Whole room (which will also include our den) will be painted brick

I suggest that you re-think the brick. You have lots of texture with the ceiling & more if you choose hand scraped flooring. (I would take a pass on handscraped flooring because the ceiling gives you a lot of texture.) Lots of interest with the wood ceiling & floors. Plus the skylight openings, the angled beams, wall angles... You need someplace for the eyes to rest. You don't need brick competing with the other interesting architectural elements. This is a case of less is more.

IMO, suitable countertops would be solid color solid surface like Corian. (Or almost solid color--a bit of particulate would also work because it would read as solid color at distance but still have a bit of close-up interest/ variety.) You mention needing a jumbo slab--Corian seams are virtually undetectable. Possibly stainless steel countertops but Corian would be my first choice. Corian would be softer and you have color options with Corian that you don't have with stainless.

Soapstone also has a history as an industrial material. Been used in lab settings for generations. Many looks to it from very patterned to almost plain black. Could be used on perimeter cabs and do Corian on island, if you like that mixed look.

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Thanks for the response. Our house is in a constant state of shifting. We live in Texas and my house is a square built around a pool. The shifting primarily comes from the fact that we are on sandy loam soil, on a slope, and a house of that design. We have done everything humanly possible to stabilize the foundation. Peers, retaining walls, soaker hoses, french drains, you name it, and we still have seasonal cracks. That is the only reason we were going to go with the brick. The wood floors look great in our formal living room with the same ceiling. See pic.

@beesneeds we have a new 48” stainless range and 64” stainless fridge going in as well as a huge stainless sknk, I feel like that might be overkill?

You could look at a ‘concrete’ quartz for the countertops? https://www.msisurfaces.com/quartz-countertops/concrete-matte-looks/

@n Johnson…thank you! The concrete look is DEF in the top runners. I originally posted asking about honed/natural/matte vs glossy because everything I read says the matte is harder to care for than the shiny. Just curious as if that is a huge thing or not. You know, every website I have found stated that we should’ve had to have resealed our granite countertops every year, we’ve had them since 2014 and have never resealed them and they still look great. My point is, can I really believe everything I read? Lol

I think the advantage of quartz over real concrete is that it doesn’t need to be resealed (since it is synthetic?) I think it’s brand specific and common cleaners like BarKeeper’s Friend and Windex take care of stains. Have you looked at past Houzz discussions on matte concrete quartz surfaces? Those are helpful.

I’m still navigating on how to find everything on here. I will try.

Your style is beautiful, and the sectional is amazing! Can I ask...where did you buy it from? My sectional's foam is starting to show its age, time to start browsing.

Go the Houzz search bar on the home page and type in ‘concrete quartz’. The drop down box will let you choose photos, stories, advice, etc. Choose ‘advice’ and you’ll get a list of different threads on care, etc. — very, very helpful. You can always ask a question — even years later and someone might just respond! Some very nice people on here.

Lucky…thank you! the sectional came from Nebraska Furniture Mart and was much more comfortable and affordable than the Joybird one I wanted. I believe this one was $1800-1900. It is firm but comfortable and deep enough for company to sit on without feeling stiff but it sinking into it. We love it.

For Lucky:

Thank you! Love it too! Mine cost twice that and still after 7 years (and 4 kids), the cushions are not as firm as they were. Thx!

In my masterbath I have Hanstone Metropolitan quartz that looks like concrete. It is very attractive and works well with my finishes in this area. But to tell the truth, I like natural stone more than the quartz. You may want to look at Jet black and steel gray granite in honed finishes. These darker granites are reall hard and dense and are virtually maintenance free.

@Rachel I have leathered steel gray in my laundry room, it's beautiful and would go well with wood.

Have you considered Caesarstone Excava?

Thanks Carol! Very pretty! I’ll try to to go see in person!

Make sure you check all the previous discussions on Caesarstone concrete look — lots of folks hate it for its easy staining and difficult cleaning.

Stainless -or- I've always loved Phenolic Countertops (the kind they use in labs in genuine black). Or thin porcelain - Neolith has some nice patterns, not stone or concrete but feels similar and some plain colors like solid black.

You mentioned you wanted to use charcoal in your decor. I have Silestone polished quartz, color soapstone, countertops. I love them, little maintenance. Clean with dishsoap and water. They dont chip, stain or scratch.