Fix the design first, before selecting the materials. The island needs a prep sink. Doesn't even look like there’s the absolute minimum 36” space to scoot around the table. Plus the really odd TV and fireplace slready commented on.

Soapstone with a lot of green in it would be great!.

Persist until you find a slab you like.....it is worth it. Cabinets can be in place and you can still be searching for the perfect slab. Go to the biggest slab yard you can find and slowly slowly look at everything...at this point one more week or two is not of investment that will last ten years.Hoefully you will take a sample door/ drawer/sample while you look. Have an open mind. Good luck.

Are those stairs going up opposite the fp and the tv? I would not mix 2 light stones in 1 kitchen...it will like you could not decide, or ran out of one material.

Lmao at RoyHobs comment. My mistake Benjamin Moore White Dove is my cabinet color.
This entire Kitchen renovation came about because I really wanted an island. If we had one I honestly probably wouldn’t have opened up this can of worms. Our current kitchen is outdated for sure but it’s totally livable. It’s a very decent size kitchen but layout is very long and narrow. I’m hoping to attach a video of what it looks like currently 5 entrances to get into this space. 2 from the living room, one from the garage, one from the upstairs TV room and one from the doggy room (previously a dining room ) but now a puppy place for our 6 dogs 😳

The fireplace is double sided for living room and kitchen so there was no changing that.
I thought about moving the TV above the fireplace to give us one small walk with nothing on it for a piece of art or coordinating wall paper to match the fabric on the bench we are going to put in front of the Tandy Allen window.

This was the best design we could come up with to get me my island. We are moving the fridge to the right side of the fireplace and a deep pantry to the left. The pantries behind the island near the floating shelves are not very deep at all that enabled us to get the island which measures 104 x 37. There is 36 inches of space surrounding the island. I would have loved more but that’s all we could manage. Soap stone I have to look at. Is it always a honed finish or does it come polished as well? I have fallen in love with several of the marble slabs… just amazed by the beauty and being naturally made. As of right now I am leaning towards a beautiful white diamond/Crystal for the entire kitchen ( not back splash) I agree I do not want a busy marble to take away from the other elements. Unless i can find a subdued Calacatta Machia veccia. Thanks so much for your advice
TBC

Trying to post video of kitchen currently

seems like a work island [no seating or overhang] would be better. Then, in front of the tv a seating island .. How many inches running the length...... before the round table?

Hmm good idea but all the access doorways would be an issue I think and then what would we have in front of the large window? I have to measure that

I have to say my marble counters are very pretty, and I used a ton of sealant, and I reseal it which really isn't difficult. But it still get marks that are permanent. It isn't the stains - I find those relatively easy to get rid of. Its the etching from who knows what because we are SO careful to the point it isn't worth it to me. I knew they were challenging, but worse than I expected. Just my 2 cents. Having other people help in the kitchen is either stressful or just plain have to plan on new permanent marks...again...too much hassle for me. Good luck.

I'm not understanding the white frame AROUND the wood stain. Pick. It's wood or it's white. It makes the kitchen choppy.

Too many finishes and materials.....clearances aren't great. Needless to say? Not every kitchen is meant for an island, let alone one with seating.

Revisit.....a bit toooo much: ) jumble.

Pick ONE stone, and please no quartzite with a marble. Pick.

Without seeing a drawing or cad with every opening passage, and all dimensions? Hard to comment on layout.....other than the vacuum of area at the fire.

I can't help with countertops and you didn't really ask about lay out, but...if this were my kitchen (and it's going to be beautiful), I would skip the seating at the island except for the one chair at the end (for sitting to prep, or one person to hang out) or two smaller stools like herbflavor's pic and addna couple of comfy swivel chairs and a small end table in front of the fireplace. You already have a wonderful dining area and it looks like you want to be able to have people hang out closer to the kitchen (thus the bar seating). I think some upholstered chairs that would swivel toward the action in the kitchen, or to the table/view area, or to enjoy the fireplace/tv would be very inviting and allow chatting with the cook. That would give you much more space in the aisles to navigate around the kitchen.

Hope you find the perfect countertop.

All aisles in the kitchen are 36 inches? Is that cabinet to cabinet or counter edge to counter edge? I know you want an island but the aisles are too narrow. Your fridge is really far away from the sink and you have to walk through the cooking zone in an aisle that is only 36 inches wide to carry stuff to be prepped. If someone is sitting at the island no one is getting through that aisle.

The pantries behind the island near the floating shelves are not very deep at all that enabled us to get the island which measures 104 x 37. There is 36 inches of space surrounding the island.

That adds up to the kitchen being, at most, about 13' wide. 13 feet is the bare minimum for fitting an island. 36" counter edge to counter edge is the absolute bare minimum width for aisle width. With an island constructed of 24" deep cabinets with an overall depth of around 27". Not a 37" island and seating.

