I'm giving you a bump here even though I don't have any specific advice. Maybe if you could post samples of the counters and cabs then people could 'see' what you are thinking about. Most people aren't familiar enough with all of the countertop materials and names to be able to give you an opinion with that alone -- althought many of us are TKO. I never looked at quartz, so I'm not sure what those specific colors look like.

Have you considered one of the solid complimentry colors? I love Cambria. I am looking at Parkgate and Cherrybrook. I think the website has your Nottinham paired with Hazelford but I think the Hazelford is a little dark. Make sure you see your color in at least a 12 x 12 size the little 4x4 does not do the colors justice. Look at their website under complimentry colors. I have a small kitchen and I might just go with one color. DH wants granite so we shall see.

Our Cambria top had terrible resin pooling. Here's a picture of my old Cambria island. We replaced it with granite.

Hi all,
Marybeth1, you are right about the small sample size vs bigger...In the showroom, I was looking at the 12x12 slabs, under the showroom's lighting conditions. When I brought the samples (4x4) home, colors looked a little different! Specifically, the Burton Brown...it looks darker than it did in the showroom. I wanted something more creamy in color. However, I looked on their website and the closest to solid colors they have are too light.

jnjmom, it true that pics would help. I will try to post some pictures soon....I'm new to this forum, and need to spend some time learning how to post pics....

old1880home....Wow...I can see that resin pooling on your cambria, and it does have me quite worried :( Your color even looks like the Nottingham we have chosen. I know there is a thread somewhere about Cambria and resin pooling...I hope it is not the norm to have this happen.
I better go read up on Cambria's guarantees etc..

You should be able to inspect your slabs, just as you would with granite, before they are cut. I have Cambria Bristol Blue and saw my slabs first - there were two tiny spots I didn't like and the fabricators marked them and worked around them - exactly as they would with granite.

I can't comment on your colour choices but I would encourage anyone to have Cambria, but ensure that you inspect the slabs before fabrication.

newhome -- I linked to some directions that are great for posting photos. Welcome to the bestest forum ever!! :o)

PS -- i prefer using tinypic.com to upload my photos. GL!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Adding Photos

I love love love my cambria. Have you looked at Reading, its a newer brown that is very nice. The kitchen designer warned me of a few colors that tend to have more resin pooling than others- Reading was not one of them. I think Victoria was one, and Nottingham was OK (but not for sure, so don't rely on me!)

One trick I learned- although it will cost you a bit at the copy shop, is to make photocopies of the different colors and place them on your current countertops to see what that much of the color will look like in your space. It helps!

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: You can see my countertop color here

Hi,
Thanks for all your responses! I agree...this is the bestest forum ever :) jnjmom...thanks for the link for posting pics...will get working on that soon hopefully!

I will get in touch with my KD to see if I can indeed inspect the slabs before they are ordered. I appreciate your advice Sara...I did not know that slabs for cambria can be inspected and chosen like you do for granite.

David...your kitchen is beautiful! Love the colors especially the colors of your countertops! That shade of brown is so rich. It looks like another trip to my kitchen showroom to look for more colors!!
Thanks again for everyone's help.

Thought I would post these pictures for you hope you get some more responses.
Burton brown
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Nottingham
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cabinet color

I love the Burton Brown. It goes nicely with your cab door sample. I hate making these kinds of decisions, it's nerve wracking.

:)

When playing with the Cambria site last night, I matched up the Nothingham with Lancaster. Have a look and see what you think.

It's so good to see the Cambria! We are about to start our kitchen reno & have chosen Nottingham for all surrounding counters & Granite on the Island(probably Renoir, which has a lot of same colors as the Burton Brown)--just the opposite of you. Our kitchen is large & has a lot of natural light. Our cabs are maple/spice. I think the combination you have chosen is stunning! (of course I'm partial...) I look forward to future info/pics. Thanks! Lynn

I like the Nottingham best, but what is your floor color?

Hi there!
Marybeth1... SO nice of you to post those pics...THANKYOU SO MUCH :) ...they really help folks to see and visualize things better. The cab color is very similar to ours.

I did take a look at the Lancaster, and it looked beautiful... a creamier color which is the look I am going for. The Burton Brown is really nice but I am wondering if its just a tad dark in tone. Our kitchen will have a fair amount of light but not too much, so i am thinking of lightening things up a bit.

Lynn, your kitchen sounds great! Likewise, I will look forward to seeing your progress and pics. Do you have picture of your granite? Good luck with the reno!

Have not decided on floor colors yet....I am STILL trying to decide between wood and ceramic tile (because I am not sure which is the more 'practical' choice). But thats another discussion!!

I am glad to see people saying good things about cambria....I could not get in touch with my KD yesterday regarding inspecting the slabs first. The resin pooling thing still has me a bit worried. Lynn, do you plan on looking at your Nottingham slab before you order it?
Thanks guys!

newhome, No problem glad to help I went on the Aristcraft Website and just picked a maple door with Saddle finish. I don't think the Burton Brown is dark at all. My girlfriend has it in her kitchen no windows with medium oak cabinets and it looks lovely. I think you should have some idea at least what color tone you want in your floor and think about if you want to contrast it or blend. I do like the the Quarry Collection the best. Is the Sutton too light for you? I love the contrast of the Nottingham and I think the Burton Brown matches your Cabinet color beautifully. I guess it comes down to the look your trying to achieve.

My fabricator said that we could not look at the slab, as they are made in Minnesota and shipped to local fabricators for finish work. But, since I did not order Victoria they said it should not be a worry- maybe your kitchen person has different advice though. And really, even if there is some color pooling, it will more than likely be somewhere where you would not even notice it- or maybe you won't even care or notice. I know, there are so many worries, but in the end, you kitchen will be so much nicer than it probably is now- even minor imperfections are not biggie. Not worth losing sleep over, in my opinion (I'm sure others disagree though :-) )

Just for the record. I loved my Cambria (have since moved). Mine was Windsor. In certain light, it was dark, in other light, it took on beige tones. I know that's not what you are asking, and I can't help you with colors, but in case you think all Cambria owners have had problems, that was not the case with us. If there was color pooling for me, I did not notice it. Might have been the nature of my color choice.

I note David123 was told he couldn't inspect his slab "because it's made in Minnesota" - I inspected mine at the fabricators. I realised, if I rejected it completely, then I'd have to wait weeks until new ones were available, but it was actually my fabricator's preference to have the customer sign off on the slab, including indicating any areas to avoid.

If your KD tells you that you can't inspect, insist on hearing that direct from the fabricator. Mine was one of the largest stone dealers/fabricators in CT, and they were happy to have me visit their yard.

I really am loving my Cambria.

Newhome- Thanks about reno--starting end of Jan. I'm working with a great staff, KD,GC & another designer...I'm sorry, I don't have any pics of granite or Cambria at this point. I wasn't aware of seeing the Cambria (Nottingham)in advance...but I will ask about today. I know I was told about chosing/seeing Granite (Renoir).

Sorry about the delay in reply; I have the mother of all colds, lol. But I was so excited about your post!