First make sure your lighting is addressed I like LED 4000K for kitchens and I would do that before any other choices are made.The idea that comes to my mide would be a color from the stone I see some quartz choices in the background just my opinion but to replace real stone with fake plastic stone is never an upgrade .What is the flooring? I ahve a very contemporay kitchen and not cold in the least I don't think On the wall not showing I have my range a huge stone wall and stainless cabinets

You're facing north. You need ice cold 4000k lighting like a moose needs a set of antlers!!??

No. Please no.

Here's your floor:

Nothing wrong with white cabinets

As to the rest, especially the "blue gray" of lower cabinets...please forget that idea.

Go back to your words. Modern. Contemporary. Not Cold.

What about a deep warm green lower cabinet? What about some black accent in lighting? What about a lot of things, and especially forget making a space more sterile with 4000k lights which some folks feel are the answer to every single design situation. They are N.O.T,,,,,,no more than gray is the only color on this planet.

Thanks Patricia, I am not sure I understoof your feedback about fake plastic stone. We are replacing old ugly granite with Quartzite. I dont like quartz because of his fake qualities. it works in some kitchen, i dont like it in my scenario.

Thanks Jane, I started with a greyish green. I just reallly dont gravitate towards those colors. I am already leaning heavily away from my color with the backsplash undertone and the countertops, I felt the blue tone helped connect the stark white with the countertop and the marble terrazzo. it is pulling some of the tones in there. I am also not sure a green kitchen would connect with the rest of the home, which leans cool colors (mostly blue tones). Are you saying all white is better than blue lower? One thing I have noticed is most of the images using the darker contrasting color tend to be in very bright rooms. I worry about the use of color (it is not my natural instinct) but I also see a lot of the current trends using quite dark color and not sure my space is ok for that. I also have a black fridge currently that I dont plan on replacing soon, so there is that dark mass I am trying to keep in mind.

That blue is a cool shade. The Benchtop is warm. Look at diff paint samples for a warmer option. It is a personal preference.

MO even more important to have good lighting in a room facing north and 4000K lEDs are not blue at all they mimic bright daylight Here is a color chart of LED Blue begins at 5000K I never use that either

Use the same quartzite as the backsplash. Use white lowers as well. You could also use the terrazzo as the counter, and a solid color tile as the backsplash. We did this in our kitchen.

Thanks everyone. Susie, I started off looking for a plain solid counter that would match the terrazzo. It is surprisingly hard to find a solid countertop that is a not stark white. Outside of maybe formica. I am not against plywood edge formica actually, but replacing granite for formica in our market would likely be a bad idea. Also looked at Fenix NTM but it is pricey. Most quartz had a lot veins and looked more fake next to the big real marble chunks in the terrazzo. Didnt seem to work, outside of maybe the calacatta valentin. Solids were all bright white.

That is how we started looking broader, thinking maybe if we found a marble that matched the chunks in the terrazzo it could work (it didnt). and this quartzite, while not something I would leabn towards usually, was suggested right away by a sales person and I have to say out of all the options, it was the one that seemed to look the nicer. But I have to face that you are the second person mentioning it is too busy :-). All the kitchen I am inspired with have wood, natural materials, and a matching backsplash/countertop. I would not commit to that quartzite for everything, I am not really in love with it. I also like a certain zing or something special in my design. Our building is a VERY quirky, mid 80s steel siding (primary colors) with minimalist design inside and concrete/metal. We considered concrete first but it was too cold/fragile. I could do a honed marble backsplash and countertop. but it seems out of place with the general place and sounds soo boring and actually cold too. All white kitchens seems also a bit on their way out imho, although timeless.

Here are other pics of the quartzite for reference since the sample we saw what definitely busier thanmost of the tajmahal/perla venata slabs we saw , but I do see what you are saying. I was maybe naively hoping that we could choose a "quieter" piece during slab viewing since there are some variations and our kitchen is small.

id say clean, bright, natural materials (neutral zellije mosaic and limewash walls with wood cabinets was my original choice, but absolutely not right for the type of place we are in). I actually consider a white oak plank countertop but I really dont enjoy cooking on wood. it is hard to walk the line of a cool design, something we like but something that is completely horrendous so a good amount of people could actually like it too when we go to resell.

