IMO you have some layout isses to be a ddressed before spending money on a nrew counter

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Thank you for your input but I’m completely fine with the current layout and not looking to do a complete demo/gutting. I would like color input if you have that. I don‘t really have the budget or need for a fully redesigned kitchen. I will do that when I purchase my next home.

The choices you are picking are fighting the warmth of the wood. The cabinets are the biggest element that you have. They won’t turn into something when the counter is installed.

We need to stay focused on what you have. I can see a black counter and white backsplash. I can see a granite such as Costa Esmeralda, one with greens.

I can see a Giallo light with brown and creams with a cream backsplash.

How much is the Naurelle? I’d do that from the right of stove around under window o the end of that run . To left of stove and island get some butcher block in something a little darker . Backsplash ? Yes whitish : but need not be boring . you can take a beautiful white ceramic subway and use a grout that shows ... nice w butcher block ... and get some hardware w something going w it. The window is your feature ... the whites is the right move but Throw in a bit of wood block tops . It’ll be nice . But do not overspend on this.

I suggest looking at quartzite. Taj Mahal quartzite has warm whites and beiges. Your cabinets are a warm color, they are fighting with the cool color of the countertops you’re showing in your pictures.

Taj can also lean gray, so be aware.

I did look at Taj Mahal. 🙂 Right or wrong I like the contrast with something that has warm and cool tones, but do question how it would look fully installed. The fantasy gray is actually quite warm for a gray tone. I want a more neutral counter vs warm. I initially thought I wanted beige but it just looks too yellow to me and enhances the warmth even more (see example below).

@eld6161 Do you know which is the first countertop in the photo you shared? That is nice but I’m not sold on green as I want something more neutral. That looks like a green/gray in the photo. There was a really pretty brown from Cambria but much darker than I wanted. It may have been Hampshire.

Is it really a no no to do a more neutral counter? My reasoning for doing it is that I feel it makes the cabinets pop more with the contrast. When I look at a warmer counter it just kind of blends in and looks blah to me.

@herbflavor The Naurelle is $5700 for everything. I feel like if I add butcher block it will be even more wood and warmth.

The green counter came up when I googled Costa Esmerslda

I wouldn’t do dark brown.
I happen to like monochromatic. You have to decide what you can live with.
The thing is, in a way, your decision is made for you because you are keeping the oak.

What do you have? Is it Corian? I like it. I like it better than anything you’ve shown so far. If you really need a change, have you looked at Silestone Lusso? It has some warm gold veins. Or pure white or pure ivory Corian

https://www.cosentino.com/colors/silestone/lusso/

You mentioned TajMajal. it comes in all tones. this is the slab at my stone place. as you can see it's cooler and has more gray tones. this slab is beautiful So you may have to look at taj at different places.

they even have Taj in a 9' pre-fab countertop

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5967371/help-with-countertop-color

Here's your other countertop post. did you like any of the advice there?

and you also had a post w/the same question from last year

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5055979/new-kitchen-countertops

and your post about quartz:

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5968330/2-quartz-questions

This was the cabinet advice post. What did you decide?

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5976966/staining-cabinets-upgrades-advice-needed

and here is the backsplash help post

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5979512/kitchen-backsplash-help

think you need to finalize the cabinet issue, or the countertop issue first

You've got at least 7 different posts going about this kitchen, for months now.

You've gotten tons of advice for countertops, colors, tiles, stain or paint.

We are all just repeating ourselves and going in circles.

It's time to make a decision.

This is our recent Refresh Arborite Neo Cloud scovato finish, Graham and brown paintable wallpaper backsplash, Schaub empire handles. 15 yr old cabinets could not justify spending $$ on stone counters....

@Beth H. :While I appreciate your prior input I feel like you are being a bit snarky here. This is a big investment for me. If my post is “annoying” to you feel free to move along to the next post. I’m really struggling on a countertop and have been the entire time. I found some I like, but I haven’t found anything I absolutely love. I wish I had someone locally that could do a design in CAD so I could visualize some different options. It would be well worth it vs making a $7-10k mistake. I’d be more than happy to pay someone for that service. Heading out to an MSI showroom to try to find some more ideas.

I ask for input on a certain item and some people don’t even bother to answer my question. They tell me you need a new layout, you need to paint your cabinets, that paint color is wrong..... No, I don’t have a designer kitchen and probably never will and that’s totally OK with me. But I want what I have to look nice.

Cabinets - Not touching them other than a possible extension to the ceiling. Under mount lighting. I may paint just the island, no idea what color until I can decide on a countertop

Countertop - I have 2 ways I’m looking to go. See above. I’m really at a standstill here. I can’t do much else without a countertop.

Backsplash - See above. Can’t finalize on a tile until I decide on a countertop.

Well, seems you are shooting down all the designers suggestions and it sounds like you only want people to agree with you and tell you that a "cool" counter will be ok with the "warm" cabinets...but it won't

There is some good advice in this thread and you just ignore it:

good luck

I think the power and color of the oak cabinetry and its veining is too strong for marble or veined quartz. I would use a solid color counter and backsplash.

i'm not being the least bit snarky, i'm being truthful. You have 7 posts going. You have been given tons of advice on countertops. You've already asked about the quartz options.

You asked where your previous post went, I posted it for you, Along with all of the comments and questions you asked on that thread.

Have you reread through these? there was a lot of helpful advice.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5967371/help-with-countertop-color

what was wrong w/this one?

(btw, HU, above, posted their oak kitchen. those black handle hardware pulls she has looks great w/the oak)

Forget about the backsplash. you're spinning wheels on that one and it's useless until countertops are installed.

people are giving you FREE advice, and you don't like it.

"Right or wrong I like the contrast with something that has warm and cool tones, but do question how it would look fully installed."

Numerous people have replied how it would look, and you seem to ignore it.

I'm telling you Taj comes in all diff tones, and you just say it's too warm. But it's not.

"I want a more neutral counter vs warm."

you say you want something neutral, but then you post how much you like this

If you like the Cambria options, see below for some of the other choices.

Here's your first pic you posted w/that countertop. the cools grays just don't look right once you surround them w/all of your yellow toned wood.

You may like the warm/cool contrast, but you ARE asking for everyones opinions on the match. Has anyone said, "oh yeah, that looks great, pick that one" ? there is a reason why.

this is Alaska white granite that leans cool. In no way does this look good w/your wood tones.

You have countless people on this post, and your previous post (s) all telling you how the cool tones fight the warmth of the wood. But you insist on fighting that advice.

You know what countertops would look good w/your wood cabs/floors? warmer tones. (or a solid neutral that isn't too blue/gray)

You had a complete thread going just on your cabs. staining them, whitewashing, painting,,,,,did you even decide on that? I'm assuming you've decided to leave the wood as is?

So here's the thing, I'll leave you alone as you've asked, as I'm sure most of the other pros on here will, and you wait until someone comes along and agrees w/your picks. Then just go w/that one.

@Melissa R Where did I shoot down somebody in any of my responses? I never said I wanted cool, I said neutral or something that has both cool and warm tones.

@Beth H. :I have already stated above that I no longer intend to modify the cabinet color. I feel the scope is beyond my budget and/or expertise as a DIY. I also stated I have an idea of what type of backsplash I want but can not do much in terms of that or anything else until I pick a countertop.

I never said Taj was too warm, I actually like it. I also never said I loved the Cambria brown countertop, I said it was a pretty brown color but as already stated quite a few times I am not looking to go dark on the counter. I don’t feel as if I’ve shot down any suggestions in this thread (green and black in another post and options/advice I never asked for- a new layout isn’t in my budget), if I have please direct me to where. I see a lot of “no don’t do that” color, but few suggestions of a specific brand/color that I should be considering other than Taj Mahal and what you recently posted.

My prior post is what prompted me to look at some of the lighter marble look quartz options. I hadn’t even considered something like that prior to visiting Houzz.

I am not here looking for someone to agree with my picks. I’m looking for someone to listen to what I am looking for (More neutral, non-yellow, mid-tone or lighter, not too busy) and suggest some options (specific names are helpful as colors on a monitor/phone do not tend to be accurate). Other people on here must have designed around oak before and may have a suggestion based on what they chose.

@eld6161 I may have to see if I can look at that granite in person. It doesn’t look like its a very dark green. It looks really beautiful in that pic.

I would just do white or cream color Corian, an interesting backsplash, and then awesome pulls. And a rug.

I just came upon this post and think that with your cabinets the best choice would be either a dark matte counter top such as honed Jet Mist granite. Or as Mrs. S suggested, a light plain Corian. I did a kitchen for a client with the very same cabinets and she chose a black granite with black hardware and it really updated the look very well. I think quartzite and the shiny granites are overkill for your kitchen--they are very dressy and more formal than the oak cabinets.

@Diana Bier Interiors, LLC What color backsplash did you do in that house? I did have one of the reps at the countertop store ask if I had considered a leathered/matte finish in a dark color. It came up yesterday and I haven’t yet researched if there are any cons to that finish or different care required.

I agree with the counter store rep and would suggest Silestone Charcoal Soapstone quartz in the suede finish. We have a different suede (matte) pattern from the Silestone Eternal line in our kitchen. Our contractor noticed that everyone who comes into the kitchen stands there rubbing their hands over the countertop. Care requirements are no different.

burtnyks, the homeowner did a basketweave yellow onyx. However, that is a very specific look and quite expensive. You could do an off-white or black tile which would be very dramatic.

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