Look at the Finished Kitchen Blog and sites like Houzz.
I don't know if i would pick a paint color before the granite.

Since you are near PMI Rock, I'd suggest you take your cabinet door and a floor sample and head over to their warehouse to look at slabs. See what grabs you. I'm not sure you would have to have your fabricator pull from them (unless they already do so) but it will give you a great starting point. They have one of the biggest selections I have ever seen.

Hopefully, the stone will speak to you when you walk by.

My last house I went into the project having no idea what I wanted. I started with dark samples, and ended up with Bianco Antico. This house, I knew I wanted some sort of gray and white counter (would have loved marble but .... never mind..long story).

So, if you have no idea, just go have fun and start looking. Hopefully something will jump out at you. Take your camera too.

Bee

Here is a link that might be useful: PMI Rock

By your handle I thought you would have talked about a bluish or greenish swirl. Maybe something like Karin_mts. Hers has maybe some pink or other sea-ish colors though.

Here is a link that might be useful: Karin_mts Wild Sea counters

I knew I wanted light countertops. I have natural ash wood floors, I knew I was having dark stained cabinets and a green painted island. I thought I might go with something like Cambria Torquay which I always liked in pictures, but when I saw it the color was too cool for me.
Definitely go and look.

The important part:

"...we have to pick out granite."

Until you start looking, it's hard to understand how much you and the other half of "we" may be attracted to different granite patterns and colors altogether. Take your door and floor samples with you, but spend time talking to each other about what you like and don't like in general as you walk by the various slabs - too many spots, too much movement, etc. When you've narrowed it a bit to the kinds of things you both like, then you can get serious about choosing a particular one. If you have the option, take samples home to see what they look like in your kitchen. One I thought was lovely in the granite yard was positively pukey in my kitchen. Surprise! You might even find that a color you'd never even considered is "the one" - it happens. It also helps if you consider this "togetherness time" instead of "OMG, we have to get this done! Now!"

Shop around as much as you can before you have to make a decision. The first 3 or 4 yards we went to I was just overwhelmed and had no clue what I wanted. I finally saw "the one" but kept looking because I wanted to see every slab available under the sun...ha--what a total waste of time. You will know it when you see it....kind of like a wedding dress....grab it and don't look back. But do bring a door sample, etc..that really helps solidify your choice.

Wild Sea would be very apropos for a beach house, but perhaps too close to home after Hurricane Sandy?

It's hard for anyone to give advice on exactly how the stone selection process goes, because I think it's quite personal. For me, the biggest thing was separating the "wow that is a cool rock" from the "do I want that in my kitchen every day?"

There are so many stunning examples of slabs. They are certainly impressive in lots of ways. But the bling factor and the novelty of it is not at all the same as what really works for your design tastes.

But basically, cruising the stone yards will tell you everything you need to know. Soon you'll find yourself pulled in one direction or another. It's tons of fun, so enjoy the process!

Definitely take samples of the floor tile and cabinets or other elements with you and go visit warehouses. Take pictures of the slabs with your samples propped up next to it, so you can refer to them later. Allow a lot of time for browsing and walking back and forth between slabs. We actually picked out a conservative, safe slab but called the next day to say we'd changed our mind and were going with a very bold slab that we both had liked but dismissed as to strong a statement for our kitchen. Once the kitchen was done, and we've been living here for 3-4 months, we are SO glad we went for something we loved instead of something that just "worked" fine but didn't truly excite us. Our unusual granite is one of our favorite things and it gets raves all the time. Take your time, look through as many warehouses and fabricators as you can, take your samples with you, and follow your heart.

suzannesl is right - sometimes you end up with one you didn't expect. I knew I wanted med cherry cabs and I wanted a medium toned granite, I thought a beige/gray type of thing. Maybe blue. Just not green, definitely not green. I ended up with green.

I also used the Sweeby Test, and I had a sense of the feeling I wanted. After looking at stone for a while I came up with "adagio" as an image. I wanted a stone that looked like an adagio sounds, or rather, like an adagio looks when you dance it. Graceful, fluid movement, not dramatic. No big leaps. (Also, I didn't let myself fall in love with anything I knew I couldn't afford)

I went to every stoneyard in town, some more than once, and one 100 miles away, carrying a little table that was the color I wanted my cabs to be. Once I got this image in my mind it was easier, because I could eliminate anything that wasn't an adagio. I also liked a particular fabricator - he had the best seams and good reviews online - so in the end, I chose from stone he had available.

Karin_mt is right, it is loads of fun. For me, the most fun in the whole kitchen process. I wish I had to do it again.

We started with a budget. That gave us certain levels of granite we could look at. Then decided that we wanted something neutral, but with a little movement. We didn't want something crazy, we did want something a little unique since we want to live here for quite awhile. We then went to the granite yards and selected a stone we both agreed on within our budget. I found it to be a really fun process. GL!