The good news I should be able to get the veddinge door for the lower if I want to and then if I hate get them painted but still considering whether half white oak may be an option too if I change my countertop/tile plan. Modern/Slab kitchen styles are incredibly hard to find. Ikea seems the best pricing for that. Most better quality places only offer variations on shaker/traditional kitchens. I do really like the functionally and quality of the soft close, lighting, accessories that come with IKEA. and I have had experience with them. My parents ringhult kitchen is looking brand new after 20 years.

The recommendations for 4000k lights are terrible. Just because a design consultant says to use it, doesn't mean that it's a nice color to exist around. Buy several bulbs (or get something like a hue ambiance bulb) and try different color temps. I personally like all lighting in my house to be in the 2700k neighborhood, I find it cozy and flattering but I know it's not for everyone.

I think you'd be safe with white lower cabinets, and it makes selecting a counter so much easier. In your situation, I'd do the white cabinets, get your counter installed, and then start looking at tiles. But with the movement in something like the quartzite you're considering, a solid color backsplash in one of the tones found in the counter might be your best bet.

I agree with Laurel 4000k way too harsh

Taj Mahal is a beautiful, favorite countertop. Having a solid backsplash enhances its subtle veining. I don’t think the terrazzo works with TM.

I would agree with Susie, a lot going on. White countertops are the way to go with perhaps a suttle vein? It would also be correct if you just ran that countertop up the wall and made it a backsplash, would look really custom.

PS: the paint looks great. I really like the idea of the darker cabinets on the bottom and the upper ones being white.

For plain white there are also quartz and solid surface. Corian has some great whites. You don’t have to do laminate. Or you could just do something with a more subtle pattern as SafelyBuild suggested. I just wouldn’t put so much movement together as the current quartzite and terrazzo.

"Plain" doesn't mean white standard subway tiles. There are pretty square tiles with different finishes now. I would just stay away from anything that can be perceived as a pattern with you TM countertop.

I am definitely set on the Terrazzo. I originally wanted that for the counter but did not find the right product. There are only a few terrazzo that look nice, neutral and not too busy/80s. I agree that plain does not mean standard subway tiles but I find products easily available around here (Midwest) to be fairly boring. It is very cookie cutter. We see the same stuff everywhere, all the kitchens look the same, and a vast majority of designs are not modern or contemporary. And if they are they fall in the some cabinets+ calacatta quartz+ some plain tile formula. That is just not my style. and would not look good in our place.

I have looked all over for quartz, solid surface in a color that would work. There are not a ton of countertop store carrying solid surface anymore. The most I saw was at Menards and they dont do install. If anything can think of any quartz that would be the right combo, I am happy to get suggestions, we went to countless stores, fabricators, stone yards, bix box, and they all tend to carry the same variety and the trend seems to be veining.

Here are some of the pics I took when shopping around:

Some leathered marble we fell in love while shopping originally. Very expensive, too white in the end (looked much more grey because of light). originally thinking getting a marble matching the tile would be an option (it wasnt.. the marble we found where leaning very grey)

Taj Mahal Quartzite (the beige sister of Perla Venata), sample was busier than some of the slab we saw. Semed a bit too beige for my taste. and busy.

Vietnam White Marble Polished. Seemed way to bright, dont want polished finish, worried about maintenance.

Daltile concrete quartz like surface (the larger grey sample below the tile, the table itself was a quartzite or marble). went well color wise, Seems too industrial? worried about staining

Quartz Calacatta Valentin: seems to bring out the yellow in the tile.

Wilsonart Quartz Madeira Beach, was ok. Not sute about the veins, felt more fake than other quartz. Unsure about Wilsonart quality

Quartz Calacatta Monaco, unsure about the mix of styles. Seemed sometimes my best quartz match

Pick one “hero” piece and design around that. In this case, that looks like the terrazzo backsplash. Matches well with the base cabinet color. Keep the counters neutral(ish). Maybe a light grey concrete inspired. Lots of choices and hues out there.

Several comments on lights. We used small can lights that have five lighting adjustments on them from soft white to daylight.

Agree the Monaco seems to work better than the TM. See how it looks with your cabinets in your space.

Hard to tell because the quartz samples are being photographed vertically and they may look very different horizontally. Can you take home the samples and place the backsplash sample vertical and the countertop sample horizontally and then assess?

