I don't know much about laminates, but how about a black with some sparkle? Or a lighter, blackish, color with a lot of subsidiary tones? Or a black with red tones?

With natural cherry you can go total contrast or you can pick up one of the component tones. For instance, if you don't want the counter tops to be as much of a focus item (being waist high and flat it naturally will draw the eye), you can try a darker red-brown tone.

Can you get a swatch ring or three from your designer or home store? Usually they make you charge a deposit for the cost of the thing to make sure you bring it back, but then they refund it/tear it up if you don't keep it longer than you said. The best thing is to go through all the "noes" with DH and then the possibles, and then find something you both like. (Gadzooks, it sounds like naming the baby--the process is the same!)

How about checking into other greens and maybe even a grey/green. Maybe with some black splotches in it.

You really do need to see the swatch against the other finishes and in your lighting situation.

I would think a grey/black would bring it all together. The appliances and the trim.

Did you look at Formica Basalt Slate? The small sample is a little deceiving--it looks mostly black, but when it's installed it reads like a much softer charcoal with light veins. My sister has it with cherry cabs and it looks very nice. Another Formica pattern I really like is Colorado Slate. It is a mixture of rusty browns and greens that I think would really complement your natural cherry, if your husband really likes green. I think green and natural cherry look great together, but I don't think you could go wrong with a charcoal gray either.

YES! Formica Basalt Slate is gorgeous. It is the closest I could find to a soapstone look-alike. I will be putting the honed finish in my kitchen and I'm excited about it!

You can go to Home Depot and see the large pieces. That's what sold me on it...seeing a whole slab of it. However, they only stock them with the 4" backsplash, and I don't want that. So it will still be special order.

Thanks, guys, for responding. I lost this thread while GW was having problems, and have only seen these responses today. It turns out the person who contracted our floors also does countertops, and she gave us a WilsonArt ring. What do you think of this?

Here is a link that might be useful: Beryl Brush

It's nice and soft and swirly! What do you think of it ? :)

Wow! I like that alot :) It looks kind of gray/green.....I think it would look beautiful with your cherry cabs!!! How about your walls? What color will they be? Just curious as I will be doing this soon :)

I think I like it. I would want to see a larger sample, of course. Do you think the brush-stroke pattern looks too artificial?

They have that in a local bank. It looks nice. They have it with light cherry formica.

Well, we're going with natural cherry cabinets and Caesarstone in the color Lagos Blue looks great with it -- a greyish (greenish?) brown with a bit of a sense of gold in it that picks up the cherry. We got this color from our architect after hauling in a large piece of porcelain that wasn't suitable for counters but was really pretty.

See my post of today about the questions associated with Lagos Blue or wait until the GW search engine starts to work again to see what others have had to say. I have absolutely no idea about the cost of this material but we have a big piece of it and it's really beautiful next to the cherry. If nothing else, perhaps it will help point you down a color path.

I also have natural cherry cabinets, and I chose black impala granite for my counters. I also considered black galaxy, ubatuba, and a couple EQ colors. I like the way the black impala looks black from a distance, but has gray/silver flecks up close. Just another option for you, if granite is within your budget. Also, shiny polished granite will reflect light, not "suck it up" like laminate might.

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I used a multi-color backsplash to tie all the colors together (red tones of the cabinets, black of the counters, stainless steel of the sinks).

More photos are linked thru my member page.

Here is a link that might be useful: black impala

What about a white granite or quartz? These will have swirls or spots of grey and black and might help lighten things up a bit.

I have natural cherry cabinets too and used "peacock" granite for the tops. It is dark, but leans toward the green side. Green and cherry really are nice together like another poster said. This is my opinion only--but I would never use a laminate. They just don't wear over the years. The right granite will do justice to your cabintry and wear forever. I see so much laminate and it looks so terrible after a few years. I had the Wilsonart in my former home. Never again.

Just my 2 cents here but I think black or dark would be the way to go. I personally am not fond of the idea of a gray counter with your cherry and black accents. Unless it were very dark gray, like a slate or soapstone look. My friend has black laminate and her kitchen is in the middle of her home (no windows) and it looks great! She does have white cabinets but I think with the right lighting you really don't need to worry about the dark countertop issue. I have very dark counters (ubatuba granite) on glazed maple cabinets and not a huge amount of natural light. It works for us.

As I have struggled with my own color choices, I won't address that. I would, however, like to comment on the laminate choice. I think it is an excellent option and there are many colors that will look lovely. In my last home my laminate counters looked great. Buy what you like and spend what you want. Granite isn't an option for everyone, nor is it everyones choice. It is a beutiful choice, but not the only one.

Basalt Slate laminate:

YES!!! gssh, abbycat's is exactly what I was thinking of. I love your kitchen abbycat, it's contemporary but warm and I love all your colors! I love your brick wall, too!

I just sent this thread to my DH (who's living in the place while I keep earning the money!), and I love all your ideas. We're still thinking of laminate for a number of reasons, not just financial -- after all, we spent at least three times as much as our original intention on just about everything in the kitchen. For one thing, I currently have granite tiles in the kitchen in my apartment, and I don't like it -- it's cold and unforgiving. We've also had a lot of trouble finding reliable craftsman on the Island where we're building, and laminate is something my DH, who is a skilled furniture maker, can do himself. We like a lot of other things about it, too, and since we plan to live there till they drag us out, I'm not too worried about enhancing the value.

I'll try to get some pictures in the next couple of weeks and put them up here.

What would you think about stainless steel? How pricey is it, compared to, say, Corian?