WOWZA! That's one fabulous stone. It certainly isn't going to be everyone's taste, but A) you are not looking to sell B) when and if you do sell, a fabulous kitchen with a unique stone won't appeal to everyone but it will have major wow appeal to some discerning buyers and may be what GETS you a sale and C) if you and your wife LOVE it and the extra $4000 isn't going to KILL you and you plan to live there and enjoy for it years, go for it. That's the kind of stone that will make your heart sing everyday...and that's priceless.

AT least, that's my opinion.....

Boston pam: How funny, we were posting at the same time and both used the same phrase about that stone making your heart sing!

Build your home for the people who live there now. For all you know the next buyer won't like tile in the kitchen. Or they won't like brown. If you can afford it, make your wife smile every time she enters the kitchen. Isn't that what a home is supposed to be about?

Fusion is absolutely gorgeous. It is very expensive. I think using it also depends on the style of your house. Even if we won the lottery, our house is a 1970's suburban ranch house and we felt Fusion would really be overkill in our kitchen. But if you have the right house/kitchen, it would be the crown jewel!

My only concern is have you seen it as a countertop. Certainly it could work, but it is going to look different in that type of application than the walls they have on that link. I think over the long term, that stone would probably overwhelm me as a counter, but that is just me. If you love it, then I also say build it for yourself, not the next person.

"My question is is the stone too unique and will we hurt ourselves down the road for potential re-sale of the home?"

Being unique you won't fit in with the averages.

Down the road you are your own worst enemy, you hurt ourselves, in any case.
So embrace it.
Nobody will buy something unique.
Face it.

But, once you do something, it's no longer unique, as the next person who considers doing it is now a copycat.
Now there are two.
Then there will be three.

Maybe there already are others like it out there. Hmm.

The rule of thumb "for potential re-sale of the home" is to go cream and beige.
That is because rulers of thumb have nothing better to say.

What I want to know is how they got that martian meteorite all the way into the showroom before some eccentric billionaire collector bought it and cornered the world market.

Hope this helps.

That is one beautiful, unique & neutral color stone. I would go for it and enjoy it.

I think no matter what, that stone will evoke strong emotions from those that see it.

I had a very visceral negative reaction when I saw it, showed my husband and he thought it was great. He said it evoked "fire" to him and loved it with the fireplace. I won't say what it reminded me of - only that I grew up on a farm and most people may not have even seen what it reminded me of.

Goravens: I reread your message and while I am a huge fan of this spectacular stone, I am wondering about it's suitability with the rest of your kitchen and home. To me the stone is like some gorgeous abstact painting. A huge slab of it on an island would be the focal point of any kitchen smaller than a warehouse.

But if I understand your cabinet choice, they are painted a buttermilk color, with a cocoa glaze? What style are they? I am thinking that they might be fairly traditional...a panel, recessed or raised?

If so, I fear the fusion quartzite will feel discordant. As I said, to me, it's like a giant piece of abstact art and would look absolutely spectacular with stained wood, slab front cabinets and simple bar pulls. But it the look you are going for otherwise is more traditional or transitional, I'd rethink it.

There are plenty of quarzites and granites with lots of movement that are more subtle, but still lovely and full of movement. That would do well with a transitional kitchen. Or go the other way...a contemporary kitchen with that spectacular hunk of rock.

You know... when I saw it, I really though it reminded me of intestines. I can see that it is unique and dramatic, and if you or your wife love it enough to pay for it, you should definitely get it. I hesitated even responding, because you don't need negativity, but I decided that since you DID ask about potential resale... that's I'd offer my opinion.
Here is what I see: an invasive autopsy on a cadaver's abdomen. I can't believe I just typed that and I hope it isn't taken as disturbing because I truly don't think like that! Yikes. I'm just going to shut up now.

How likely are you to spend the same amount on an oil painting or a fabulous piece of furniture? That's the best comparison I can make. This is a personal thing, not a utilitarian thing.

