Please post pictures of your wall color, flooring and cabinet color. Offhand I would think a light to medium grey countertop could be a consideration.

Marriage counselor. For the "long story short thing"

get some floor mats/runners. You wanted a check pattern? they gave you marble look tiles..??? No harm done. what material is counter going to be? quartz/granite/corian. ? You have many options...if you can see what is available locally it may help. Contractor usually has a designated stoneyard and they give you info for browsing and having a look. proceed w the process and search.