From your picture, it looks like a big considertion is the wood counters adjacent. (If they're staying?) Also the wood trim in the room. I think all three look fine with the green cabinet, so I would be focused on how they look with the wood. From my monitor, which of course is probably not an accurate represenation, the limestone looks kind of pink-ish, while your wood counters are kind of yellowish. I might like the lunar white, then the piazza, but you'll know if you hold them up.

I prefer the Perla Piazza, but get what you like. Laminate is never going to look like real stone close up, so it doesn't matter which you go with.

Congratulations on a new kitchen.

I love that bonsai! Nice! So about how much countertop will you need? And are you definitely doing formica or are you open to any other options? Will you be keeping the drainboard sink or replacing it?

Two things to share - I once knew a designer who advised to not have something that looks like what it's not, i I.e. laminate that looks like marble.

The fabricator salesman that I worked with to select and install Corian in our remodel threeyears ago was currently installing laminate in his kitchen remodel. Tried and true, he said. I don't recall what design he chose but my countertops are speckled.

All those selections appear to be far TOO yellow to simulate stone.

I think these selections might be better suited for the Bonsai

These cabinets are labeled as Kraftmaid Bonsai

When we moved into our home in 2006, the original 1973 harvest gold laminate was still intact. The counter was in great shape in terms of adhesion--just had a chip out of one corner and some burn stains.

They aren't going to look like stone and they don't have to.

I think they're all pretty similar. I prefer #1 though. It feels cleaner. Agree that there might be better matches for that green cabinet though.

Formica/laminate can look great and if installed and treated properly can last a long time. I do think some look more like real stone than others. I had a dark speckled color that more than one person thought was granite :) . With the rolled edge that is now available I think you can get a really nice result if you want it to look more like a solid surface. Mine had a beveled edge which was fine with me, as is just the straight edge. All 3 are nice, so I would go with the one you like best and not worry about the HD. For me personally, I would choose something lighter-- but this is just my totally personal preference stemming from the fact that my children could not see crumbs on darker surfaces when wiping the counter (unreal, right?) . :)

@Anna (6B/7A in MD) My aunt (78 yo) just moved into an apartment that has gold laminate counters with a subtle floral texture. I have never seen anything like it. She decided to keep it because the uniqueness grew on her. I offered her new counters but she painted the kitchen cabinets white and the kitchen a cheery yellow and it looks great.

Is adding more cabinets to replace the two rolling carts out of the budget?

If not, then do it...choose the formica you love and paint everything else (walls, shelves, window trim, beams, the green of the cabinets.

Maybe consider a color or pattern that only laminate can do? Play to its strengths rather than trying to impersonate another material, which I think always looks like a sad compromise. There are a lot of fun options and since you’re working with a small space, the price differences might be negligible.

Limestone gets my vote.

you don't have a lot of countertop space.

why not just do a prefab quartz? you can buy a 9' piece for 500 bucks. have someone cut it to fit for you and it still won't be that much.

here's Bonsai w/a simple white quartz.

and if you don't need that much, see if you can find a remnant.

or how about a butcher block countertop? floor and decor has those for $550 or so.

I think your Wilson choices are too yellow.

@Sherry Brighton That sounds way nicer than mine, LOL.

OP, my friend just installed green Ikea cabinets and used a light cream-colored quartz. It looks great. I agree that your choices look a bit too yellow and think a bit whiter would be good.

We have Wilsonart HD laminate counters, and no one would be fooled into thinking they were anything but laminate.

I like the perla piazza

I love the Bonsai color and would use a plain white laminate for the counter tops. The three you are looking at are not a good yellow to go with the green, and they all look pretty much the same. Beverly Fladesigner has some nice options as well.

@OhNat yes, similar but the pattern is daisies, and not as god awful gold LOL

I’m agreeing with the pros here - the colors are leaning a bit too yellow for the gorgeous green of the cabinets. You can probably get a remnant slab at a stone yard for very little money. But if you like Formica, I would go back to the chip line up and move to a whiter color. It will make the kitchen look more “crisp”, as the photos from @Beth H indicate.

I think it is not so much looking like natural stone that is an issue. The flat or matte finish will not wear as well as the HD finish. The matte finish will show scratches in a way that the HD finish will not. Agree that the three samples are very similar, and perhaps not the best choice for the Bonsai. Beverly had some good choices.

thank you all for the many helpful and very thoughtful suggestions. I did think about white quartz initially but was afraid it would get dirty too easily, and was also concerned about the weight since the floor underneath the sink has had structural problems in the past. based on what everyone has said, it sounds like I should keep it simple and not try to worry about emulating stone or quartz, which means I may go with the Luna winter, which is the lightest of the three and has the most subtle pattern ( and is also not quite as yellow as it appears in the photo), or look into finding a solid color cream laminate.

I agree with BeverlyFlaDezigner's suggestions. The green has a greyish tone so her samples as well as the following would be more appropriabe:

Formica has some really nice patterns and colors--and the price is way below any stone or quartz. Any of the above choices posted by @lisedv would look great! I had plain white matte laminate in my previous kitchen, and it looked as good after 27 years as it did the day it was installed.

I have a plain white laminate in my kitchen-- I don't mind the look of it, and it doesn't scratch easily, but it does stain easily. Coffee cups, wine, tumeric -- all of those leave stains. Sometimes I can get them out with bleach and/or soft scrub, but I have a few areas where I haven't been able to lift the stains completely. It's a bit annoying to have to scrub with chemicals so often. My counters are more than 20 years old though, so maybe the newer laminate is better at resisting stains.

@spainte2 Try using Krud Kutter, red and white bottle, you can find it in the paint aisle of a big box store.

I have Wilsonart HD laminate in my kitchen, which was installed six years ago. No scratches on it to date. My only word of advice is make sure you get an edge that does not show the brown laminate edge lines. People looking up close can see the lines, and know it is not real granite.

I had laminate in every kitchen I ever lived in, until I did my recent reno. I can say it is a workhorse and I almost miss it. My new counters are quartz and I can't get used to how cold they are and how everything just clunks on them. I always feel like I am going to break a glass when I set it down!

I do appreciate the characteristics of laminate and am defiantly not a laminate snob.

I like the White onyx sample from @lisedv. Those shades are more complementary to your cabinet color.

thank you all for the additional suggestions – I'm intrigued by the white onyx too and just ordered a sample to see what it looks like.

Good! Keep us posted.