I have SW Alabaster cabinets. Will this work well with Monaco countertops? or is it too creamy?

@Lindsey SF I would recommend getting samples of Monaco and another MSI color called Valentin. You can order samples from the MSI website. Put them together with a sample of Alabaster to help make your decision. Valentin is the exact same design as Monaco, except the background is warmer and the veining has some goldish browns (vs the grey veining in Monaco.)

Jennifer Lynn - is your island color gray? I picked Calacutta Monaco quartz with a light-ish/medium gray cabinet color and now I’m worried it will all blend together. If your cabinet is gray, it still looks like there is a nice contrast.

Dumb question. How do you tag another Houzz user in a comment? I tried @ but it didn’t let me add a user.

We just had Calacatta Monaco installed and love it! but curious if anyone else has these splotches? i dont remember them on the slab we viewed. Thanks!

Sharing another image with the sample we had (no splotching) and our countertop with a lot of translucent splotching. @chelseaa did you have issues with this as well with your defective slab?

@captain obvious - I don’t know how to tag users either. The island is SW Samovar Silver - it’s a grey with a tint of blue.

Thanks Jennifer Lynn!

@sshep8 Your kitchen looks beautiful. We are building now and I was wondering how you like the Calacatta Quartz counter as well as the Bianco Orion Marble Picket backsplash. I would like to use it in my kitchen and am worried about using marble. TIA!

@Jennifer Lynn I love the photos of your kitchen! Would you mind telling me the brand and color of your floors?

@Michelle L Thank you! We are so happy with it and I would use them both again in a heartbeat. We've had no issues so far with staining on the backsplash - we did use a tile and grout sealer on it. The only thing we've found that stains the quartz is turmeric. We are very careful whenever we use that. We love to cook and are in the kitchen constantly so I'm glad we used quartz for the countertop instead of marble. I would have been too stressed out about stains and scratches. Let me know if you have any other questions! I hope all goes well in your build!!

@sshep8 Thank you for the response!! Your input really helps with our decision making :)

@Michelle - it’s Mohawk Home Rivers Edge Oak Waterproof Rigid 5mm.

@sshep8 Thank you so much for your details. I'm dead set on Maravilla Bianco Orion Picket for our new kitchen backsplash after seeing your kitchen. I also love the counters. Question: Are you cabinets white or do them have a creamy tone? They are just gorgeous!!! Our new cabinets are a bit on the creamier side, which is why we also chose the backsplash. The variations of greys w/ a bit of beige compliments our cabinets, however I'm nervous about going with a countertop that is too stark white. Thank you! Your kitchen is fabulous!!

@April Williams Thank you so much! Yes, our cabinets are definitely on the creamy-white side. I really struggled with countertop choices because of this. Like you said, I felt like many either looked too white and made my cabinets look yellow or the opposite, the quartz was too beige next to my off-white cabinets! The backsplash was the same issue. I was hesitant at first about the Bianco Picket, as I thought it would be too busy since we have it all the way up the wall, but the white grout helps calm it down a lot (not to mention all of my countertop clutter!!). We have black cabinets for our island so I feel the brown/gold and grey/black veining ties both cabinets together. Also, it can be difficult to get a marble-look quartz countertop to work with a real marble backsplash. But I really wanted that look and I am so happy with how it came out.

I was also super picky about the quartz countertop veining. I didn't want a super bold countertop that would feel dated in a few years. I probably went to MSI a dozen times and then they finally came out with Monaco and that was the one for me. I would highly recommend viewing any quartz slabs before cut and install, as they can vary significantly from the sample (white splotches, random black dots and even the overall color). Now I'm rambling...I hope this helps!!

@sshep8 Thank you for all the feedback. I really want the bianco picket and your feedback really helps! My cabinets will be a soft white and my island will be black. All with brushed gold handles and fixtures. So picking the quartz is key! Haven't picked mine yet but the Monaco looks like a great match.

@sshep8 I would love to see pics of your island also. Our contractors recent concern is the difference of looks: real carrara marble backsplash vs. manmade marble looking quartz. I took a trip on Friday to a MSI showroom, such a hard decision. What faucet did you choose and how do you like it? Thank you!! You've been so helpful!

@Liz Court your kitchen is stunning and similar to the look we are designing. The pictures of your counters look like the perfect shade of white— not too gray and not stark white. Does it look this way in person as well? We are trying to still have a white counter without having it be stark next to our white cabs.

@Jennifer Lynn I keep coming back to your kitchen (and all of the kitchens on this thread, they're all gorgeous).

I LOVE the chloe white backsplash tile, but I am hesitant to buy without seeing multiple samples (since there's a lot of color variation in the tile). I saw online when you order a sample, they only give you a single tile. How did you make a decision? Were you able to get multiple samples, or just a single one? It's just so hard to visualize with only one!

Also, how thick is your mitered edge for the island? I decided to go with Carerra marble, but I love your thickness. I'm trying to decide between 2 and 2.5" and I'll have an overhang, just like yours.

Finally, where did you get that gorgeous runner?!

THANK YOU!!!!!

LMH - I bought Cloe without seeing it in person and was so worried about the variation. No need to stress, it is beautiful and looks great with Calacutta Monaco.

Absolution stunning shower - WOW.

@LMH - we just took a leap of faith and ordered it without samples. They do (or did) sell Cloe at Lowe’s so you could always order a box and return it if you don’t like it. There were enough pictures online with similar paint on the cabinets that we just went for it. I have a really hard time visualizing so even if I had a few pieces, I wouldn’t have been able to visualize the finished product. Unless I see it in whole, my imagination is useless.