Trying to shoehorn that island into that kitchen is a very big mistake. One that you will fully realize one minute too late after the counter top is installed on it.

The chairs on the right side of the island look ok in the picture, but you do not show them pushed out with people in them. You don't really have enough room for folks to sit in them without hitting the countertop behind them and/or stopping all traffic on that side of the island. You said that you already ordered the cabinets. What about pulling the island down toward the other table so that you watch TV and enjoy the fireplace with the island and it frees you up some in the working part of the kitchen?

Don't get the point of the TV in that area?

Are you planning an articulating mount so you can swivel it out and watch from the breakfast area?

At least get a Samsung Frame TV so you aren't looking at a black hole most of the time. Unless you are like my DH that likes leaving every TV on with financial news!

Why do you want an island? How do you view it being used? How is it going to increase the functionality of your kitchen over what you have now.

We're building a new house and fired our first designer because she insisted that we "had" to have an island. I've done enough research and enough reading on this site to realize that It simply wasn't going to give me a functioning kitchen and I'm not giving into trends over function. I hope you don't regret spending all that money just to get your island.

Hire a professional kitchen designer. This has "giant waste of money" written all over it.

the side that is near the pantries is 37 inches

Not with those high back stools. More like 25 inches.

Your kitchen layout is not good.

"Cabinets are due to arrive mid November so I am not sure what I can really change at this point"

Ignored by people on this thread smh

I would guess you could keep the cabinets as they are but eliminate the seating without changing anything, but maybe make the island top a bit narrower. Even leaving the overhang but not putting stools there will make it more functional.

I would hate black countertops. I think the layout is perfectly fine. I don't know which countertop I'd choose because I would have to see it with teh cabinet color. But I do tend to lean with more simple patterns. Are you the type that gets tired of bold things quickly or do you tend to love them? If you love, them, then a bolder choice would be great!

@kayozzy I completely agree about the black countertops especiallly wirh my new kitchen design I have obviously been working with a custom cabinet designer and we decided on the best possible layout for our long and narrow space i am hoping to finalize countertops tomorrow since I no longer feel unsure Cristallo supreme for the win!!!

thank you for your input

The limitations of the space you have can require compromises. You prioritize to get as much as you can. Congrats on the Cristallo Supreme. How about using it on the walls as backsplash. Your wall space is minimal. Or you can pick something showy Link.

Instead of a tv over the fireplace, I would hang a beautiful piece of art. Then, the plan of two chairs, swivel or not, in front of the fireplace, facing the stairs, makes more sense. (Wire for a tv, but cover the outlet with art!). Consider a can light in the ceiling above that area that could shine on art hung on the fireplace wall or down on those chairs.

You and your family will use this space everyday so pick a countertop you love. I love your bold quartzite choices for the island an a more subdued but not boring quartzite for the surrounding countertops. In my opinion, your quartzite choices are practical and will be beautiful for your kitchen. Marble is much softer and less forgiving.

It is good to consider all the wonderful advice you are receiving from others here, however it is difficult for anyone who hasn’t been in the space to get the “feel” of your kitchen, and you know how you and your family will use the space. Do what you know will work best for you.

Good luck, share pictures when you get done and I am confident it will be gorgeous!

I am trying to decide the same thing. from what I hear, if you want a very light countertop, light quartzite countertops will stain. I am leaning towards honed marble on the island and dark honed granite on the perimeter.

Depends on what you plan to use it for. Marble is beautiful and elegant but do you want to deal with the sealer and possibly resealing due to usage. 

Plus you can fall in love with a slab but each slab is different. I ran into the same feeling with variations of Typhoon Bordeaux. So you'll find yourself running around to different yards in the hopes of finding the exact look. Go with your first mind and try not to over think. If no island, look into a floating island and use some of the quartz or marble for the countertop. 

You got this

A framed tv that displays art would be a nicer focal point.

Your photos depict a soothing space in a large part due to the expansive views

I would play that up, ie pick up on the green or brown, I’d use butcher block or some other wood on the island, its a little work to maintain but so welcoming Its also warm to the touch

I have it on mine and we still love it after all these years

Good luck

I agree with others who say don't mix marble with quartzite. Keep shopping until you find the slabs you love. If you get marble, just accept that it will etch and chip. There's nothing you can do about it and it's so beautiful even with the patina. I love soapstone but don't think it fits with your vision.

Regarding layout, it's fixed so it's usless to make suggestions for improving it now. The seating at the island is tight but not on the working side of the kitchen so you can make it work. However, it's not too late to consider a prep sink in the island. I really regret not putting one in my beach house island, but we do elaborate meals for large groups. When it's just a few of us, it's not too bad but i dream of one day changing it.

I know the cabinets are arriving soon, but you can change things up all the way until they are installed.

It looks like you have done a great job ensuring that you can fit everything you want in it, but you haven’t paused to answer the functionality question. You are going to be so annoyed at your kitchen if it doesn’t work.

