Weiss - I have natural red birch in my kitchen and the grain is really lovely. It is not as light as maple and has more grain. I understand that red birch is the heartwood only and therefore is more expensive than regular birch. I love most natural wood grain and would be loath to stain (cherry, walnut, maple, oak) but choose red birch because it was on the lighter side (my kitchen is in a dark corner of the house) but has more grain than maple. The counters are pietra del cardosa, which looks a bit like soapstone but is more gray and is not oiled (though you can use an ager to make it more of a charcol/soapstone look.) It looks less dusty in person. I love how it picks up the gray undertone in the wood. Here are a couple of photos Good luck.

Porcelain slate lookalikes will have zero shaling, won't scratch, and will never need sealing. Look for ones that have a V5 variability. I'ma big fan of Mannington's Serengeti Slate in the Midnight Mist color after I saw it at LWO's grand opening of her showroom. It was very realistic. Here's a pic from her Houzz page. [Transitional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2112) by Other Metro Kitchen & Bath Designers ProSource Memphis

I think that going with something that is relative uniform is the way to go. I think that because of the lightness of your cabinets, a darker countertop would be best. I didn't see the color of the floor. This should be taken into account as well. Soapstone is fabulous and would really set them off, but since it is very expensive, you could use Uba Tuba, Verde Butterfly or Verde Peacock (all 3 in the green family-great with the red tones of the natural birch), Tan Brown which looks fabulous with lighter cabinets with a reddish hue, New Caledonia, Black Pearl, Giallo Fiorito, or New Venetian Gold. They are all Level One priced. All of the Blue Pearls (there are seveal of them), Green Pearl, Silver Pearl, and Steel Gray would all look very nice. These are medium to high priced in the Atlanta area Level Two or Three, at times. Whatever you choose, the Soapstone would probably be the best. As you said you can buy your appliances on time and get the soapstone. You can even have soapstone grooved on the side of the sink as a drainboard and it will not hurt the look or the quality. It does scratch, which is why most people don't use it as well as the high cost, but oh so fabulous it looks with a new coat of oil. :)

I recommend you check out the finished kitchens blog. You can search for red birch floors, and then view the kitchens that used that flooring, seeing what the owners used for cabinets and granite. Myself, I used select red birch flooring, and paired it with rustic cherry cabinets (natural, no stain -- just a slight glaze) and Juperana Florence granite. Photos of my kitchen are in the Finished Kitchens Blog. Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Kitchens Blog