The mitered edge is 3” and then the other counters are whatever the “normal” thickness is. It’s a nerve wracking process but you’ll make it through! Keep the faith. :-)

We did a shower with Cloe too…admittedly, I like the other poster’s layout better but we didn’t have the same option with our bathroom. I think it’s a super versatile product!

Oh, and the bench and shampoo shelves and threshold are all Monaco. When you buy a lot in counter material, negotiate some extras in after you have a price of the counter / island. They buy the slab, so it’s not much for them to throw in the leftovers if they’re random small pieces.

GORGEOUS! Love these Chloe pics! I ended up just buying 6 samples because the person said the factory just picks them at random. But you guys have sold me! I ended up deciding to go with Carrara marble for my counter but I think it’ll work just as well as the quartz.

I’m SO impressed @Jennifer Lynn and @captain_obvious! These are stunning! Congratulations!

Thank you, @lynn2235! This has been a journey (we gutted our entire first floor to the studs) but happy to be in the home stretch.

Captain_obvious you should be thrilled! I’m sure that as with any home projects something probably didn’t go exactly as planned but it’s absolutely beautiful!

@jksjkc, @jade, @Kidd, @Jennifer Lynn, and all the others who were so kind to show your amazing spaces with Monaco..

How is everyone's Monaco doing now after you've lived with it awhile?

Did anyone else debate between Monaco and quartzite? If so, could you share what were deciding factors for you? Five years ago when we reno'd our kitchen I went with granite over quartzite for budget reasons and have regretted it ever since. So, on to reno #2 and Monaco is the only quartz I have liked but wondering if I'll regret picking a man made material.

Anyway, thanks to everyone for taking the time to post..so helpful!

Stacey - We are still loving our monaco quartz! We did quartzite in our master bath and it doesn’t seem to be holding up as well as the quartz.. but both are beautiful!

Thank you so much for letting me know and I’m glad to hear that you’re still loving it. Is there a specific way that you think the quartzite counters are not holding up as well..like scratches, stains, etc. BTW..I love your kitchen..so pretty with the wood accents, white with the Monaco and the black hardware.. Gorgeous! I know you mentioned your cabinet paint but what is your wall color? Thanks again!

@staceycarringto The quartzite has gotten a bit grainy feeling where water splashes out around the bathroom sinks. We don't have the same problem with the quartz around the kitchen sink and we definitely get more water on that countertop, so I suspect it's the material, but who knows!

The walls are Sherwin Williams "pure white." The painter tried to convince us to try something with more color but we loved how the simple white walls look with the white cabinets and wood accents.

Good luck with your selections! Whatever you end up choosing will look beautiful, I am sure!

Thank you so much for sharing. Seeing your gorgeous kitchen and all the others on this thread has really helped. Did you do a mitered or thicker edge anywhere in your kitchen? We're using our existing island and i would like to do a mitered edge just on the island..so just checking on others experiences with the Monaco having the mitered edge. Thank you again!

We just did standard slabs with a pencil edge, but hopefully someone else here did a mitered edge and can weigh-in!

@Jennifer Lynn and @captain_obvious I'm not over your Chloe tile pics! Love it! I'm nearing the point where I need to order it along with grout for my kitchen renovation. It will be paired with honed Carrara marble countertops.

I'm wondering, what color/type of grout did you use for your Chloe? Thank you in advance!

@Stacey - we did a mitered edge. Just make sure your fabricator has done them - if not, you can get ugly edges. We love ours with the miter.

@LMH we went with Mapei white - it’s the brightest white they have and a thinner grout line (tiles were set closer). The tile has obvious color variation, but also shape. Like they’re all the same rectangle, but you can see some have edges that are ever so slightly raised. Almost like handmade Cle.

Better angle.

I used Mapei grout in the color Frost. If I could do over, I would pick white. Frost looked better with my floor tile. I also have Cle zellige in weathered white in my kitchen and used Frost there and love it. With Cloe, Frost reads dark even though some of the tiles have a lot of gray in them.

A closer pic.

@sshep8 can you share the colour of your cabinets?

Hi

i know this is an old thread but i need help! the fabricator said monaco was too grat fpr pure white cabinets and i need a more white background. He said monoco wouod only go with gray, black or creamy white cabinets. i love the look of Monaco tjough!! thoughts? thx!

WMS22 - Monaco will look gray next to a pure white because of the base color but it might work. If MSI has a showroom in your area, you can take your cabinet door in and compare it against a full size slab.

I have Calacutta Laza in my kitchen. The veining is more prominent compared to Monaco, but the base color is a brighter white so that might be an option for you to compare against.

WMS - Further up in this thread, this poster used Monaco with a pure white and it looks beautiful. It does look grayer compared to the white, but still absolutely beautiful!

We have Chantilly Lace cabinets and the Monaco looks great with them. Also, a fabricator isn’t a designer….

Also, we had to have our lower cabinets repainted due to the painter’s incompetence the first time (you’ll notice that in the second pic) but still, a bright white cabinet goes great with Monaco. They don’t pull grey out of our slabs at all.

@HU-688552627 your kitchen looks lovely! Would you mind sharing details on your runner? Thank you!

@HU-688552627–
I am also thinking of going with the Calcatta Monaco for my countertops and chantilly lace for my cabinets, and doing the island in Hale Navy. My issue is with my walls. I wanted to go with Balboa mist, but my sample of Monaco looks a hue, dare I say pink? Maybe it’s just my sample but now I am questioning myself……

Captain_obvious - what did you use for your bathroom floors with the Calacatta Monaco? Such a pretty bathroom!

@captain_obvious what did you use for floor tile in your bathroom with the Calacatta Monaco? Just perfect!