We went with 42” of aisle space, even after a construction mistake by our first (subsequently fired) contractor made it more expensive. And I am so happy we spent that money. We have two people regularly working in the kitchen, kids in and out, and we never feel cramped or crowded. It’s easy to get to everything we need while we need it because we planned our zones. Just like with people, beauty isn’t everything.

Maybe you can find a cool furniture piece to do a narrower, furniture style island with no seating? Maybe no island there and something cool in front of the fireplace instead? Or maybe just build a narrower, no seating, open-shelf island with a furniture feel?

As you go into this remodel, expect several more design dilemmas and needing to be creative, compromising, and flexible. You’ll have a kitchen you love as long as it feels functional, not annoying. This is the difference between good design and bad.

For your actual question, the quartzite - as long as you test a sample of it for etching, hardness, and porosity.

I would consider Fantasy Brown (people argue if it’s quartzite or granite but like the functionality and it’s used often in kitchens). It’s warm and has interest but I’d still consider it “safe.” It matches a lot of things well but is especially good at tying white and wood together. It will not overwhelm, but also hide some crumbs (or flaws, stains, etc.) once you start actually living in there.

Also, your choice may matter more or less depending on what you put on top of your counters. Do you leave a cutting board out? Small appliances? Fruit bowl? Mail? Likely the island slab’s looks matter the most as you won’t completely see the rest.

So the white kitchens posted in the original post are inspiration?? If so, I am of the "too much white" opinion. Do whatever you like. Hire a designer if you are going to stay in this house for any length of time. Life is too short to not enjoy the little things like the countertop you will look at/clean/use every day for the forseeable future.

Your kitchen is going to be beautiful! Reading the comments I could see how I would feel pretty upset if I had reached out for advice, about countertops, and was deluged with comments about the layout. My suggestion would be to tape out the current design on the floor, put some chairs in there, and pretend to use the space, and see how it feels. If it works, great! If not, you have time to switch some things up. When I remodeled my kitchen, I was going to add an overhang to our peninsula for extra seating. When I taped it out and put extra chairs in there, it turned out to be too tight. Kitchens are so expensive, so many of us just want to save you from heartache if there was something you could change now before it is too late.

My suggestion would be to tape out the current design on the floor, put some chairs in there, and pretend to use the space, and see how it feels.

I would add putting some bodies on those stools, too, to get a realistic feel for how it works. And to pretend sweep the floor with empty stools in the aisle.

My impression of the kitchen is that is overwhelmingly white. The kitchen would benefit from some color, even if it in the the counter top, I agree with a other comment to replace the TV with a picture/canvas.

People still watch TV?

Vinmarks: why does the fridge need to me near the sink?

Anything but marble! It is too hard to keep looking good, no matter how much sealer. The etching from ordinary use is so frustrating. Go with quartz!

Jennifer - have you found “the” countertop?

@granny4ten Because you take stuff out of the fridge and bring it to the sink to wash and prep.

Wow…..this has turned into quite the thread! So, you can’t do anything about the layout and spacing, your cabs will arrive soon; I say fine, you’ll deal with occasional tightness, perhaps, but it is what it is, and life is all about compromises. If things bug you too much after a while, you can always change out the island. I looked up Cristallo Supreme, and it reminds me a bit of Taj Mahal (at least some images). Our TM is also light, but we have no issues with staining.(Of course I don’t let anything “nasty” or acidic or oily sit on it.) We also have warm white cabs (mostly) and accents of wood (walnut mostly), and we decided to use a walnut slab on the island; it adds a lot of warmth, is beautiful, complements the TM and is nice to sit at (not as hard and cold as stone)…..that could be an option for you, too. (That way you don’t have to mix stones, or stone with quartz, and your quartzite can stand out. For backsplash I’d either use simple, non-competing tile, or more of the quartzite.) As for counter seating, I’d definitely get stools that you can push up closely and under the overhang….you don’t want to use large stools in a tight space. Re TV location etc: it may be an odd spot, but it’s your house, your choices…only you know how you live, we don’t. I’m sure all will turn out fine, so good luck!

People still watch TV?

Sure do! Many dilemmas on the TV wall.

It’s too late now, but with a kitchen this size and the long narrow space, you definitely needed a kitchen designer. They can take your wish list and figure it out and talk you through the best options so you can decide the best layout and finishes for you.

At this point, it’s definitely easiest to lop off the seating on the island, add a cozy seating area in front of the fireplace/TV, and choose some countertops. You love. Agree that wood on the island would look very nice.

Definitely what Amy said. All the more because, I just noticed, OP has two medium-large kitchen dogs.

If you can find light, creamy Taj Mahal slabs, they would absolutley work with your plan. Just be aware there are TM slabs out there which are darker, almost olive-y.

Will be beautiful!

Choose something that you love! Trends come and go, but if you look at something in person, and it looks beautiful to you, you will hopefully always love it.