Have you tried CaesarStone? they have a lot of great pics on their website. I can spend hours on their site looking for inspiration. There are many design blogs you can look into as well...

Is this something similar to what you're looking for?
{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: CaesarStone Countertops

old pic
but I think fits what you are asking
Mahogany cabs - "Victoria Classico" honed granite

My deep cherry cabinets are going in this week and the satin finish cambrian black granite will follow after about 2 more weeks.... I'll post pics then!

Do a search for Nomorebluekitchen. She has dark cabinets,soapstone counters and gorgeous ming green backsplash tiles.

Thank you! These are all very helpful.

Jejtvr, the pic is wonderful. I really like the honed granite and was thinking of a similar color backsplash. Just didn't know if it would work.

This helps me to visualize what I'm thinking about doing....

Jejtvr: Do you have any more pic of your cabient to post... I'm considering Mahogany cabinet and would like to get an idea of the wood gain/stain finish etc. beautiful kitchen - thks

We also did mahogany. We have dark gray/black schist counters.

{{!gwi}}

I have a few pics that might help you visualize.
Sorry some are polished.
I think the honed counters and dark cabs will look
wonderful.

kitchendesign.com

artisticlicencepaulduchscherer.com

tilesandstoneworld

wolfeboro

springwoodbuilders

activerain

rjbdesigngroup

laughingsun
{{!gwi}}

hammerheadremodeling

kitchenbathdesign
{{!gwi}}

Zelmar - your kitchen is amazing! I love the quartersawn cabinets!! That would be our dream kitchen.

And boxerpups - thank you so much for all of these pictures! I can't tell you how helpful it is.

I'm starting to feel more confident with the whole idea of a black counter on my perimeter. Unlike, everything else I do, I can't repaint my counters :) so I really hope I get it right the first time.

Repainting
Zelmar's is mahogany -

BTW Zelmar thanks for posting I never tire of seeing pics of your lovely kit!

Skeet

Some pics

During install - 3yrs ago

For some reason I love this one! Thanksgiving 2 yrs ago

Cab maker is Kennebec in Bath Maine - Link below - incredible woods species & hand rubbed stains

Good luck

Here is a link that might be useful: kennebec cabinetry

Thanks Jejtvr - your kitchen is beautiful as well. I also like your Thanksgiving picture. It is how a kitchen really looks during the madness of a holiday! :)

And thanks for the correction on Zelmar's cabinets. I was looking at the grain and admiring it so much - I thought it was a quartersawn. But duh - Zelmar did write it was Mahogany. In one eye and apparently out the other.

Here is mine: medium/dark cherry with antique leather Cambrian black granite.

Roulie,

Your kitchen is beautiful and your post was so helpful. I cannot find Virginia Mist or Jet Mist granite - but someone offered a brushed Cambrian Granite as something they carry.

You said you have an antique leather - do you know how that compares to brushed?

Thanks!

Okay, I decided to take the plunge and well...paint my horrible laminate counter tops black so that I could better visualize the look.

I happened to have an extra quart of black paint that I used about 2 drops of when painting a project in my daughter's bathroom. I didn't know what to do with all of this extra black paint until, "Ah Ha! Try it on my counters!"

Let me tell you, it is an inexpensive counter top treatment and kind of gives that "leather" look that many people pay big bucks for. And this might just prompt me to make my decision even faster. I did, however, skip the white veining look that I am considering if I can find Virginia Mist granite in my area.

In any event, here they are. Oh and I even "tiled" the back splash with some large white paper. Kids and their project materials really come in handy when redoing a kitchen - who knew?!

And the marble on the stand-in island is the look I'm considering for the island now after debating between that or wood. So maybe I'm all set. Best of all worlds....cheap black counters, butcher block and/or marble island. I don't even have to decide, just a little of everything.

{{!gwi}}

repaintingagain:

I love your painted countertops!! I think the black looks fabulous with your cabinets, but I'm obviously partial to that look.

I have to admit that I don't know much about the different finishes on the Cambrian black. Granite was the only thing that I didn't research to death. In fact, I never even went to a granite yard -- I chose the counters based on the 3 small samples of black non-glossy granite that my kitchen designer had in her showroom. One was honed Absolute Black (which didn't pass my fingerprint test); one was the antique leathered CB that I ended up getting, and one was a nordic black with a different kind of finish (I forget the name) but it didn't come in a slab big enough for my 10-foot island, so we ruled that out immediately.

I will say that I had a moment of panic the night before they installed the granite because I had never actually seen my slab, but it turned out to be even prettier than the sample. It has little bits of silver and copper flecks and is really gorgeous!

oh -- I just googled "cambrian black granite brushed" and found this on a granite website: "Traditionally finished in a high polish, new technology has produced a recent trend towards textured finishes such as flamed and brushed (leather) finishes." so it sounds like brushed and leather might be the same thing. If it is, I recommend it wholeheartedly! I absolutely love my counters.

Good luck with the decisions.

I think it looks great!! And definitely do the marble (or a combo with BB) on the island, it looks GREAT. I just had my marble counters templated/patterned and I am so excited about it. I found that Carrara was significantly LESS expensive than the honed granites I was looking at (including jet mist), by the way. Although your sample looks like one of the other more expensive marbles with that veining.....

Repaintingagain, painting your counters was a genious idea. My kids are in their late teens/early 20s and I forget how much more creative I felt when they were young with their art supplies everywhere. I feel as though I've totally lost that part of me since they've gotten older (but at least it's rubbed off more long-term with dd, the studio art major.)

I think your kitchen is gorgeous with the black and marble counters.

Jetjvr--thank you...And right back at you! I love your kitchen and always smile when I see it. The Thanksgiving photo is great--reality gives depth that the sterile pictures we mostly post rarely have (I wouldn't dare take a picture of the everday condition of my kitchen, let alone holiday time!)