Gray has seen it's day and designers say it's time to go a different direction. I have quartz and love it. It's a taupe with just a little variation in it. There are many directions you can go with color but it's your preference, nobody elses. Just find what you like.

I believe in doing what you like . . . within reason. I don't follow trends or what the "designers" say because that changes monthly. My kitchen countertop is Viaterra Intermezzo quartz. Pictures in pamphlets don't do it justice, but you can see it at Home Depot. It might be busier than you want, but it's a cream with grays/blacks and flecks in it.

I can only find an "in progress" picture, but I hope it helps.

I would start with the bigger picture. What feeling do you want to evoke in the space? Look for inspiration pictures with the same cabinets paying attention to the counter details and backsplashes, then look at the paint on the island and walls. You may want the island to be close in color to the flooring so that it blends making the room appear larger with "unobstructed" sightlines. As it is now, the island is a big box in the room. The light at time of day will affect the overall look. What time of day is the most natural light coming into the space? I would consider painting the ceiling as well, 75% of the wall color, it will make the room more cohesive. A multi-light pendant over the island would really brighten the space, and create a focal point. Once you have your inspiration pictures, pull actual samples of the counter and backsplash options that you are considering and put them in the space to see what the lighting does. Since the room is fairly small, I would use same countertop color throughout and let the backsplash be the "sparkle". Subtle crackling, beveled edges, light-reflecting accent tiles on a plain field, or a small mono-chromatic pattern would provide simple but lovely detail. If not already there, consider adding undermount lighting to the cabinets to illuminate the backsplash and to provide another layer of task lighting. Finally, if necessary, change out the cabinet pulls to bring it all together. A pic of the wall opposite the sink (fridge wall) would be helpful too. Have fun with it, post an after pic!

I have maple cabinets in my 22 year old kitchen; they are still in good condition but the color has gotten more orange as they have aged. I think you could do a whiter color with veining or one with a terrazzo look in any sheen (polished, matte, or leathered), or you could go with an off-black in matte or leathered finish). A shiny polished dark color is hard the keep looking super-clean in my opinion. Also, you could consider running the same quartz up the wall. The kitchen might feel larger with a single color for perimeter and island. It looks like you have plenty of lighting with the windows, recessed cans, and under cabinet lights so you wouldn’t have to worry about a dark counter absorbing all the light, especially at night. Good luck…there are lots of choices out there.

I had maple cabinets installed in our new build due to white cabinet fatigue. My choice of quartz was Silestone's Ironbark, a medium to dark brown though it seems that Silestone has come out with additional shades of brown since. Black quartz was another option but I felt it would be too dark. I like grey but I found myself going away from it as it is everywhere.

Your kitchen is small. Mixing too many finishes in my opinion makes it "too noisy". As said previously grey is out. Stick to soft/off whites for more timeless look. 1 option have perimeter and island the same quartz color- valley series from Pompeii. You will be pleasantly surprised with cost vs Caesarstone. Valley series has 4 colors in you case i would suggest Valley sand, which will go great with maple cabs. Choose backsplash tile combination of soft white and sage green and whatever your island color will be to tie all together. Bonus you dont have to repaint walls. 2 option (Bolder) Make perimeter of the kitchen and full height backsplash "quiter quartz" Artic white by msi ( not so stark white) and either find showstopper quartzite remnants like fusion, Toblerone, blue Roma for island or if budget allows slab of Cambria like Annica ( to make purple work) or Ivybridge (to make sage work) Or Britannica Warm to complement maple cabs. Cambria website has cool visualizer for countertops and complimenting paint colors for island and walls if you decide to repaint.
P.s. "gray" countertops will make you "Yellow" cabs look old. You need to find something with touch of amber to have cohesive look.

Cambria is lovely. We put it in a couple years ago and are quite pleased. A friend updated her wood cabinets with Cambria ”Brittanica” and is also pleased. Go with what you like, trends change at the drop of a hat. P.S. We love our light grey, can use so many accent colors!

I have similar maple cabinets and just selected Cambria Smithfield quartz. It's white with a very subtle grey veining. I am also changing my flooring to a taupe/grey tile with warm undertones. The Smithfield seemed to match easily to all the flooring tile I looked at. Complementing backsplash tile needs to have white undertones rather than cream but I have found lots of options that work from marble to glass and porcelain tile.

THANK YOU for all of these great ideas. I am posting a few more photos of the space as well as photos of our adjacent family room. The large maple doors on the right of that photo house our wash and dryer. As part of this refresh we well be replacing our wood burning fireplace with a gas fireplace and building a new mantle and surround, getting rid of the brick. (Still in planning stages). New furniture as well...but I digress.

I love the idea of getting rid of the box cabinet to the right of the sink. That cabinet gets the award for the most used cabinet in our kitchen so I'm reluctant to say bye-bye. However I am inspired and am in the process of going thru all the cabinets to see what I can relocate or give away to see if I can consider alternatives...

I appreciate the comments about the grey trend. Appreciate the suggestions for specific quartz companies and colors.

