The granites and quartzite you are considering are gorgeous! Based on the pictures, I don't think the flooring or cabinets will compete with any of your possible choices. I agree -- hypothetically -- that it MIGHT be a good idea to change the pendants to a solid color but I'd love to see a picture of the pendants before offering an opinion. Oh, and I can't wait to see the final result.....

I can't wait either...! Thanks for the encouragement! My last granite selection was under duress and it necessitated a few hours with the designer to revamp the rest of the bathroom, so I think I'm still recovering. I'm trying to ensure that I don't make a quick decision based on my desire for a home-cooked meal and a dishwasher! I've posted a photo of the art glass lights, which were chosen to add colour and movement to the kitchen when I had planned on composite counters. I think they'll do battle with a granite slab. They weren't hugely expensive, so I'm totally OK to opt for something else.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I love the art glass. I can also now understand your dilemma. A few thoughts : I think the pendants might compete with the more busier (i.e. lots of movement) granite possibilities. Those are -- I confess -- my favorites so IF it were me, I would choose a solid pendant if you went with one of those. You might also consider a pendant that has a solid rod or weighty chain stem rather than a flexible stem. Our recent kitchen remodel has all pendant lighting (in a MCM home) and we faced a similar problem. The flexible thin stems didn't seem to have the heft necessary to complement the granite we had chosen. I can try to upload some pics if that would be helpful.

Hope this helps.

Wow! You found some stunning slabs! Honestly, I like them much better than what you initially planned, but I love the movement in granite.

Of your options, my two preferences (in order) are Austral Coffee and Felichita. I don't think you could go wrong with either of those with your other finishes.

I can't wait to see your finished kitchen.

Your pendants look like they were designed around a slab of Van Gogh / Blue Louise granite.

Let us know what you choose!

I have Bianco Antico. I love it. I have no regrets. It made me feel really great when my realtor/neighbor walked in to my house and said "wow, this is gorgeous, you just don't see this in every house". It's not "crazy-wild" but it is nice to have the movement in the stone.

Get what you love and what makes your heart sing and you will always be happy with your choice.

Thanks for the comments! We've been using the same counter fellow for years, and his granite selection has been... less than spectacular. Our new fabricator sent me to two other stone importers and I was like a kid in a candy store! They had marinace type slabs in 4 different colours and an incredible range of stone.

A caveat on this whole project that I didn't express is that we're probably only here for a couple of years, as we'd like a bigger lot. That drove the choice toward composite, as it was more likely to appeal to a broader audience (or at the least, not outright offend someone). However, we're definitely loving the house and neighbourhood, so we may stay for a while.

I think I'm leaning toward the Azul Ventura, as the "U" shape would allow one of the white intrusions to be cut out, leaving the river and the concentric ring shape to be a feature. I looked at the Bianco Antico as well, and there were some beautiful slabs - I wasn't familiar with that stone and it's quite stunning! The slabs I saw had a clean, modern, edgy feel - the lines and intrusions were very sharp and crystalline. I think I was drawn to the "smooth and soothing" river-like flows of the other stone, as I need a little Zen in my life after all these renos. I'll keep you posted - whatever we choose, it will be installed next week!

We have Azul do Mar - lots of movement - with natural cherry cabinets. Our kitchen was done 5 years ago and we have no regrets - we still love it. It is so easy to live with as well as to look at.

I think some of the granites might go well with your pendants. Perhaps wait until it is in before deciding whether to change them out. I'm a bit confused about your cabinet color. The samples with the granites look medium toned like cherry with little or no stain, but the molding in the picture of your base cabinets looks very dark.

Here is our granite:

Cloudswift - WOW. I love the granite - especially with your cabinets. Pulling it up as a backsplash definitely works well!

Sorry for the confusion - the jatoba/cherry is the floor, and the cabinets are a shaker design in dark brown, represented by the stained crown moulding piece. With the LR/DR/kitchen being much closer to open concept than before, I found the orange tones of the Jatoba flooring could lean toward becoming a dominant force, so moved toward a "grainless" look for the kitchen cabinet stain by picking up one of the darker brown shades in the flooring.

