartz!

If you can replace the backsplash without damaging the countertops, I'd go with a stainless steel backsplash (many gorgeous ones out there), replace the cabinet hardware with stainless steel pulls and handles, and change out the flooring with off white porcelain tile! :)

"No quartz! No more fake products. Please. Remember Corian???"

Yes. I remember that there are nearly no posters complaining about the quality of their Corian seams, silicone bleeding through their edges and cutouts, chipping, and staining.

Glacier White Corian celebrated its 50th birthday recently for a reason. Like subway tile, it's a classic that never goes out of style.

I would want to get rid of the counters, backsplash and floors. The cabinets are great. Wouldn't be my first choice but I could live with them easily.

I like the the stone, back splash and cabinet style. the stone is unique. I do not like the cabinet color or the floors. It is too red for my taste. But, in the end, you are the one living with your stone and your kitchen. I think your kitchen could look great with that stone and the right color choices around it. If the stone is not great to you and you can’t see its potential, you should get rid of it. There is no point in spending all that money on a kitchen remodel only to kind-of like it. If you are going to live with it for years, you should Love it!

I would keep the countertop ..! It's beautiful ...!

I would definitely keep it for two reasons; 1) I love green and 2) I'm not afraid to go against the grain and do not follow trends if I can help it. :)

The backsplash looks like it clashes. Maybe IRL it's not so bad? But that's what I would want to change.

An idea for that stone: I love the colors in this kitchen. If I had your kitchen, I'd paint the upper cabinets a similar color as these pictured (a light grey) and I would re-stain your lower cabinets a similar wood color, to add warmth without being really dark. I'd also add gold pulls and knobs to the cabinets, and replace your kitchen floor tile with lighter tile/grout, or replace with wood look tile, or wood, but just keep it light. The green color of this Island would be represented in your kitchen with the stone. It could be really pretty. I would keep a neutral backsplash because your stone is pretty but busy.

Agree with many others.

I'd design around them. Way too cool, this stone is. Cabinets are too, wouldn't paint the cabinets. Especially if the counters stay.

Flooring would be the first to reconsider.

After deciding on flooring I'd look into changing backsplash..I'd want something more reflective, with more green to it

Having said that-stones are very personal. If in doubt- leave by all means. If you hate it with all your might...that's a tad different story.

Countertop is gorgeous! Replace backsplash and floors with hardwoods.

Green is my favorite color, so of course I’d keep them. It would be like a treasure hunt every day looking for things I hadn’t noticed before in all of those inclusions. It’s like having a mossy stream flowing through the house. You can’t get a stronger inside outside connection to nature than that!

Id start by replacing the floors, and unitizing them through the house. That’s much easier to do before you move in. Then relax and live with it for a while to see if the splash grows on you or not. That’s a smaller job and doesn’t require so much disruption.

Regardless of what others say, you have to love the kitchen. What do you like or dislike about the counters, backsplash, cabinet color, and floor now? Don't keep something just because it is expensive. You can have these counters removed carefully so they can be reused by someone else via donation or craigslist.

Also, what is. your budget? These look like really nice cabinets that merit a very good paint job, which can be quite expensive. If budget is not an issue, then go for it. A good paint job can rival the cost of new cabinets sometimes.

Personally, I think this kitchen with a new light wood floor is perfection. I love that it isn't cookie cutter and trendy. I think the counter and backsplash are gorgeous. But is your home and you have to love it. The only upside of discovering we needed massive foundation work was it gave me an opportunity to redo the only 5 year old kitchen in our newly purchased home. It seemed really wasteful, but we donated every single piece of the kitchen. A met an awesome Haitian immigrant on craigslist who reused all of our cabinets and was even grateful for our very old appliances.

I would definitely replace this countertop. The stone is beautiful to look at on a slab but is too busy for a work space in a kitchen where I believe one needs a peaceful background for cooking and enhancing your culinary creations on plates. This stone will rule the room. So unless you LOVE it....get rid if it.

