Update: Well, I took your advice, and kept looking. I think I wore DH out, because he finally just said I could go and he'd be ok w/ whatever I selected. Freedom...yet a big responsibility so I need to get it "right"! So, the other day, I decided to dedicate a whole day to visiting other granite yards within an hour's drive from here. I walked into the first place, and saw a slab I'd never seen before. It is so different from the Giallo Ornamentals and Delicatus slabs I'd been "focusing" on, but I think it is THE one! It isn't quite as blue as it looks in the picture, but it definitely compliments the blue fabric on the dining room chair seats. (When I saw it, I realized that having gray/blue in the stone could work really well because we are opening up the kitchen to the dining room and our dining room.) It also has some taupe/neutral shades that work with the plank tile floor. What do you think?!

A few more pics as things get finalized... The countertop arrives! My husband Russell cutting the sink opening. Notice how he has the blood pressure, heartburn, and arthritis medicine handy. LOL Here is a shot of the seamless corner and beveled edge. Close-up of Butterum Granite (Formica) Another one The breakfast room side of the kitchen getting into shape. It is separated by a half wall on the left where the refrigerator is in the kitchen. It also shares one long common wall (with arch openings) with the kitchen and our den which I am also painting in "Praline". Here I got a new curtain with button accents $24 on clearance at JC Penney, oil rubbed bronze curtain pole $18, and Russell spray painted our old light fixture to match. Another shot Thanks everybody for your comments!

I think I've figured out that the red tile is your floor? And the gray stone is a SS? If so, I'm a little confused... you said those were things you've ordered. Are you using SS somewhere, or is that just what you would use if you could? It's beautiful; I love any SS but didn't use it for the same reason. I have heard here that leathered engineered quartz is difficult to maintain. Leathered granite, OTOH... For a long time I really thought we'd be going with quartz, but once I started looking at some of the granites, I knew that's what would work best for us. By that time I had also decided that I didn't like the polished look and wanted honed or leathered or whatever. We ended up with Impala Black leathered, which was about the same as the quote we got for Hanstone. Silestone was more, and Cambria probably would have been even more. It doesn't have any cream, just dark gray overall effect, probably in the same color family as a gray SS or JM, though I never saw that in person. If you take away the cream color of your 1st Cambria pic, that's about what you would have. It has been mistaken for SS in a photo. Overall it has been a breeze to keep looking nice (about two months). We did crack it this weekend by running the crock pot directly on it (fabricator didn't give us any hints about what to do and not to do, but they will fix it and bring us some trivets to put the crock pot on in the future). Otherwise, it seems pretty hardy, and definitely does not show stains from those things you listed. Not sure if that helps or if you are looking for suggestions of stones with some cream along with gray, but from what you said, it might fit.

Bump. Anybody??? I know I have seen this stuff mentioned here. Maybe topics are just scrolling off faster than the right people notice them.