I tend to lean towards the lighter warm colors but WOW, that Fusion Beth posted is stunning. :)

Honestly, if you are a stone lover ( as I am) all the suggestions are gorgeous. I think though that I think the dark plainer ones ( the jet mist, the silestone equivalent) have the most adaptability and longevity.I love the cosmos but I am not really sure that is'a go with your floors. So for simplicity, I would go with some of the black ones.

I did a visualization online and this is how it would look with the Giallo Verona

We have maple cabinets and, like yours, our kitchen is in the interior of the house (with views of windows, but no windows in the kitchen). We went light on the countertops (Hanstone Specchio White), so as to not replicate the cave feeling it had before (with dark counters). It made such a BIG difference in the space when swapping dark for light counters!! (Our maple cabinetry remained.)

I'm not saying you should choose the exact counter material we did (though we love it!), but merely pointing out that for an interior room, it could be wiser to swing light rather than dark for the counters.

Definitely avoid counters that have anything that could be construed as pinky orange -- it will color clash with the natural yellowing of the maple.

It really depends on the look you’re going for

Beth H--again, so helpful! Thanks for all of the photos. The fusion is gorgeous, and the cosmos. They don't have either stone, but sent me a photo of one called Viscon Black (seems to be more called Viscon White on google search). It has the gray tones of the floor with the black breaking it up to make it not so dark. What do you think?

Bianco Laura was the whitest of the lighter colors we looked at. Here is a sample with the door above our current bluestone porch floor, a little darker gray than the porcelain tile. Not as dramatic, but I feel like it would keep the space brighter.

The slab:

tedbixby -- that's a great suggestion. Not sure if the builder or the stone yard will go for it, but I'll ask. It would definitely help me to see cabinets on the floor in the space & bring in some counter samples.

territheresa -- I really like the counter color. I wanted to go with a green all along, but can't find the one I like in granite. Yours are pretty! Thanks for posting.

salonva -- I'm still afraid the all black will make it feel too dark, as pittsburrito said, guess I'm afraid of buyer's remorse. What do you think of the viscon black?

claire larece -- thanks for doing the rendering!

pittsburrito -- thanks for sharing your experience. The "cave" look is what I'm worried about. Do you have undercabinet lights? Hoping that will brighten ours.

((sorry for the multiple posts, photos take forever & sometimes don't load on our rural broadband))

Do you have a kitchen plan and measurements?

Your kitchen finishes need more contrast to make the room more interesting. Light gray floor with light maple cabinets and a light gray granite counter is just blah, blah, blah.

Soap Stone of the leathered slate gray granite shown above would be a much more interesting combination.

I didn't read all the comments above, but is there something in your home design that makes sense to use a somewhat traditional raised panel door on your cabinets? The end result is a kitchen that is very traditional and 'busy' visually.

To me the that even though the Bianco Laura has the elements you are trying to achieve, I don't think that in this particular combination of them works as well with your cabinets as the other ones that Beth suggested. Probably because the others have the coloring of your cabinets included and pulls the two together or they offer more contrast to give visual interest.

How did you arrive at your flooring choice? Is it set in stone, so to speak?

BeverlyFLADeziner -- sorry, the cabinets will be shaker doors and slab drawers. The only sample the kitchen store had in my color was the raised panel. Should've mentioned that. I do agree on the blah aspect of the bianco laura, what do you think of the viscon black? That one appeals to me.

tedbixby -- same question, what about the viscon--enough contrast in that one?

Sammy -- we're on a farm, first looked at slate, then slate-look, then decided that was too dark...Saw this one at the tile store & liked it. It's porcelain, rectified and has a high wear & slip-resistance rating. It'll also be in the laundry room where the dogs (and us) come in from outside. I'm sure there are other colors we could go with....have to finalize choice by next week, so not set in stone yet.

the Viscount White (the correct name) is a lower end granite. it's ok, but if you have the option to spend a bit more, I would. It's better suited for white cabs

But I can see it working w/your maple cabs if you have the gray flooring. I think between it and the other one you chose, I like this Viscount better.

