You have medium/dark oak cabinets.

This would be honey oak.

Why are you getting such expensive countertops?

To create a cohesive kitchen the items you select should be all at the same price level.

You don't buy a dress at WalMart and wear the Hope Diamond necklace with that dress. Do you currently have plastic laminate countertops? I'd consider them.

Or I might consider these wood veneer from IKEA

I would choose a white countertop, no 4" curb backsplash.

After the countertop is installed, choose a tile backsplash to highlight all the colors you love in the room. You may need to update lighting after the countertop goes in, depending on whether or not you have enough light.

Thanks for the clarification on the cabinet color. I've guess I've been been calling them the wrong thing.

I'm getting quartz countertops because that's what I want. But I'm still trying to figure out what color to go with.

find your source of material so you know what price point for which selections. then bring in 3-5 samples and get votes/ opinions. Whites, or the correct cream/taupe or very light gray covers a big swathe of options and any of these shades might work

i might NOT try to match floor...instead a very light gray w a backsplash of your choice works.

this is modern but the wood cabinet tone w this counter pick is the idea.

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^ oohh love the green! I might also look at Artic White - I think a solid color would be best given the grain of the cabinetry and the patterns on the flooring

Yes the introduction of green paint on the walls with light countertops would work.

Take off one door and go countertop shopping. There might be another stone that you will fall in love with if you have your actual door with you. Many of us just found a stunning slab and… that was it.

Have fun. Let us know what you find.

This is like building an outfit. Slacks, top, shoes, purse, coat, jewlery, tie, suitcoat, hair accessorties, makeup . . .

Each part has to work with the other parts to come together as a fully coordinated outfit.

Kitchen, flooring, cabinets, countertops, backsplash, wall color, knobs and pulls, appliances all need to work together

I found this example on the internet where the owners picked each item without thinking about the others. . .

My own experience was buying a home with maple cabinets and pink undertoned tile flooring that was next to flooring that was just a bit more orange undertoned vs pink.

It was hard to find a neutral paint color that worked well with the cabinets and both floors. (I ended up picking a paint color for the main areas of the house that worked with both floors and painting the walls of the kitchen a deep burgundy. It worked and I didn't have to remove either the cabinets or the flooring.

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Your flooring seems to work well with the cabinets.

Take samples of both along when you shop for your countertops and backsplash.

Look at your final selection in natural daylight. Inside my home the nuances of the tile color wasn't obvious, but natural daylight really enhanced the differences and let me "see" the problem. Inside all I could tell was every wall color looked too muddy, too yellow, too violet too something.

There is absolutely no reason you cannot use a quartz countertop in your kitchen.

Again, it is a matter of selecting the right materials that work nicely together. You don't want one thing to stand out like a sore thumb, one thing that makes the rest look too fancy or too shabby, too new or too rustic.

I buy most of slack at LL Bean. I don't wear them with Jimmy Choo's or my rubber flip flops that I wear with my swimsuit to the beach. I wear a conservative pair of pumps or flats that fit the style of the pant.

I would not get an underlit glass countertop with your cabinets. I would pick a quartz, granite, corian or even a laminate (formica). I probably wouldn't go with butcher block. To me, butcher block would feel too rustic, country with with the style of the cabinets.

I did learn that not all solid surface/quartz are equal. I bought MSI solid surface counters for my two bathrooms and they are fine. After purchasing them I read more and learned more and I would not choose that brand for my kitchen. They would scratch and etch and possibly stain in a kitchen environment. I am getting Cambria for my kitchen when I renovate that room. It is a better qualtiy Quartz.

The nice thing about quartz is that it is a manufactured process where you have consistancy in quality from year to year. With stone you are somewhat at the mercy of the sales person/stoneyard staff. There are all kinds of horror stories of people buying what they thought was white granite, to find out that the stone they have is soft, breaks easily, stains and etches. Oops - not really granite. There are stones with flaws and sometimes it is really hard to get a matching replacement if you buy 3 slabs for your kitchen and one of the three breaks. Now what?

I like the idea of getting a solid color countertop. You have a lot of movement in the grain of your cabinets and in your floors. I'd go for a light neutral color. Your floor has a lot of warm undertones whereas you appliances are very cool. You are not going to mediate between those two. I'd pic a warm countertop that goes with the floors and cabinets. Your appliances are always going to pop no matter what.

Do they make more solid colored quartz now than when I was looking 4 years ago? I hope so. I ended up instead getting Corian and love it.

I had a big budget and wide choice of countertops when I redid my kitchen and chose Corian over quartzite, marble, quartz because of the calming lack of movement. Yes, I have Corian counters and a subzero fridge and completely custom cabinets. While the budget lines items might look like Alexander McQeen and Dollar General flip flops, the look of my kitchen is not. It is seamless and beautiful together. We need to get beyond price tags and look at what actually works.

Bring home a few quartz sample variations to determine the best undertone for flooring AND the white appliances. Compare the veining and how much/little you prefer and the tones will determine both the backsplash and a new wall color.

1. Better with appliances, but still works well with cabinets and flooring (grout‘s color can make a difference as as well).

2. More veining, a warmer look with cabinets/floor, but still ok with appliances

You can’t go wrong with subway and test different sizes, shades and textures. Narrow down to 2 or 3, but don’t decide until counter is installed and I found a box (that can be returned) gives a much better sense of the overall effect.

Finally, be sure to test a few paint colors, and you may find lighting and hardware will feel dated and want to replace. (Amazon and hardware stores sell handles in bulk and you’ll save a lot.)

https://www.amazon.com/Cabinet-Handles-Brushed-Nickel-Silver/dp/B0734SZQ1V/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?s=hardware&ie=UTF8&qid=1550421725&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=cabinet+pulls&psc=1

https://www.target.com/p/possini-euro-design-layne-modern-ceiling-light-semi-flush-mount-fixture-15-wide-brushed-nickel-silver-organza-clear-glass-shade-for-bedroom-kitchen/-/A-80002533?epik=dj0yJnU9SndsczlhYVVBd1JPbkFNTnhCbmVfd1p4dkdLZzJuQnQmcD0wJm49WGs3T3dISkZMcElnTHk4akhkOGdKUSZ0PUFBQUFBR2VGS1Fz

If you have a loose piece of your floor tile that is actually the most important thing to take when looking at slabs. Or bring samples home so you can see with your floor. Your wood cabinets go with just about anything but it’s the floor and counter marriage that needs to work.

I did mine in calacatta quartz and added a white tile backsplash.