Your kitchen is very warm and inviting - I think choosing a granite will definitely contribute to that feel in our place, rather than the crisp business-like contemporary nature of the composite. Thanks for posting the photos - it's all making me feel much better about switching over to natural stone!

We did our kitchen about 6 years ago and have chestnut stained maple cabinets with Venetian Green counters. It looks really great with the cabinets and I still love my kitchen. However, I "think" if I were to do it again, I might go a little bolder, maybe a granite with more movement, etc.

Nice to hear that you'd go for a BOLDER piece - I was worried that people might regret their wild choices and wish they'd gone for a more conservative look. I'm definitely leaning toward the bold and interesting patterns of the Azul Ventura and am enamoured by the wildness of the slab. The fabricator's coming by tomorrow morning and then we're off to the warehouse to make the final choice. I'm bringing along my tape to map out the cuts - should have my kitchen back some time next week - hooray!

Here is a link that might be useful:

Was your original choice Dupont Zodiaq in Savory????? It looks exactly like it and that's what I am picking for my kitchen!!!!! What size was "too big" for them to avoid a seam?

I must say your granite choices are stunning... I especially love the Felichita and Onyx Bamboo!

I love all your granite choices! I like them better than the quartz composite with your cabinets & floors.

Any would look great in your kitchen with the large space you have, and the cabinet & floor colors. The combo with the Onyx Bamboo is to die for!!!!!! Probably my least favorite with your colors would be the Austral Coffee. Just too much dark, IMO.

We've only had our granite 4 days & it's not as dramatic as yours, so I can't really give much input there. We loved many of the dramatic stones similar to your choices, but in our small kitchen (much smaller than yours), we felt a really bold granite would be overwhelming. But I really love my granite, even more so after installation than in the stoneyard.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Typhoon/Sienna Bordeaux

Natalie - it's very similar to the Zodiaq, isn't it? It's actually Lithica stone out of China. We used this manufacturer in two other installations and I have to admit, I'm one of those occasional "let's clean the kitchen tomorrow, OK?" kind of people, so I was worried about red wine rings and possible staining (pic of our coach house below). It has proven to be excellent, although our fabricator indicated that he had trouble with "slumping" when he used another composite knock off (scary - he replaced counters on two jobs). Almost all of the composite manufacturers produce slabs of 52-55" widths, and we needed 65" width to avoid a seam. Apparently Silestone Capri would have a large enough slab, but now I'm excited to choose a granite slab.

Redhead - I think it's between Onyx Bamboo and the Azul Ventura - our dining room is directly opposite the peninsula and is in a cool grey/blue, so I think either one are going to work well in the space. The kitchen isn't huge, but it's bigger than I thought (~11.5 x 11.5') - the potential to overwhelm the room is what I was concerned about! However, we're still picking other design elements, so I'm confident that I can pull it off by using solids and simpler choices in other places. Your granite ties in so well with your cabinets - it looks great! I had to laugh at your "temporary kitchen" photos - I am SO there right now and will be incredibly happy to finally get to use my new Berta!!!

I am loving the Azul you posted. It is wonderfully wild! That sure is some fantastic lemonade you are making ;)

Definitely getting better at making lemonade! I'm sure that everyone on this board has been derailed at one time or another... but it sometimes results in a most delightful turn toward the road less-travelled. Off to the warehouse for slab selection... very excited!!!

I really like the Azul - both the pattern and the colors.

Are you sure that the Onyx is quartzite? Onyx is a stone type and it isn't one that's good for kitchen counters.

Love the pendants- dont change those. They are beautiful. It will be fine, the pendants with the blue stone....go for it!

Between the two you mentioned, I liked Onyx Bamboo and also think it would be better for re-sale (coming from former realtor). It is less wild and will have more "mass" appeal than the Azul, which most people are going to love or hate and not much in between IMHO.

I like the onyx bamboo the best.
They are all fantastic and gorgeous but the Onyx bamboo
is the most uniform to fit your space. Gentle without
being wild. Soft not harsh. Smooth not crazy.

If you had a giant kitchen island 8 by 5 I would say go
with the felichita but since your space seems to be
clean lines, elegance with sophistication a counter with
subtle movement will not take on a new twist to the space
but rather sweetly compliment it.

Keep in mind that your stone will be chopped up to
fit into your space and the perimeter counter. If you
chop up the other slabs you may notice some huge changes.
It might look like you have a wild textural peice of art
on one side of the wall and not the other. This may be
what you are going for and then yes go for the Azul
or the Felichita. But if you are trying to add gently
to the style you have the Onyx is my vote.
~boxerpups

Ugh. I agree with both boxerpups and southernbelle - the onyx is absolutely lovely and fits perfectly into the space, has better resale options and more mass appeal - BUT the wild Azul Ventura makes my heart sing (beekeeper's wife - I too believe we need more heart singing experiences in our lives)! Hmmm.. sensible choice, or feed my infatuation?

The Onyx and Azul slabs are right across from each other and my neck hurts from swivelling back and forth to see them both. That is, AFTER I picked myself up off the warehouse floor when they gave me the price. The contractor price. The supposedly discounted contractor-we-appreciate-your-business price. And THEN, the fabricator that our cabinet fellow recommended, doubled it by adding his cost. WOW, I'm in a bit of shock, as I thought Ceasarstone and Silestone were a rather pricey investment. Needless to say, we checked with our other fabricator (whom we've worked with numerous times in the past), and for reasons unknown to mere mortals, his price for fabrication is HALF.

I taped a mock up on the two Azuls and the cuts will subdue some of the crazy quartz intrusions and emphasise the linear aspects. They have about 14 slabs from the same block, and I made the fabricator guarantee the job and commit to replacing the slab if it cracks or is defective, so part of the higher-than-composite pricing is an "insurance premium" for dealing with natural stone that has a large price tag. I think I'm drawn to the grey blue in the stone, as this is the colour of the adjacent dining room, as well as the exterior of the home.

Well, this won't be my last kitchen, so it looks like I'm giving into infatuation and heart singing rather than sensibilities. Wouldn't be the first time! ;o) And hey - check out these other two slabs - they make my choice seem downright pedestrian!

You Go Girl! I just love it. Both of em. All of em. Any of em!!!

What a GREAT idea to tape off the sections for your countertops. That really makes it possible to "see" what the stone would look like in place.

And, yes, those last two stones are wonderful. What are they -- especially that next to last one? Not that there is anything wrong with the Azul Ventura. It is one magnificent stone!

Bossanova,

Brilliant to peice off sections to know where they are
going to go. Get what you love and you will be happy.
I am already excited to see how fantastic it is going to
look.

maravilhoso,
~boxerpups

I just ran across this thead...can I PLEASE have that last piece in the photo above? Please.

....If not, then please do tell, what is it called?

WHERE do these beautiful art glass pendants come from?!

Well - I figured that it's been about a year, so I thought I should post some progress (I dare say - almost completion!). Of course, there is no backsplash, but... again, we've all been there. One wouldn't want to rush into these sorts of things, really. ;o)

As you can see, we opted for solid colour pendants in a dijon yellow (that will light up orange, depending on the bulbs we choose), and I have to say that I am incredibly happy with the choices we made!

Oh my, that granite is exactly why I'm scared to go to a stone yard. It's absolutely beautiful and has to be waaaay out of any budget I could come up with.

If I had the money, I would clad my walls! It really transcends the everyday and you were RIGHT ON in choosing it. It's Nature, Earth, and the Universe in stone.

Thanks a lot, now I'll never be satisfied unless I use this stone. :)

Brilliant. Gorgeous stone, the pendants are perfect.

Awe thanks for the comments! It definitely has become a centrepiece, as it's open to the living room and pretty much the centre of our life and entertaining - the response has been very positive. We had always used the slabs in our fabricator's warehouse (a number of past projects - my husband is a builder), and I wasn't sure if I was just from seeing them so often, but I was a little underwhelmed.

I made the rounds of a few more yards, and was shocked by what I had been missing! I want to buy another house just to do another kitchen!!! (Must be like childbirth - you forget the pain...)

Such a great forum here - thanks for all your advise. Now... Backsplash!

I love your granite. What a perfect choice!

That granite is gorgeous! I don't see you regretting that anytime soon if EVER! Congrats and thanks for coming back with an update!