My kitchen and lobby will have a perhaps strange, perhaps beautiful red marble border around floor and counters if the plan holds. People are going to love it or hate it, I suspect. But...the house is red. Anyone who doesn't like red won't consider buying the house so poop on them. What do you have on the outside or in other rooms to accompany this stone stylistically and in the same cost bracket to help integrate it into a larger whole?

Will the kitchen countertop hurt or help the resale? Not sure. I assume this is a rather modern house. The right buyer will be thrilled, but as for me, I would like it better on a wall than under my toaster. I wouldn't rip it out, though, but I wouldn't pay extra for it either. I hear the same for swimming pools in my community. They're there to please the owner.

I saw your ad on craigs list earlier this week. I wondered if the pic was the exact slab you've reserved. I seriously considered this stone prior to making our final choice. The one reason we did NOT settle for this one was that my husband said, "OWTH" get what you want! I was willing to settle for this one and found quite a few slabs in the area to choose from. After viewing them in person, I still wanted our first choice so we got that. The Fusion is absolutely gorgeous and I would have been willing to settle for it! The stone is NOT 'too unique'! Ours is unique too and my husband agreed that if we move, the kitchen is coming with us. I will NOT leave my stone for some 'buyer' who could not possible love it more than I do. I assure you, if we ever move, that stone is coming with us or I'm staying. That's that. And really, if you wanted to sell, why couldn't you put BORING, in it's place for the buyer, realtor and everyone else who doesn't live in your house with you and your family right NOW! Heck, you can get that speckled, neutral, & boring stuff for less money than laminate - put it in after you move out! GO FOR IT! The Fusion slabs that I favored the most had alot of bright yellow, aqua and blue veins running thru it with some orange. There was alot of differences between slabs. The prettiest ones were at Gramaco. Here's the eye-candy we spill our coffee on every morning, splash water on every night after dinner, and leave crumbs on all day after making lunches before work. We LOVE that our stone is not neutral, boring or speckled. We do NOT regret the extra thousands of dollars for it at all; not one penny! Yes, if we could do it all over again, we would!

I love it, it is exactly what I would choose if I had the money. Too bad I'm no where near ready to do my kitchen - I live just north of Baltimore. . . I can dream though!

Cienza,

That is a Fantastic countertop but even more beautiful
were the words you described in how you use it and love it.

~boxer

goravens, that countertop is beautiful - really, a piece of art. When I first looked at it, something about it was reminiscent of a Chagall painting.

Is it unique? YES, very. If you are designing your kitchen with resale in mind, I would hesitate to use it. Already, there are mixed responses on this forum. It is a love it or hate it kind of stone.
Having said that, if you are not looking to sell your home anytime soon, chances are that in a few years there will be other elements in your kitchen that will be dated or undesirable anyway. Just my 2 cents.

WOW, I LOVE it! I'd buy a house with this in it!!!

Anne

I want to reiterate what Melissastar said, and I am surprised no one else has mentioned it. What is the style of the cabinets you have chosen? What is the style of your home? Just reading your words "buttermilk with cocoa glaze" makes me assume it's more on the traditional side, though of course you haven't said, so I can't be sure. If your cabinets are more traditional, I think I would choose a different granite. The pics in the link are of modern homes, with unembellished cabinets and low-slung contemporary furniture to balance the granite. Also, the pics show some slabs with a lot more red, and some slabs with a lot more blue - Fusion differs greatly from slab to slab, so you will have to make sure the slab that has the coloration you want is available.

Also, that granite, while having "wow factor", I wonder if it has lasting power, or will you want something calmer after a year or two. Especially since it sounds like you are planning to stay in the home for a while. The granite sort of reminds me of a red winter coat I once had. I bought it cause I loved the cherry red color, but after a winter of wearing it, I was really tired of seeing that bright red coat on me coming and going, and didn't want to wear it. I next bought a charcoal-colored winter coat, which I still have, and still looks great, and I will continue to wear. Just my little analogy, FWIW.

