What color will your vanity itself be?

Personally, I like the idea of a contrasting top; too much of a good thing might otherwise just be too much. Our master bath remodel is mostly porcelain tile and botticino marble -- colors not unlike crema marfil marble. However, the vanity is a dark-stained maple, and the top is verde butterfly granite (dark green with black, gold, red and white). To bring it together, we used a sage green paint on the walls.

Perhaps black is a bit too harsh of a contrast, but depending on your vanity color, you could go with something that contrasts a little less -- say emperador dark marble, or a brown or green granite (with flecks of a color that echoes your crema marfil). But really, crema marfil is a neutral, and just about anything would go.

thanks callaloo...the vanity itself is a creamy beige...slightly darker than the creama marfil. i'm not a green person myself and for some reason brown does not scream out at me here.

I like your idea about going with black -- but have to caution against a polished deep black based on my own PITA experiences with our boys' bathroom. The black granite countertops show everything!

That said, a deep 'near black' in a less-glossy speckled or mottled finish would be lovely. Maybe a honed slate? Soapstone? Lavros Blue limestone?

Why don't you use the crema marfil and then paint the vanity black? That would be very striking.

We used the Crema Marfil for the backsplashes in my kitchen reno and love the beauty of it. Our cabinets are all a dark brownish cherry and we went with Silestone counters in "Dark Canyon". It's a mixture of browns, cream and black and we love it. My good friend used a gorgeous, rather plain black marble for her counters. While they look stunning, they're also a HUGE PIA to keep looking nice, as they show every last little water spot and fleck of dust! The color of your counters will set the tone for your bathroom. If you use a black, I think you'll need to incorporate that into the accessories of your bathroom to help balance the dark and light . . . which would look gorgeous, if that's a look you'd like. Texashottie's idea to use the Crema Marfil on the counters and paint (or stain) the vanity itself is another good idea. I think, if this is a home you plan on being in for a while, you need to decide which direction you want the accessories to go and then pick your counter color. The Crema would give you more options, but either would look great, I think.

thanks so much for the wonderful responses, and i'm sorry for my delay in responding...i've been running around to granite/marble yards. after finding a well priced remnant piece in beige travertine I decided to skip my idea of black and make it more uniform. i really appreciate the inspiration/ideas, and i'll be sure to post pics of the finished product (when we get there).

My new powder room. Crema marfil floor mosaic, crema marfil wall tiles, a brown glass line and a marble chir rail. All beautiful so far. The vanity is brown (pecan) with a floral deign. The granite vanity top cap today and I also think that is wonderful. The vessel sink is a whiter/gray (carrera marble ??). My question is is the marble vessel sink too much? It is not installed yet, and I have the option of a plainer biscuit Kohler sink. Any opinions would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi Philly - ditch the sink. i loooooove how everything else blends (yet doesn't match exactly) and looks so warm and perfect. the gray sink really clashes for me. i think the biscuit will be PERFECT and will let all the other wonderful textures/colors/stones pop. let us know what you decide, but it sounds like your gut is to get rid of it too.

@beantownrenovator Can you tell me what color you painted your vanity? I have a Crema Marfil in my bathroom bathroom my shower and halfway up the wall with bisque toilet, tub and sink. The vanity countertop is Botticino marble that has some slight dark pink veining. We remodeled in 2004 and I just had the marble resurfaced. I'm looking to paint my vanity and wall, in fact I already painted both but I am not happy with the color. Originally the cabinet was custom made and painted white dove with a chocolate glaze which I loved. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated!