I think those all look beautiful! I wouldn’t hesitate to have rustic contrast with something more refined. I think that keeps things interesting. Good luck!

It really depends . On the whole ....not just parts. Personally I like dark w the oak just as much as the light effect... and pulling in pewter cup pulls rustic handles etc can be a detail that makes a big difference. Other things like replacing a couple uppers w glass doors / stainless appliance package etc all have a role. I happen to like the stone look laminates and probably look into that before the marble effect. I don’t think a particular laminate is the end of your decisions... within your budget see what other things you can do . In the pics above you note flooring , lighting , molding , furniture grade finishes , etc ... these various details create the ”whole” and there is s lot that goes into it. How bad is the mauve : so you could maybe wait , save, and plan for more things .

Thanks, herbflavor, yes, the cabinets are builder grade and no where near as beautiful as those pictures. We have taken down some of the uppers to lighten it up. Appliances will be all stainless, floors will probably be taken down to the original wood (1875 pine planks). The mauve is actually not THAT bad but we are expanding the counters to incorporate a breakfast bar, so needs to be done sooner than later. It is not so much the money savings on laminate but that our area does not support much more than that. I have never seen quartz done here, a few homes have granite.

Could go lower end and try peel and stick marble wallpaper on the mauve countertops.

11.8" x78.7"Marble Paper Granite Gray/White Roll Kitchen countertop Cabinet Furniture is renovated Thick Wallpaper PVC (11.8"x78.7") Easy to Remove Upgrade https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0777NMVC3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_O41jFbAR4JPFC

I have oak cabinets and laminate counters. When I picked the laminate 12 years ago I ended up with a Wilsonart faux granite because that was what was available in their HD (more durable) finish. My appliances were black, so a darker granite look (sort of a Verde Butterfly pattern) went best with both appliances and cabinets.

At the time I also looked at marble-look laminate and lighter granite-looks, but they all had a lot of gray in them and I felt that made the oak look oranger by contrast. HOWEVER, since you have stainless appliances, you have a gray element that could make the marble-look work. I think it definitely worth considering if you like a lighter look.

Way back when, I was able to order large laminate samples from the manufacturers. They were about 8”x10”, I think. That helped a lot to get the effect of how the counters would look with my cabinets. You should check out that option.

Oh yes, SapphireStitch, I think you've hit the nail on the head! It is the cool gray of the marble that doesn't sit well with the warm brown of the wood. I can't figure out if that is acceptable now like echviola above states that it is the rustic with the refined, or like you said with the plethora of stainless appliances, or if it will look like a bad design choice 10 years from now. I have ordered some laminate samples and have focused on ones described as "warm" marble. I do love the darker granites and especially slate with oak, but DH wants light. Picking my battles...

Those inspiration photos are lovely, characterful oak wood, but I am getting the impression that your cabinets are the typical builder grade, ubiquitous honey oak. Am I right? And, what type of doors do you have? Flat, arched, shaker etc.?

Frankly, with that type of cabinet, rather than the wannabe look of marble laminate, I would choose a solid color or something with a little texture to it.

Formica Carrara Bianco May be a little warmer than what you’re looking at.

Take a look. For what it’s worth, I prefer the laminate faux stones to quartz faux stone.

Can we see your kitchen there is no way to anser this question with no context. IMo pine floor and oak cabinets are already quite a mix so I need to see the space

Wilsonart Calcuttu Oro from Lowes looks warm. On the Wilsonart website it doesn't look as warm so might be a special run for Lowes.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Wilsonart-60-in-x-96-in-Calacatta-Oro-Fine-Velvet-Texture-Laminate-Kitchen-Countertop-Sheet/50438658?cm_mmc=shp--c--prd--kab--google--pla--233--soscountertopproductandaccess--50438658-_-0&placeholder=null&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6575BRCQARIsAMp-ksMMJmUVFYRddyUOPmWbbuj8tTVvJRUJT_MJcJiwFL-4ime6npei7PwaAtGLEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I have Briwaxed the cabinets to darken and de-orange them and added black knobs and cup pulls. I am really warming up to them and excited about not another white kitchen.

Here is move-in day (cabinets have not been Briwaxed and uppers to the right of the window are now down:

Has anyone used solid white laminate counters? I am afraid they will look a little "plastic-ky" and flat when done. I'm with those who prefer stone-look laminate to marble but worry that it will drag the oak back to the 90's and not forward.

Here is my more realistic aspirational photo credited to Marianne at InBetweenChaos:

Since the space is fairly wide open ... what are your plans for appliances and floor? Keeping the white but eventual stainless? cannot tell what the floor is... will it change in a yr or two? These are factors and not minor. I’d be thinking. Good work on editing by removing the cab and the choice you made to briWax the wood . You are off to a great start.

That wood grain has a lot of movement. Do you want a counter with a lot of pattern too?

IMO fix the lighting before deciding any counter and BTW to do the laminate in that edge finishe to mimic marble is very expensive and I am not sure those cabinets are worth the money I would spend the money on the redo of the floors and go back to a painted kitchen to really high light the floors after they are done.I would suggest a really pale green for the cabinets it would make the floors stand out and make choosing the counter easier too.

How about something like these?

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/saeljan-countertop-white-stone-effect-laminate-10276611/

https://www.formica.com/en-us/products/lamtrade/05281

https://www.homedepot.com/p/FORMICA-5-ft-x-12-ft-Laminate-Sheet-in-Dogbone-White-with-Matte-Finish-052811258512000/306249617

White would be nice. Here's a similar wood to yours with white from Wilsonart.

And a dark one too:

Julieste, thank you for the suggestions. White Dogbone has me intrigued, I never would have considered it. Yes, lots of movement in the oak so not looking to add more.

Dyan, start a post for your backsplash dilemma. You will get a ton of help. It’s by far the most common problem and there are several pros who will jump in with ideas.
Ali, your kitchen is small enough to buy remnant pieces of granite or prefab pieces of white stone. Before you assume the higher end products are out of reach, research stone yards and places that sell pre-fab slabs. You want white, which is the easiest to find. It will upgrade the look of your kitchen without as much expense as you think. All stone yards sell remnants and your countertop runs are small.
If that idea is out of the question, then go super simple and just get white countertops. That allows you to consider a more interesting tile for the backsplash and make THAT feature the star of the room. Hardware choice is last in your case.

Most stone places will give you a free new sink as well (at least my guys do) if a 30” stainless is part of the plan. You said your new appliances will be s/s, right?

Dyan, your daughter's kitchen looks great! Believe it or not, almost a year on and the counters have only just been ordered. But we chose Wilsonart White Carrara, very similar to yours. I'm glad to see a glimpse of how they will turn out! We are not doing a backsplash as I prefer a cleaner look when there is a 4" integrated countertop splash. In other homes, I have just done a semigloss paint in the same color as the rest of the kitchen to easily wipe away any thing that gets above.

That is a good point Ali. Maybe they don’t even need one. She was looking at a subway tile but they need to recover from the expensive of renovating this home. It’s been a lot! Your countertops will be gorgeous and I look forward to the after photos!

Ali, Did you ever post pictures of your white Carrara counters? I’m having such a hard time finding pictures of oak cabs with either white Carrara or the calacatta cava laminate. Would love to see the finished project in a “real” home.

Maggie, we have moved from that house already but here are a few shots I could find. We used Wilsonart White Carrara. We were really happy with it. And we had offers the first day of showing so I guess we did good! :)

Thank you!