lol...i totally want carerra. i would get soapstone if i could. in my last house we remodeled and i got cobra soapstone which was great. i would recommend it to anyone and everyone. our last house was in PA. now we are in florida. i am going to get a cobra sink made and shipped down here but soapstone down here would cost us too much for counters....over $100 more a sq ft than carerra. but carerra is my #2 choice and i love how it looks. but...i cook for reals and i know "patina" is my destiny. but still...i don't know if i am prepared for "the big one!" like an 8" turmeric stain or whatever. on the plus size..the cost here is about $44 a sq ft. it's beautiful. it's natural. it doesn't contain any toxic resins or formaldehyde or radon. i can live with some wabi sabi and if we sell 20 years from now and it looks like crap, i guess we will have to replace it w/new marble to get it ready for the market. who knows! i just want to see some pics ;)

It can't be "unlaminated" without a very high probability of ruining the parts. This is one of those problems that results from inadequate communication up front. However, it's not always the fabricators fault. I had a similar compliant once upon a time and it was AFTER I had sent a drawing detailing the edge profile which showed clearly that there would be a seam. The home owner selected the edge over the phone on advice from her interior designer and did not come in to our shop despite our recommendation that she do so. So, despite a thorough effort at communication I still had a very unhappy customer. The designer admitted she did not know that a "laminate" was different than a mitered edge. I did the tops over with a mitered edge at my cost (several thousand dollars) mostly because the customer was a big builder and a repeat customer. I would not have re-done the job for an individual. I did not believe I was in any way at fault. However, as a business manager I occasionally fix problems at my cost simply to keep a big customer happy even though I didn't do anything wrong. It becomes a marketing expense.

for the handles, may I suggest something to pick up on the hues in the flooring? A little more copper toned. you have light cabs, light floors. I think throwing in a dark ORB w/o actual copper highlights would be too much of a contrast. IMO. cypress park Sandra, I like the porcelain one better than the other one. Does the backsplash have to be done immediately? If the tones in the porcelain tile you picked clash w/the ivory tones in the counter, it could be a problem. However, I did find some copper toned ones that should be avail. these are porcelain/SS, and treated so as not to stain or tarnish. I LOVE these for your kitchen. timeless and gorgeous. They are probably not super cheap, but it would be worth it for me. http://www.miusartmosaics.com/arabesque-lantern-beacon-copper-tile-in these would also work. the site is here: maybe they have them in stock.http://www.westsidetile.com/arabesque-tiles/ i like this one too. notice the copper faucet. beautiful w/the glass mosaic. if you got the cream countertop, this would look amazing w/your floors. this last one is a copper colored slate/quartzite.

Formica is a heat resistant, wipe-clean, plastic laminate of paper or fabric with melamine resin. This product was pretty standard in most homes for countertops in years past. Then with the popularity of stone, it was used less and less. You can find samples of formica in any box store near you. The cost is minimal compared to stone, although the look can resemble quartz or granite and does not have the panache stone has.