willet, lol, you may confuse me with rhome any time! That is quite a compliment for me! I do hope the SS works out for you if that's what you want. For us, aside from the layout, this was the biggest and most difficult decision. Keep us updated! I meant to mention earlier, the marble.com site has much more than just marble. It's a great place to see all kinds of stone and has an extensive gallery. doraville, somehow I missed your laminate suggestion. I will have to keep that in mind when we redo our bathrooms, though I am hoping our remnant of Impala will at least fit our master. want2bsure, I couldn't for the life of me figure out BB, though I looked at all the previous posts. (I wouldn't be surprised if I missed something obvious, but wondered if you meant SS.) The main two colors I see are dark gray, almost black, and a slightly lighter gray. If you've only seen Impala online, there are some pics that show it as looking browner, but I think that's the light. There are flecks and patches but those are silvery rather than coppery. I think they show up better being leathered than polished. Leathered Polished Also because of the lighting, I'm not sure what is the primary tone, but there is no red or brown at all. However, it's about the same in tone as an oiled SS (but more a gray than a blue or green tone). With my warm red oak floors, I think it's a good color. I was skeptical about ordering a walnut colored butcherblock (oh, duh... there's the BB, nevermind!) to go with the dark gray tone of the Impala, but I did it anyway and I think it will be fine. Look at Marron Cohiba (also called Antique Brown) and Imperial Brown. They are slightly warmer but don't read all brown. In fact, the MC reads more gray than brown to me but has some beautiful grains that change colors depending on the light. jrueter has a beautiful kitchen using this stone for her counters. I'm sorry I don't have a link but if you search as suggested above or on GW, I'm sure you will find it. If not, I'll pull up a link later. Stick with the plywood as long as you can stand it to give yourself some time!

wendypf, you pic didn't come through for me. There is an box with an x in it where your photo should be. Tried clicking on it too with no luck. Can you repost the photo?

I think Stephanie brings up a good point. She LOVES grey. If you love gray (and I mean not because it's the in color right now but you've always been drawn to shades of gray) then I say go for it. Especially if you have no plans of moving in the next 10 years. However if you are choosing the gray because it's what is being seen all around (like in RH which started the trend), and you've become "accustomed" to it, sort of like in the 60's we became accustomed to nehru suits and avocado green appliances, then I'd say go instead with something more neutral and bring in the grays in the other areas. Also, it may be the photo, but Stephanie's floors have a hint of gray but look more like a natural floor than one that was stained with gray. Beautiful kitchen btw!

I think we are moving in the direction to do the island, perimeter counters and backs splash (all the way up the wall) in the same White Santorini Quartzite. Any feedback on this? Im sensitive to adding too many different materials into the mix. Is this too much of one thing?