Hm... I totally get the top picture. I can absolutely see it. But it's a no go.

I think it's either time for an expensive, custom, solution, or to totally forget it and come up with a totally new plan.

The stuff in the second picture looks really good with the wood sample. Really good. But compared to the richness of the top one, it's a little country mouse next to Miss America.

I think you're right about needing something with pow and zing. Have you seen the quartzes with the slices of geode in them? I think there's a white one. It has rounds in it, however, not the linearity.

Re custom: I wonder if it would be possible to laminate slices of Caesarstone, then resin and regrind the surface to create a look like the marble?

Or maybe to seal the marble in a layer of resin (if it wouldn't go yellow)?

There's a recycled material that's pretty much like Corian but it's solid solid solid white. Bright white. It's really gorgeous.

I don't know how elastic your budget is. White BioGlass is expensive but gorgeous.

I wonder if you could dye statuary marble and then seal it?

I can see why you loved the first marble, it's stunning. But it reminds me of a surface that's almost too pristine to be worked on... maybe cause it is! The quartzite is not reading that gray to me. The ground color still appears white. I think it'll look stunning and quartzite is suppose to be bulletproof

Can you use the Cipollino as a backsplash to a Caesarstone counter?

I think riverspots may be onto something there. Maybe you could take a sample of the caesartone organic white to see how it looked with the cipollino as a backsplash.

Luce de Luna is gorgeous. By itself as well as with your cabinets.

Rhome and I may both be country mice - hey, better than being rats, huh? rhome? ;-) - but I love the latter too. The Cipollino is lovely too, but LdeL is no slouch in the prettiness department, in my book.

Besides, Luce de Lune slabs can vary just as any other stone. You can find it to be quieter, louder, bluer, browner, whiter or creamier.

Well, count me in with the country mice because I love the Luce di Luna best of all. IMHO it's just gorgeous with the walnut! That said, I would be pretty nervous about how to handle seams, given such strong linearity. If your layout avoids counter seams, I'd vote for the Luce di Luna in a heartbeat!

Thanks everyone!

Plllog - this far into our renovation I'm not sure I have the strength to come up with a custom counter, although I love all your ideas. The eco glass looks very cool, but possibly a little too sleek for this kitchen. But keep the alternate suggestions coming!

riverspots - I thought of that as well. I will follow up with the stone people to see how thick the various Cipollino slabs are.

Thanks for the Quartzite votes. It is lovely, absolutely. Mindstorm, you're right of course, different slabs will look different and I really love some of the examples you provided. I don't think the suppliers in my area have that much choice however. I've seen two different slabs, but both look like the one I posted above. Definitely gray and a little muddy, but still beautiful. Without white next to it, however, it would probably look white(ish) in my kitchen. I guess my white backsplash idea would be out the window!

Please keep the opinions and ideas flowing, thank you.

Smiling - thanks for the vote. We would probably need at least one seam. I have a 14' run and a 7' peninsula that comes out from the long run. You're concern is getting the linear movement to match up? I'd have to talk to the fabricator about that, hmmm. There is also an issue of the peninsula counter running in a different direction from the main run to deal with.

What if the counters were a plainish quartz and the striated marble was the backsplash. (With hidden receptacles of course).

LOL! Dear Mice, I did say that the LdeL "looks really good with the wood sample. Really good."

I can't think of anything that's less outrageous than my earlier thoughts. Another alternative might be sliced white riverrocks, which come netted, but people around here are anti-grout. Or one of those granites that look like they're a bunch of rocks. Some are very light in the rocks, but the background is usually dark (I've seen green, black, blue and red).

Generally marbles and onyxes are the most dramatic, but aren't generally appropriate for kitchen counters. Marbles and quartzes (and some quartzite) are the whitest. I, personally, don't find quartzite white enough to call white, though it's very pretty in its own self. But for whitish, dramatic, natural stone that isn't a nightmare to maintain it looks like a good bet.

I think it was Silestone that used to have a series of quartz that was different... very very expensive as I recall. for the life of me I can't remember the name of the series. I do remember there was a white on white translucent one... almost large translucent circular rocks white on white. Oh geez... can anyone remember what I'm referring to? Anyway... your kitchen made me think of it.

Thank-you, Elyse, for challenging me to actually find the link. That's what I was talking about earlier. I looked at it somewhere along the line and had a bookmark from my rep. It's CaesarStone Concetto. It's gorgeous stuff.

BTW, they also show it in translucent installations. A more durable alternative to onyx if you want to shine a light through it!

Thats it! plllog. I couldn't find that anymore, because I forgot who made it. Silestone is coming out (?) with a similar Prexury Line (I think, its hard to tell whether its a reality or not.) and hmph about that name.

Here is a link that might be useful: Silestone Prexury

The Concetto is gorgeous, but someone said they heard it is $600 per sf?? That is, um, a little beyond my budget.

I just signed on cause the name literally POPPED into my head as I was doing something else. It is a Caesarstone product! No wonder why I couldn't find it! Damn... I forgot how truly showstopping stunning it looks. I wonder how functional it is? Does it perform like other quartz products? I've had Silestone in my current kitchen for 8 years or more. I'm VERY hard on my surfaces. I cook and bake ALOT, use all sorts of products, am an somewhat of a whirlwind one man band in the kitchen. The stuff has been bullet proof but I want granite in my new kitchen cause I love pieces that have a natural flow like in marble. And... I will DEFINITELY have some marble.

Some of that fancy Silestone/Caesarstone would look HOT as an accent piece behind a stove in the right kitchen environment.

I'm going for the Quartzite Bianca (Luce de Luna)! It feels so good to have that last major decision made! Thank you all for your help. We'll have to pick out the actual slab tomorrow or Tuesday and should have it installed within 3 or 4 weeks I guess.

Our walnut kitchen cabinets went in this weekend, according to my DH they look fabulous, especially with the natural birch floors that just went in. I wish I could see them, but we're not living in the house and I BROKE MY ANKLE on Tuesday, ARGH. I cannot get a cast until the swelling goes down so I have to stay put! It's killing me!

On the flip side, breaking my ankle three weeks before moving back room will greatly reduce the effort on my part :). Poor DH has to make all the final running around decisions, care for a toddler and five year old and ensure I stay off my feet. Poor guy.

Ouch!! You poor thing! But congratulations on making the decision.

Heal quickly (but not too quickly ;) )

Sochi, I love your choice and feel it looks great against the dark beautiful cabinets you chose. I can't wait to see pictures when your counters are installed!

I think you're incredibly lucky (or persistent in exploration) to have found something so close to your original that will work! Fabulous, both of them. Congrats!
Lisa

Oh NO! I am so sorry to hear about your broken ankle, and how much it is interfering with all the "fun" you need to be having in these next few weeks. Hope you heal up just fine, and as soon as possible.

I think your decision is just perfect, and that it's going to look so amazing with those fab walnut cabs. Congratulations on one of the big decisions now made!