The bianco one you're posting is Actually River White Granite. (Or Ice White) it tends to lean a little on the cool side, so not sure of it w/your yellow toned cabs

Here it is w/oak cabs, but these aren't quite as yellow as your maple.

This type of granite would look nice w/your cabs (better than it does w/the white)

I stand by my other choices. ask them if they can order any of them for you. Or, can't you go to another stone yard? or home depot?

I like the Silestone Charcoal too. With a white farmhouse sink and a nice white tile splash, it would be really pretty.

Taj Majal quartzite would prob be my first pick for you. it's warm, but also has the gray tones in it for your flooring.

are you located in the boonies or something?

following

Granite on right in your original photo.

All of Beth’s terrific suggestions have a hint of the maple color in them, other than the slate suggestions. That’s the only “solid” color one and you can’t go wrong with that and grey floors. However, your concern about the room looking dark makes me think you want something lighter. IF you can find a Taj Mahal in the color she posted, it would be stunning. It comes in a variety of colors and some have very little of that creamy white in them (a friend is searching for it in Akron right now) but solves the problem. As Beth asked, can you go someplace else? Stone shopping is super hard but in most kitchens, the countertop steals the limelight, so make sure to be totally in love with it. The other whites you’ve shown are very blah to me. You want to enhance those gorgeous doors with the right stone. Keep looking!

Keep your counter tops lighter than your floor such as basically white with hint of grey veining, so the floor will ground your kitchen. Under counter lighting will help reflect light from your counter tops and make the kitchen seem larger.

Keep your walls light as well. Back splash a subtle pale grey tile in brick pattern with white grout.

You can add color with accents, bowls, pictures, plates, placemats and change with the seasons if you want. A neutral kitchen with warm wood can be changed easily with a rug, a tea pot, and a plant!

In my new build I have cabinets which are nearly identical to yours. While I like black I felt it would darken the kitchen too much. I also felt that patterns were going out of style in favor of a more solid appearance. My final choice was Silestone's Iron Bark which is a dark greyish brown with very little pattern. It goes well with the color patterns in the maple cabinets.

Having trouble with a picture but here is the link:

https://www.silestoneusa.com/color/ironbark/

I would look at light granite slabs which include both the color of your cabinetry and the color of your flooring....not too busy, but with a little swirling.

Stainless knobs and pulls on your maple cabinets will tie in with your grey...also what color is your trim and woodwork in the rest of your house. Kitchens need to feel like they belong with the architecture of the house. They are the heart of the home!

Claire Larece, i love your rendering of her kitchen. Can I ask what software you used to do this?

Thanks.

Clean white countertops would brighten, modernize and refresh your kitchen

Hi it is was a website for kitchen and floor planner I figured it was a lot easier using their site since they have all the textures even I’m 3d visualizer.

Deb M thank you

None of those. They are all too dark unless you add extra lighting. Look at Silestone Lusso. It’s got warm maple tones in the light swirling, and blends beautifully with woods or other whites.

Up close.

In an actual kitchen.

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The countertop I used was a giallo but not the Verona. The giallo on the right of the cabinet sample is much brighter and plus I also believe in the choice of cut you choose whether it has a much paler look or darker. Also I believe in the choice of the countertop being the focal of the kitchen. As long as the Opening threader is happy with their choices.

I would go darker for contrast.

I agree with many l of the above comments but I also know how difficult things become when making last minute changes/thoughts during construction, especially when sticking to a budget or having a limited options due to availability. So, to answer your question I would definitely go with the slab on the right. It is light, should match gray floors and also has hints to match your maple.

Don't go dark on the counters. I made that mistake.

We have shaker style cabinets in maple and we have honed black granite countertops. We love the contrast.

Will be having same decision process soon too. Building a new home and want natural maple, but believe 2nd photo granite is too similar and washes the whole kitchen out without any contrast. Where 1st photo, I love (not the flooring tho), but brings kitchen to life with the movement of the granite and the contrasting colors! Good luck!

Post pictures when you're done please!

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I think some movement in a granite will give the kitchen some drama. You can avoid the darker colors if you’re worried about the kitchen being dark. Keep looking. The Silestone above is simple but pretty.

