My wife and I were out shopping again tonight for granite and are in the same place of indecision.

As of right now our granite choices are based on kitchen photos with similar color cabinets to ours that look like they could work for our home.

The other problem besides the actual granite is they way you have to shop for it. You either have to find a fabricator, find a slab and get the price or a visit a one stop shop, which I have found have limited stock.

My wife and I are open to anything, but have not seen anything we were ready to purchase.

I 2nd guessed my choice too. I worried and even had
sleepless nights trying to figure out exactly how it
was going to look.
What if it looked ugly? What if the seams were not
pretty? What if the edges were not what I thought?
what if?????

It was not until it was installed did I realize how much
I love it. I think you made a wonderful choice. It is
always easy to second guess but I bet you will discover
it is stunning. And no one will have it. It is unique
and all your own.

I do not have pictures of Black Bahia. I wonder if it
looks like this Green Hawaiian. Granites have so many
different names. The slab pictures I have seen on google
are similar to a Emerald pearl but with more movement.
I think it will be beautiful.

~boxerpups

Brown Bahia

Bahia Black granite

There is no blue, that's a reflection from something.

Is this too wild?

I printed out close up photos of this granite and laid it on the island to get an idea of how it might look. The cabinets are soft white and I didn't want the room to look too stark but now I'm afraid it will just look crazy with this pattern. Is it too much for my small kitchen? Should I just go plain black? I laid black trash bags on the counters to make them look dark.

I'm desperate for help with a choice. I feel like I'm being tortured over this. I had the post about the Mari Blue before.

This is the Mariblue which is what started me looking at swirly granite. Before this I only looked at consistent types. I don't know if it was the swirls that we loved or just the blue. But it seems calmer than the Bahia.

Sorry wrong pic. (Is there any way to delete a post?)

What is that "all over swirly" granite? I like that. I like that it has movement, yet it isn't too wild. The swirls are consistent. That's just my opinion on what I would want in MY space. And the colors are really nice.

And I do love the pictures on the island. Stick a gold star on your forehead for that great idea! I have access to a poster printer at work...imagine what I could do! Before you know it you will be joining the many who have hung baloons from strings to mimic pendant lighting and also made vent hoods out of cardboard!

laurensmom2010 which granite are you trying to decide on, is it this last slab posted? If you post a picture of your kitchen with nothing on the counters (move the flowers :) I will photoshop the slab picture in there for you if you think that will help you decide... it won't be a perfect representation but probably better than close-up photos printed on the counter.

Mom, something this expensive, that you are going to have to live with for a while....
...should not make you feel sick

Stop, post your location, let people on here try to direct you to some more stone yards, and keep looking.

I can live with a lot of things, but spending this much money and settling I can't do.

Corrie

beekeeperswife - the all over swirly, last pic, is the one I want but can't get! We both love that one. But it is too far away (it's in OK). It's Mari Blue. Everything else pales in comparison. I've posted an up close of it on another thread. Gorgeous!

I have my island covered in cardboard to mimic the shape and hung the pendants over the valance. Never thought of a balloon! Printed out photos of tiles and taped them up too.

@beaglesdoitbetter - I have lots of pics. I've been wondering how to do that. I think it would help alot!

Will those pics work?

Our kitchen has been in for 2 months. I'm under pressure to finish. Near Charleston, WV. I've talked to several local places. The closest place with Mari Blue is MD and the only person who will bring it (that I found) wants over 6,000 for our small kitchen. 40 sq ft because they said it needs 2 slabs. That doesn't seem right to me. They didn't give me a 1 slab quote. And that slab doesn't look as beautiful anyway.

Mari Blue - up close How will I ever settle happily after this?

First off, I think the slabs ( either one) are beautiful.
BUT, If you do not like the Bahia the installer is pushing
you towards don't get it. If it makes you feel sick to your
stomach, Cancel. Call asap and cancel the order.
You might loose your deposit but you won't have to pay
for the entire order and you can switch to another stone.
At least I hope so.

You sound pressured to stick with this rock even though
you are not sure you are going to like it. When I made my
choice I actually lived with plywood counters for a long
time until I could find a slab I fell in love with. I
loved my slab and now love my counters. I had worries but
ultimately I loved my plans.

Do you love your slabs?
If you do, then you will love your counters.
Are you settling for this stone just to finish your
counters?

I ask because it is easy to rush into a choice because you
want to be done with the project. I have a faucet I don't
much like because I rushed the choice. A facuet is only
a few hundered but a counter can be 1000s.