Also, when we were shopping for granites, it was astounding how many gorgeous granites and quartzites are out there. I'm sorry, but I cannot imagine spending $10,000 on a countertop when there are so many other beautiful choices for less. We chose Alaska White granite (similar to Bianco Antico and White Delicatus). Plenty of movement and interest, but not over the top. Our home is neither traditional nor contemporary, but somewhere in between. Our granite goes well with that decor, and I never tire of looking at it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Direct Link to OP's Link for Fusion Granite

OK, I'm going to pipe up...again. What does the slab you are contemplating actually look like? One of the slabs in the pics has a lot of orange and red. It's fabulous and very dramatic. As I said in earlier posts, if it suits the style of your kitchen and house, I'd urge you to go for it, and damn theoretical bland buyers.

If it is more like the other slab...much more muted in color with greys, blues, creams...though still very dramatic in movement, you probably have more room to vary from a contemporary style kitchen. I'd still be careful not to pile too much on...as Tim Gunn on Project Runway would say "edit"..but I could potentially imagine a painted cabinet with it, whereas the slabs with the oranges and reds...no way.

FWIW....

just think how you will feel when you walk into your kitchen each day and see this stone. And how would you feel if you had to "settle" for soemthing else?

That being said, I think the opsts above above house and cabinet style are compelling and worth considering.

No matter what you decide, clearly you have good taste.

It is beautiful = wow. I actually said "wow!" when I opened the link. If you will love it and are planning to live with it for a long time, go for it. Though I agree - I would take the rest of your house and cabinets into consideration. It does read "contemporary" to me.

I wasn't even going to look until I read Macy's allusions. Course then it got spelled out downstream but I'd already peeked by then.

Goravens, I think it's true that the character of your house and cabinets should be part of the decision. I think if you look at Cienza's gorgeousity you'll observe modern, bland slab cabinets and very modern squarish fixtures. Clearly Cienza loves her _STONE_ and the rest plays second fiddle... maybe even third. The photos of the stone did the same thing; as Florantha, I think it was said, this is more akin to a framed piece of modern artwork than a utility sink. This stone is positively narcissistic. If it hasn't got all the attention of everything in the room it will just be diminished (IMO). If you're up for that, then you're well on your way.

I think - and of course this is just a personal lifestyle choice - but I think unless you're in this remodel for the investment, it's about you and you should do what you want now; I just can't fathom worrying about resale. I guess it depends on your personality, again. But the fact that it is such a charismatic piece shouldn't be a demerit against its potential saleability. You only need one buyer. And you're as likely to hook a buyer on the strength of such a flamboyant piece alone as not. It's true your potential pool of interested-buyers may diminish but for the same reason, those who are a little interested may become a LOT interested precisely because of the stone. At least two people on this thread seem to be already!

Geesh, if you're going through all this effort, do what you need to to stay thrilled about it all. Obviously your personal finances matter but if you're considering it at all then there's some chance you can afford it. It seems like it's a piece that speaks to your soul. That's a pretty priceless commodity. Provided, again, (IMO), that it can be made to play nicely with your other kitchen toys.

If you design a kitchen by choosing the things you love the most in each category--cabinets, flooring, countertops, lighting--you will end up with a garish and discordant nightmare that you hate. That's why I don't see the utility of the "get what you love!" exhortations on an advice forum. It's wrong. Everything has to work together; everything can't compete to be the star of the show.

This is certainly a remarkable stone--although as others have said, it varies widely, and some of the effect comes from both the modern settings and the book-matched construction you may or may not be able to replicate in a countertop.

But this is a stone you start with, not one you end with. It is the defining piece in a kitchen--the strongest color, the most striking pattern, the first thing you see when you walk into the room. Design the rest of the kitchen around it; don't just add it to an existing design.

Especially if it's a traditional design.

Your post has brought me out of lurk mode! My husband and I saw a slab of fusion last weekend when we were out looking for granite. We both absolutely fell in love with it. If we could afford it, we would definitely put it in our traditional kitchen on the islands. The fabricator said everybody in their shop was slobbering all over it when it came in. I say go for it!

I think it is absolutely fabulous. As a realtor, I can assure you that buyers buy houses with kitchens they love a lot more readily than kitchens that are safe. You may find some buyers don't care for it, but those that do will stay up late dreaming about getting your house and will bid accordingly.