We put Persian Treasure granite in our kitchen and were thrilled with it. It has the grays to compliment your floors, plenty of white to keep the room light and the browns to compliment your cabinets (I think - I'm not a designer). We love the movement in this granite; you might not. Just a suggestion...

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I just installed light maple cabinets. The cabinet builder's package included "A" grade (cheapest cost) granite. Uba Tuba granite is "A" grade not because of quality but because of abundance and uniform pattern. I picked Uba Tuba because: 1) I would have had to pay more for a higher price grade, 2) I love the warm, sparkly color and 3) my kitchen has funky 45 degree angles. If I had gotten something that didn't have a uniform pattern it would have cost a lot more to cut and fit pieces to get the pattern to flow properly across the angles of countertop. I haven't put up the backsplash tiles yet, but here are some pictures. It is Aurora Sky glass tiles by Montage from Floor & Decor. The tiles have some dark tones that coordinate with the Uba Tuba and some golden tones that coordinate with the cabinets. I don't care about the granite "snobs" who say Uba Tuba is outdated or overdone. It was the best choice for this remodel and I love it!

Sorry, I didn’t disappear—family birthdays & construction crises intervened. I really appreciate all of the posts with opinions, photos, & experiences. I started out wanting to go with a light granite to keep the room feeling light, but ended up going darker. I looked at the photos you all posted and many more on houzz and realized I liked the darker ones better with the light cabinets. I found a granite site that had a kitchen visualizer (thanks claire larece for the idea) and put in our floor & cabinet colors, then tried different stones. Again, liked the dark, contrasty ones better. We’ve been at the house in many different light conditions now and think it won’t go “cave-like” with the dark. We went back to the stone yard and looked around.

They had some leathered & honed blacks and soapstone, plus other blacks, but none of them really appealed to us. I asked about the Fusion, they didn’t have, but it was out of our price range anyway. Cosmos, also expensive, they could order, but the ones on their supplier’s website weren’t the beautiful pattern Beth showed. Seeing the Viscon/Viscount Black/White in person, we both really loved it, it’s affordable and we chose it. I'm happy with the choice and relieved to have it behind us!!

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to post.

Wow! That’s a gorgeous stone!! It will be beautiful. Keep sending photos.

Just remember, the maple yellows over time. Natural maple was more popular in the Chicago area in the 90s and early 2000s that in most other areas, judging by what is see on Houzz and the TV renovation shows. I had the cabinets you have chosen, and experienced how much they yellowed within just a few years. It is still lovely, but your granite choice should take that into consideration.

Color Shift of Wood
https://www.scherrs.com/contents/en-us/d53_ColorShift.html

THOR, Son of ODIN, Wow! Thanks for the pics. I think my light maple/ubatuba granite will still look good over time but that is a great consideration if anybody else is reading.

They yellow like crazy

My maple cabinets never yellowed - 25 years. However my pre-finished maple floors did yellow within a year. This is in direct sunlight.

My didn't yellow after 7 years. Note the inside versus outside. If anything they've pinked. I'm pleased with them still.

Wood will always shift through its natural spectrum if exposed (which it always is to some degree.) Keep in mind that each specific species has its own unique spectrum. A high quality finish will slow its transition to its settled-in color. There are folks out there who've stained, toned, dyed, white-washed, bleached, age-accelerated, fumed, etc... wood to achieve all sorts of effects. If the light-ness of the wood is something you would like to enhance and/or maintain, consider bleaching the wood. Here is an excellent article on that:

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/bleaching-wood/

This was ours but over a long time like 15 years. It’s because the finishes in California are weak due to OSHA requirements.

So we painted them

Terri yours looked white washed

We removed ubatuba gold tile and put in azurite slabgranite. It has blue, tan and blackish swirls. Just love it. The dark ubabtuba looked great with the light maple but I wanted something different since we were going to the trouble of ripping out previous owners granite tile. Dark colors pop against the light wood IMO light counters and light wood is blah. I would have used blues in the night granite( black with blue flecks) but it is very hard to find now so I was thrilled with the azurite when I came across it.

I googled the azurite granite. It looks gorgeous! I just couldn't afford that.