Yes, the Monaco is the best of all of these samples.

Have you looked at light beige/caramel colors? Or grays? Those wouldn’t fight the background of the terrazzo.
Or they’ll look horrible. Not sure….😂

Can you carry the countertop quartz up as the backsplash? I like all of the combinations but agree the terrazzo would clash

I could carry the countertop quartz as backplash, at that point I am losing both the natural stone and the terrazzo. I am no fan of quartz and while it may look good in some scenarios, it is not my preference. I would rather do a full natrual stone.

Wanting the terrazzo backsplash AND natural stone counters is tough 😬

I think falling in love with very specific finishes can set you up for a space that doesn’t work when it all comes together - a few hours with a good designer would be money well spent

Agree with la_la Girl. If there's ever a time to hire a designer, a kitchen remodel is IT! Lots of money and lots of opportunities to make expensive mistakes.

If you don't like quartz, then don't get it. Just keep in mind that you need a place for your eyes to rest somewhere. Multiple colored cabinets along with countertops and backsplash with a lot of movement doesn't give you that opportunity. I only suggested white countertops because you wanted terrazzo backsplash.

The terrazzo is a very specific style, while natural stone tends to be more classic.

This one uses terrazzo with countertop and a shorter backsplash - no uppers and white walls, so it doesn't get too busy.

Here are white uppers with blue lowers and what appears to be stone counter/backsplash

I just wanted to thank everyone for their contribution on this thread. You all took time to respond and have been very patient. We had a productive day and your feedback was helpful.

We now have quite a few options to choose from.

Cabinet wise, we have either all white, white plus 4 Havstorp beige uppers (our preferred choice), white plus 4 wood uppers or white plus 4 Havstorp in tealish upper.

Countertop wise, we found a 4 great options! +1 super budget.

Daltile showroom saved the day. Truly the best selection we have seen in the Chicago area. Not the biggest, but really good selection. We ordered 4 terrazzo tiles to get a feel for it in a large section and see if we are still in love.

We found :

1. A porcelain counter in Opalite that worked great with the terrazzo.It mimics the crystallo quartzite but is a lot LESS busy. Porcelain slabs looked good in polished but felt like cooking on the floor in matte finish. They also require a lot more labor for install but it is a great choice. Love the easy upkeep.

2. After looking at pretty much all quartz that exist, One Quartz in Lincoln White is a concrete ish, off white, matte quartz that works well (small sample below, looks greyer on the pic). It is a bit boring and not my favorite to cook on but if we want to feature the terrazzo, it is more affordable than stone or porcelain.

3. We looked at natural stones to do counter+ backsplash (no terrazzo) and fell in love with a Silver moon quartzite, a White noir Marble and a few others

4. I found a bold porcelain for both counter+backsplash that could work too, just a very different direction

5. To our major surprise, ikea's concrete laminate looked also great with the terrazzo. Definitely a budget option at less than $200 total, but something we may consider.

Anyway, lots more option in 1 trip than we have found in the last 8.

I like this one. Perla venata would be perfect. don't forget, it's only going to be 24" 3' up above the floor. keep that in mind.

and using the zellige tile as a backsplash, (try the weathered white) would also be a nice choice.

the other option could be a solid gray quartz.

The Eternal Serena in the matte finish is nice. (I actually have this in my kitchen)

or something like these

I don't care for the pure white.

That first one of the porcelain is nice

Hiela, did you finish your kitchen remodel? I was wondering how it turned out. I was running through this thread because I was thinking of using the Ikea Havstorp in beige. Thank you!

Hi everyone, wanted to give an update now that we finished our remodel. I went against some of the advice given after bringing some samples home. our room face north with low light and concrete was just too cool. We are thrilled with were we landed countertop wise even if took searching through hundreds of options and months of shopping.

We landed with a very plain and ligh learhered taj mahal slab. pricey but beautiful. if i hadnt done my kitchen reno in.phases (thinking we wouldnt touch everything) , id likely would have picked all beige cabinets. Overall for our low budget we are thrilled, and if future owners hate it, they can easily replace the terrazzo. much cheaper than updating a countertop!

Pics were taken with low light and blinds down, so not great sorry

@sandra_b i love my beige havstorp. they were super budget friendly and the perfect neutral. if i did it all over, i would have done all beige.