Thinking of you and hoping you feel better about what
ever you decide.
~boxerpups

If you can cancel, I agree, then cancel. If you can't I am here to say that things will turn out fine. Your cream colored cabinets will look good with many granites. Do you have an idea for your backsplash? That will be the third element that will tie everything together.
You are totally consumed in the renovation process. Eveything is bigger than life right now.
As someone who did err on a granite choice but then recovered with the backsplash choice, I have full confidence that things will work out for you.

Here are pictures. I hope this helps.

The fabricator isn't pushing me, he's been patient actually. However he refused to do our second pick because he said he isn't a good stone. DH is because we have a bit more cabinet work to be done that can't be finished until after the countertop install. So this is tying up final work and payment for the cabinet installer. Otherwise I would wait all year for what I want. Well, except that I have no sink, but they said they could put in something temp.

Here are some white cabs with granites that have movement
similar to the slab you are looking at. I wish had more.
~boxerpups

Well this one is not white but it does have lots
of movement.

I happen to like bold, swirly, dramatic granites. I like the black bahia and think it will give your white cabinets some drama. However, if you are not loving your choice, keep looking.

@beaglesdoitbetter - Thank you so much for those! It helps. Somehow it looks greener to me? Can you put the Mari on the island or something else for me to compare?
Is there an easy way for me to learn that? I've tried a few online kitchen sites but they don't let you put your own into the photo. That is a handy thing to be able to do!

@boxerpups - Those pics are wonderful and thank you. You have a great collection there. (I think a few of them are the Black Cosmic which is flashy in person.) You don't have names do you?

I read your post about agonizing over this and it really hit home with me. And you are so right about everything. The "kids just want it done so they can make a peanut butter sandwich". DH too.

Here is my newly installed granite with a semi controlled pattern.

Now (sigh) onto the great backsplash hunt....

Here is the mari blue. The color change may be from the angle- I just used the picture that was above and turned it to be oriented to the counter. Photoshop is the program I use to do this and there's a pretty big learning curve and the program isn't cheap. Most of the free online programs aren't going to have the tools to do this I don't think.

Wow! I love the Mari Blue slabs!

The photoshop reassures me that the Bahia will be ok. But I still love the Mari Blue and the photoshop shows that I would have been very happy with it.

Here's my granite story:

We were "updating" a kitchen, and working with existing oak cabinets. The granite I originally thought I wanted (and loved in every picture and granite sample I saw) was New Venetian Gold.

The day I went to view granite slabs, taking a cabinet door with me, it was obvious that the NVG slabs that were available for me to choose from wouldn't work. In fact, I couldn't find anything in our price range in the "look" that I wanted. I ended up with Santa Cecilia Dark. I wasn't completely sold on it but it did go well with the cabinet door. I took a sample home with me, and it was clear that it went great not only with the existing cabinets but also our tile floor.

However, the day it was installed I HATED it. I just knew I had chosen the wrong granite, and it tore me up that I would have to live with such an expensive mistake. :(

Three months later, I realize it looks great, was the right choice, and I really do love it. I think the biggest part of the process was trying to adjust my mind to a different granite than what I originally wanted. I will also say that finishing off the kitchen by putting in the new cabinet hardware and installing the tile backsplash made a huge difference; somehow they just pull everything together.

Your kitchen appears small enough to prevent a strong-patterned countertop from taking over the planet as would happen in a room with more countertops (like mine) if the product is very distinctive. Because it would seem that you will look down on the stone more than sideways at it, you do need to think about the effect of adjacent spaces, though. For example, the printed curtain in the next room in photos above is not super happy with the countertops we've seen drawn in. But the curtain is not permanent--you could kick over to a solid color or a solid with a second color trim if you found it helps homogenize things. But...we can't see the things in the other direction. If you have items that direction that would conflict with a very strong personality on the island and counters, you will not be happy.

If the stone turns out to be tamer than what we are discussing, it will play nicer with other lively pieces. If the stone is very lively but is the only lively piece in the general vicinity, you will be glad to have it, esp. if you're adventurous and married to a swirly fan.

Don't leap forward too fast with other decisions--you might discover that it will be prudent to downplay the backsplash area -- perhaps something simple or in a single color so that the star remains the star and is not demoted to being a co-star.

If it does not sit right, then pause and give yourself a few days. As someone is who is way overdue to being in a working kitchen and is still living in the bsmt, I can fully appreciate that each day can feel like the straw that broke the camel's back. I think that if you rush things, it will be more than a few days of regret, so it is the lesser of 2 evils to take a step back.
I have never seen black bahia in person, but have seen blue bahia and love it. Your pix look lovely, but you need to feel it deep in your bones before you go ahead. This is a long term pick and not one you can easily change.
You may end up wanting and ordering it, but you are too pressured at the moment and need time to contemplate more.

mom, you say the Mari Blue is in OK ... I have a pic that looks exactly like the one you took of a slab I fell in love w/called Mari Blue; it was at Pacific Shores in OKC, and when I was in there Fri, it was no longer there. Did you tag it or put a hold of some kind on it?