No quartz! No more fake products. Please. Remember Corian???

um, real stone goes out of style too. certain types of granite that so many people want to rip out now. or imagine a beautiful marble counter that has sink and edge cutouts that are outdated. really, there is no "stands the test of time" that everyone can agree on. I say let people do what they like unless they're designing to sell.

on the flip side, I've seen white corian that's super gorgeous. and quartz that's so convincing, I'd never know it's manufactured. if certain styles of manufactured counters are eventually deemed outdated, at least it didn't break the bank. and really, I'm not loving the type of mining that has to happen in order to get a giant seamless slab.

I love the counter tops and cabinets! The counter tops remind me of slabs you see on top of antique furniture. Please for the love don't replace it with a light/white *insert product here*. That's just the current trend and it'll be on it's way out eventually too.

Replacing the floors would do wonders

So there you have it - tons of suggestions conflicting and agreeing... ultimately it is up to you to choose. Half of us will tell you we love the top and half will say get rid of it... I think the question is what do you like or dislike about your kitchen? We don't live there - we can suggest and educate but at the end of the day it is your decision...

But please do not change this space because of trends or what you see in magazines - change it for yourself and your time there.

Best of luck!

Thank you everyone, this advice is so great. A resounding "change the floors" is definitely a takeaway here. May live with the kitchen for a while and then see what actually bothers me about it vs. what doesn't match my pinterest boards. Much appreciated! This community is amazing!

Shauna, maybe I missed it but how do YOU feel about the countertop? And, if it was all the rage, would you love it or leave it?

Ok Shauna, you have tons of advice. But do you like the granite? Do you like the cabinetry? Is this a new home you have just moved into?
Inquiring minds want to know...it is time for you to give us some more input

I would definitely NOT keep those countertops. Of course, it's subjective, but that type of stone (if it is real stone) is what I call "luncheon meat" stone. Not attractive. The color is fine, and great with the cabinets as they are complimentary colors. But that particular stone is not something to design around. Even a black leather finish absolute granite would look good.

As I mentioned in my post further up, I had this exact stone and decided to get rid of it. It was just too dark/somber for the space and I have a huge skylight and live in sunny CA. I have never liked very dark counters.

I hated that you could not see the dirt on it. With kids and a DH that doesn't always wipe the counters, I hated to put something down, only to find out that it was now covered in crumbs or sticky stuff.

The pinky/salmon tones in the stone are a color that I don't decorate with. I also ended up gutting the kitchen because the cabinets were not of great quality and the fridge was jammed in a corner.

To Shauna
After those last two posts I am sure you may be regretting asking for advice
I would hope as professionals they could tone down the negativity. I would not like working with that
Shauna you do what you want and I’m sure it will be what you want. If you want to stop this I surely understand

I happen to LOVE green, so I would keep them. The cabinets too. To my eye, the flies in your ointment are your floor and to a lesser extent, the backsplash. Luckily it should be cheaper to change either or both of those than the counter or cabinets!

the green countertop looks HORRIBLE!. a black with brown or cherry & tan swirls/marble would look GREAT!

plus a lighter floor would look great. match the floor with the backsplash.

Based on all of this feedback, we are definitely redoing the floors (still deciding between light or dark, thought a dark wood might also be beautiful!) and replacing the countertops. I don't love them and agree that even though they are expensive/special, they are not my taste. There is still a small part of me that would love to lean into a "moody" kitchen and put in black backsplash (see inspiration below), but I think it would still bother me. I'm hoping to decide what we'll do by next week but it looks like we are leaning towards replacing it. In fact, it may be cheaper to replace the countertop than paint the cabinets!

Image: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9e/07/39/9e07392cf25d96c1aadc6eb20b1b66a7.jpg

Shauna, before you replace the countertops, I would first just replace the floor and then reevaluate. If you still dislike the counters, of course then you absolutely should replace them but in this case while I normally thing one should coordinate everything, since you're still not 100% sure about the backsplash even, I'd wait till the new floors are in so you can come up with a counter that you'll truly love.