I like the idea about using all one color countertop to make it more cohesive and quieter.

Thank you!

The Turbine Gray Caesarstone has a bkuish undertone that will makenit look a bit muddy with your warm maple cabinets (which skew orange/yellow).

Have you considered Caesarstone Aterra Blanca? It has a creamy, warm tone.

I agree with Suzy, pick a brown not too much darker than your maple. Agree with Murielle, use open shelves over the dishwasher -- but use them for the everyday dishes that get washed the most. Save those steps! Maybe it's time for new dinnerware and glasses/mugs that look nice, arranged nicely? Put platters or teapots on the very top shelf, things that are attractive but not fetched down too often.

ETA: Narrow it down in photos/computer galleries and then send away for samples of the actual material. There may be a cost, but nothing like the price of choosing the wrong countertop! I know that Caesarstone has the service to sell you samples and probably other companies do too.

Here's where we're at. We live in an are where we have showrooms and places to view slabs. I've spent a lot of time on the computer looking at things and listening to comments. Thank you.

I've been to showrooms and been able to see slabs of all this. So far we're just focusing on countertops. We're going to go with lighter vs dark and seem to like a bit of pattern but not veins. We have decided to bring in a local designer to help us make the final decisions and have her help with backsplash, island color, wall color, fireplace surround and mantle. Hubby still likes the idea of mixed countertops but the designer will have the final say on this.

These are our quartz favorites so far.

Caesarstone:

Frosty Carrina-Creamy white, interest without being too busy

Bianco Drift- warm light grey with interest

Pental

Stonington-Warm gray with interest, light

Madreperola-Creamy white with beautiful subtle interest.

Viatera

Lento (love love love this but it's a cool grey so it's out)

I'll keep you posted and still would love to hear comments and suggestions.

I agree with the above post. Caesarstone Frosty Caririna is lovely and worth a look. Might complement your cabs nicely.
8 years ago we chose Cambria Darlington which we love. It’s very easy to live with, our backsplash is a simple subway tile, colour is called biscuit. Both products are very easy to care for, easy to decorate with, and are timeless. Our cabs are white though.
Whatever you choose keep it simple and timeless.

Wanted to give an update after meeting with a professional designer.

Our kitchen designer echoed what Maria S said about keeping all the countertops the same. After we told her that we wanted to use a light/white quartz, without bold veining... she said that a subtle pattern with a touch of gold would tie into and compliment the maple cabinets. White without pink tones. We looked at quartz samples with her and gravitated to Cambria Ironsbridge. Ended up not using it, after we viewed a slab, because we thought the pattern was too linear for our space. We considered Cosentino Silestone Pulsar and Lusso and chose LUSSO. It seemed whiter than the Pulsar and perhaps less busy.

Backsplash: not yet chosen

Sink: American Standard Delancy, white, fireclay/cast iron, undermount

Faucet: will be a pull out style, lower profile because it is front of a pass thru window

Island color: designer recommends a dark charcoal gray

Wall color: will be determined after all elements are selected

Project starting in Oct. 2021 so I'll post more as decisions are made.

Above is Cosentino Silestone quartz: LUSSO

Im just finishing a kitchen remodel. my island is clear coat maple my countertop is MSI callcatta laza. I love my countertop but i do think it looks better on the peramiter white cabinets more than the wood tone maple. But i also like the natural wood element in the kitchen. we are still waiting on our back sliding door to come in the one in this pic is original.

Such a pretty piece of quartz and it looks great on your island. You did a great job selecting the portion to use.

I am in the fproces of selecting cabinexts and a manufacturer for a kitchen remodelig project. Now that your kitchen is complete, are there any things you would have changed or done things in a different order (floor first cabinets first) this is my first time with a project like this and all the vendors claim to be experts despite some with poor reviews. i appreciate any advice you can offer.

Fabi

I just came across this photo of a kitchen with maple cabinets. I have not seen this in person...it was on a real estate listing of a house for sale. I like the color tones of the countertops, backsplash and the color of the island. Just thought I'd post it for other people looking at what to put with maple cabinets. Our refresh starts Oct. 11, and I will post photos when finished.

"AFTER PHOTOS"

Countertops: Lusso by Silestone

Backsplash: Bedrosians CLOE purchased at Lowes online

Island Color: Iron Ore Sherwin Williams

Sink: Blanco Precis 32" Undermount Silgranit

Faucet: Delta "Grant" Satin Nickel

After thoughts...We are very happy with the end result. We have had a number of friends come in and comment how much they love our new cabinets...which are not new. Overall the kitchen looks fresh and clean.

I like the Iron Ore color of the island which usually reads as gray without any undertones. On my monitor my photo is showing a lot of blue.

I'm not wild about the backsplash. It's too "cool" against the warm tones in the countertops. I think you can see it in the photos.

I feel like I overthought the whole countertop selection. I think there would have been many that would have been great. We do love the Lusso.

Looking for new bar stools or will repaint the green.

Lovely!!

Pretty!

Beautiful!

Very nice! I like the simplicity of the kitchen.

It's really beautiful!

Love it!!