I ask because I remember falling so in love w/that granite because I'd never seen anything like it - and I've been to the big yards in Dallas w/in the last two months. It so happens I had planned to install it vertically on an accent wall so the drama of that pattern worked for me. But we're no longer doing that, so I'm back to looking at (boring) River White for my kitchen.

So if you do decide you want to go for the Mari Blue, I just wanted to be sure you know it's there waiting if you decide to get it from OK.

It's a beautiful granite, I hope you use it!

@riley605 that was the one at Pacific Shores in OKC that we saw also! So beautiful. Big WOW factor. Some very lucky person got that one. I can't stop thinking about it!

@florantha - the only thing in the other direction is the fridge and hallway. I guess I've got blue on the brain and (for the Mari) I pictured solid blue curtains (which I already have in another room). I appreciate your advice on decorating. I kind of get used to something and then just don't notice it anymore, even if other things change that cause clash and add to the chaos. I'm wondering if the Bahia is too contemporary for me. I was trying for traditional.

I don't like the countertop in the photo with the apples in the sink, that look is what I'm afraid of. But I do like the one with the white roses on the counter. I also like the white kitchen with the Cosmic that has the red flower vase. The others are too bold for me. Perhaps because there is so much of it? Way too bold. I find myself liking the white kitchens with soapstone and marble more and more, though granite is the goal, because they look serene and calm.

Could you photoshop that with something light?

I'm starting over.

laurensmom2010 what do you want photoshopped in?

beagles- I'm so confused. I just don't know what to do but I've cancelled the Bahia.

Maybe I should take a poll.

Sorry, that wasn't helpful to you.

How about something light? Like New Venetian or Giallo Ornamental?

Or a non-swirly dark? Like Galaxy or Absolute?

Or something non-swirly that isn't black but reads darker? Like Emerald Pearl or Blues in the Night?

I'm really starting over and not sure where it's going anymore.

New venetian:

Absolute black:

Honestly, if I were you, I would keep looking for the mari blue. There must be somewhere you can find it and I would not settle (put plywood on the countertops if you have to!) The fact that you are this stressed about it means you haven't found anything else you really love other than the mari blue... and if you don't love it, you shouldn't do it!

That said, have you thought about soapstone? It might be very pretty and not-as-swirly and give you some of the colors you are looking for?

Thanks Beagles

I've found two more Mari Blue but it is 150.00 a sq ft at one place and 175.00 at the other. The one place hinted that they might bring it down to 135.00 but then didn't. And that is the end of that. Unfortunately there is just no way for me to make that happen. I'd keep reaching for it if there was any way to get it.

I LOVE it. I can't have it.

So, *sigh*, back to reality.

Perhaps I need to remove the curtain and the rug to visualize all this better?

Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. i know that you want to be in your new kitchen and actually use it, but theres no rush. Have you checked out the thread about exotic granites? that might help you decide between exotic and basic granite? Can you do something plainer (black or a solid) on the perimeter and just do the mari blue on the island? A little is better than nothing :)

Laurensmom2010,

I think you are making a wise choice. Good for you
for being brave enough to CANCEL. The first time you
posted I had a sense of fear that you were making a mistake.
I wanted to be supportive but I could tell you did not
want this. You are good to go with your instinct.

Then you posted later on about the red apples in the sink
of one of the pictures I posted. I knew right then you
needed to cancel. I am soooooooooooo glad you have.

You are not alone in trying to find the right stone.
It took me months to find the right stone. DH ended up
making plywood tops. Partly because he wanted extra support
under the granite but also because I could not choose
a granite. We need a place to prep for dinner and place
the kids could make their lunches.

We lived with the plywood while I took days off to shop
for granite. We spilled coffee, chocolate, wine, spaghitti
sauce and joked that we did not need to worry as the
counter could be replaced for under 50 bucks. The humor
and family kidding/support kept me going. At first I felt
pressured to go out and buy something. Anything!
But as time went by I knew the important part was going at
my pace. Choosing something I could love for a long time.

I ended up with Virginia Jet Mist and I have no regrets.
I am glad I waited until I found the right installer and
the right slab of granite.

You will find the right counter. You did a wise thing
by cancelling the order so that you can take your time
and enjoy the process. Not feel pushed into something
you know in your heart is not going to make you happy.

~boxerpups