I agree about making the counter the star of the show. Maybe just do the island in it and go blander for the perimeter. That would help bring the price down.

By all means, Go For It!

i think Marcolo's on the money. I've always been advocate of the find something you love and design around it approach, whether it's kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms or whatever. It you love this stone, design around it. But don't try to pick a whole slew of different things you love and hope they'll work together.

GoRavens....

1. Ab.so.lute.ly! love the stones shown on the MotW website. I'm more partial to the cooler palate but both are examples are spectacular.
2. The stone on CL, I like it also, but unless you can use the greater majority of the slab in one piece (because of the way the colors 'zone') then I think you will have a slightly minimized wow factor.
3. I've looked at similar stones but for an accent wall in a walk-in shower. I know....huge overkill...and way out of my budget. But a girl can dream right?
4. For me, the stone screams contemporary so as such, I would want to see it in a more contemporary/modern/euro sort of kitchen design.
5. I would like to see it be a focal point piece for use on an island or as a backsplash behind the cooktop, making sure it was beautifully lit regardless of the location.

So there is my 2.5-cents worth of feedback.

Pepper
~ Granite installed yesterday. :-)

I totally agree with those here who said that this stone needs to be designed around, and used as a single focal point rather than throwing it in with other competing elements.

When you asked about whether this counter would limit the existing buyer pool, I can only think about my experience as a (very) recent home buyer. While quite frequently we would look at kitchens with granite or cabinets or flooring that was not exactly to our taste, that was never a showstopper. What was a showstopper, however, was to see a redone kitchen with busy granite, a busy backsplash and a lot of other bling that didn't work together.

I totally agree with Marcolo. This is what you start with and design the kitchen around it. It took me almost 9 months to find my granite and then I picked out my cabinets, floors, backsplash, range color and paint color. I have a lot of movement in my typhoon Bordeaux and because of this most of the kitchen is subdued - at least in my mind.

I did show the quartzite to my 10-year-old daughter. She said "WOW - Why didn't we pick that granite?" I told her I didn't know about it when I was searching for counter material. I showed it to my DH and he asked why I'm still looking at counter material. I told him my "next" kitchen.

Never too unique if you LOVE it and plan on staying in your house for the foreseeable future :)

Goravens-did you decide on Fusion? Are you happy?

The other name for Fusion is Van Gogh. That is exactly what it looks like. It has parts of Stary Night and other Van Gogh paintings. I am currently redoing my kitchen and a large bar. I am using the blue Fusion for the island, back of the stove all the way to the top of the wall, and on the bar. It is a spectacular piece. The blue is the most exotic and hard to get from the quarries in Brazil, which is why it is so expensive. If you want a kitchen that looks like everyone else's, you would put the white and gray that everyone is using. If you want something original, out of the box, and exotic, go wtih the Fusion.

goravens - are you still around? If you still have the photo around that you posted back in 2011, could you post it here again? Photobucket has come up with a new scheme and has blocked all the photos we posted years ago. !**% If you go to your photobucket account you can download photos to your computer and send them from there.

I've had people who tell me that we won't be able to sell my house because no one goes with such color, but our requirements were artistic and functional. Eye of the beholder, I guess. I wouldn't change a thing, and If it is hard to sell, that's my girls' problem because we plan to live here until they inherit it.

Suelawless I love the color of your counter plus the tile tree behind your range. As someone who is looking to move, that kitchen is quite appealing!

This is a great counter top, and it would MAKE the kitchen! it is drop-dead gorgeous. Blue is not a neutral, but it's also a relatively "safe" color in that few people actively dislike blue (you can't say the same for red, orange, green). I would be willing to pay an extra 4K to move up from average stone to THIS stone. By now, of course, the OP has made the decision -- I wish we knew what it was!

Specific thoughts:

- This stone would need to be the stand-out star; everything else -- cabinets, backsplash, hardware -- should be the most simple of simple so this stone can be the star it's meant to be.

- I googled and saw this with both wood tone and white cabinets -- and I really only liked it with white cabinets.

- The website shows this stone on a fireplace, and I don't like it in that application. It seems "wrong" in a too-much-of-a-good-thing way.