We're working on piecing our fixer upper kitchen back together. I always thought I'd want white cabinets, but this house (a 1940's ranch with some original Craftsman details left) didn't feel right with white. It has the original medium oak floors and natural wood trim. I wanted to keep those details, and white just felt off. I do, however, want a warm and sunny kitchen. The original cabinets were junk, so I painted them a rich creamy yellow (Hawthorne Yellow, by Ben Moore). I know I did this backwards....usually you pick the paint to match the counters. But, I love this yellow, so that's that! Now it's time to pick a counter.

Because of our budget, we're going with a stock laminate from our local hardware design store (I know, granite/butcher block/concrete whatever would be better....but we have a tight budget). I initially felt gravitated toward dark counters (slate and dark gray/black granite looks) until I saw larger samples next to my yellow cabinets. Now I think It's be better off with something in the medium range...but can't decide between medium (faux) granite with more brown/tan tones in it (Milano Quartz), or one that is mostly gray (Perlato Granite). They also have another option called Sequoia Slate that I feel drawn to as well: more of a solid brown color with streaks of tan in it (pic attached).

The walls in the kitchen will be a soft ivory to keep the yellow front and center.....So, ivory walls, yellow cabinets, natural wood trim and floors. We have lots of natural light, and I'd like to keep the warm, light feeling.

Attached is a picture of our cabinets in progress (messy) that shows the yellow color, the wall color, and the floors.

Thoughts?