Are the cabinets cherry?

@cpartist they seem to be cherry. I don't actually know! I'm so new to this. All I know is I can't stand the red accent of the wood, unfortunately...

But they are beautifully made! The house was renovated in 2009.

Just because it's expensive does not mean it meets your eye 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'(as evidenced by the responses).

I'd replace the countertop and try to salvage it for use in one of the bathrooms or give it to someone who really loves it.

Ugh, as much as I love the look of that counter, chispa killed it for me. No countertop that camouflages crumbs and spills. Yuk.

LOL, when I buy a new kitchen counter, I actually want a slight pattern to hide a little bit of stuff. not trying to mask absolute filth, but I also don't want the counters to look messy every time somebody fixes a pot of coffee or makes toast. I consider it a marriage saver. but we don't have kids so it's kind of a different situation.

Whatever you do, don’t be in a rush. Spend some time(months/years) to really get a feel for what you like/want, before you do anything. Planning is key. You’ll save yourself from wasting money/time, and stress. Good Luck!!!

I think the stone could be cool, but I'm also not a fan of the red in the cabinets. As an option for leaning in to the dark and moody kitchen, what about painting the cabinets a dark charcoal and keeping the green stone? Then a classic medium brown hardwood floor, and a light backsplash.

You do not know the power of the dark side

Mandy is right. it's not fun, but waiting will do you a ton of good. when I moved into my house, I wanted the kitchen reno to happen asap. now that we've been living with it for 2 years, we've come up with SO many different / better ideas for what we want done to it.

my friends were 100% correct when they said we'd get used to things we thought we'd hate, and might wind up hating things we thought we'd love.

Can you relocate the counters to a laundry room, outside, garage etc....even if they aren't your taste for your kitchen, they are great and could be a fit for another area.

Just a thought - since you really don't like the red of the cabinets And you are going to change the countertop And you are going to change the backsplash And you are going to change the floor... why not find out how much more it is to paint or redo the cabinets and then wait until you have your budget and do it all in one shot since you are basically changing almost all of it already.

Take the time to live in there for one year and save save save, then do the kitchen the way you want.

@lucky998877 the laundry room is in the kitchen lollll

I strongly echo everyone suggesting you live with everything including the floors. I’m a retired kitchen designer and I’ve had clients come to me 2-3 years after doing this and realizing the cabinets and / or layout isn’t working for them. The changes will complicate a remodel immeasurably. I’d wait a year before doing anything.

The countertops look nice, but what are they? Is it granite? Looks matters, but are you happy with their resistance, durability, and care requirements? If you decide to keep it, I would go for a cooler palette and paint cabinets white to let the countertop really pop. If you want to keep the cabinets, then I would replace the countertops and go with something lighter to let the cabinets take the central stage. Like this, it seems to me that cabinets and countertop are competing with each other. Also, I don't feel that the flooring works with the current setting.

It’s so important to evaluate the layout of your kitchen over some time before jumping into anything. I was eager to change flooring, add a backsplash, etc in the kitchen when we first moved in. I spent $900 on having the island professionally painted for example, only to find the layout was very undesirable, so we did a major remodel after about a year of living there. Good luck!

Since you already said you don’t like the countertop, then you should start another thread asking for ideas that discard the countertop and keep the elements you want. However, living there for more than a year will help organize your thoughts on keeping or painting the cabinet color, keeping or changing the layout (a completely different question) and what countertop/backsplash/floor combination.
I love green so I would have kept it. When you take it out, find out if someone wants to buy it and reuse it. It’s worth money you can put towards your changes.

I think with grover's sexy dark green backsplash and the right floor, you might find out you can get your moody kitchen with the counters you have.

Did I miss what flooring is in the adjacent spaces? What is the trim color? You will need to take that into consideration when you choose the flooring. If you are just moving in, definitely be sure you like the layout first. Then explore ALL your options for each element... It's truly overwhelming.

Another easy fix is lighting - choose bulbs in 3500-4000K for a cleaner white that might complement your current setup better.