That is such a great space to work with! I think a wood island would be so perfect in there. I know you said you were leaning towards one or the other (wood vs. stone), but why can't it be both? I'm all over the mixing surfaces thing right now.

And you asked about light vs. dark - what about going dark with the wood species and light with the perimeter stone tops.

There is no reason not to have a wood countertop by an oven/stove or cooktop, too, just btw. Appliances are insulated now and the awesome ones you mentioned certainly are.

And hey - I think the hood isn't so bad! Especially once you have the stainless everywhere else... may make sense with changes your are making! Okok I don't want to throw a wrench in the mix when your whole family agrees on something.

This was an inspiration pic of mine, and I think it may be right up your alley, too.

Wood love to see the finished product - keep us posted. good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Craft Art inspiration pic - wood island, stone perimeters

thank you BeastBaby - your picture is very much what I'm picturing also. I forgot to mention that the island will be enlarged for seating just like in the picture.

I like the wooden island, and really thought I was done with the decision until I kept seeing sinks in islands - never cooktops - and another poster mentioned there might be issues of code... now I"m back to jugging the choice...

I just noticed a hilarious typo in my original message "wood love to see the finished product" I clerly have wood on the brain.

Where are you going to get your wood top from? Either way, check out the FAQs page on this website that addresses cook tops in wood countertops. It also addresses a bunch of other things that I had heard and are apparently mostly myths.

Wood Countertop FAQs that may help

In your kitchen I think I would prefer wood around the cooktop and stone on the perimeter.

I like contrast so with your white cabinets I would prefer both dark wood and stone counters.

Not sure why, just what my gut tells me :)

Thank you BeastBaby - I will check out the link. Some other links I have found here at GW have led me to Perfectplank.com, Boos Block Countertop, Hardwood-lumber.com, and my bookmark bar is crowded with different threads that feature tons and tons of pictures. Great resources here! I will also check with my builder for sources, if he ever returns my emails... Already we're doing the client/builder dance! And we haven't even started yet! (OTOH, I'm avoiding the emails of another builder who already submitted his bid, while I wait for Builder #1 to get back to me. So it goes both ways.)

Thank you chocolatebunny - my gut is telling me the same as yours, dark stone, dark wood, white cabs. I will probably choose Absolute Black, even though it wasn't my first choice, that would have been slate, but the saleswoman at the countertop store, who was VERY opinionated, immediately told me slate is a poor choice because it flakes, or sheds, I can't remember the word she used, and she doesn't like concrete because it's too porous and picks up stains, and marble and recycled glass are outside my budget, and I don't think that very sparkly, busy granite will fit in my kitchen... Next thing you know, I'm down to Absolute Black. But I have a feeling it's so popular because it really does look good in a lot of kitchens.

So that's where we stand at the moment.

Have you considered soapstone or quartz as possible materials for the counters? I think these materials can give you the look you are seeking, while providing a durable surface that is easy to maintain. I would argue that both look better than slate, provide more options in terms of appearance, and are much less likely to deteriorate with heavy use.

Here is a link that might be useful: Check Out BestKitchenGuide.com for More Info!

Don't think that your only choice is Absolute Black if you want dark countertops. A solid black countertop will also show a lot of dust, so keep that in mind.

If quartz is in your budget, there are a lot of dark ones that would look really nice. (I'm partial to quartz since that's what I want).

You could also go with a dark, charcoal grey.

Or, a dark brown would look really nice with the wood island.

You have more choices than you think!

thank you all!

I AM considering soapstone, Jack Mason, and I looked at slate, too. I started out wanting slate in particular, but the saleswoman at the marble and granite store was very opinionated... um, authoritative, about slate countertops flaking or shedding, I can't remember the word she used, but she very much disliked them as a countertop material. She didn't like concrete because it's porous and picks up stains and she said marble was for bathrooms (!) and recycled glass was beyond my budget and she ended up convincing me that granite, which I like the least, was the best material for countertops because it's so durable.

I didn't even dare tell her I was thinking about wood!

My husband just finished building a kitchen for our daughter from poplar wood...every shelf..every drawer...every door...the pull-outs, the range hood...a furniture island..the whole bit. They painted the cabinetry antique white and with the money saved she was able to install soapstone countertops and they look FABULOUS. Be forewarned, though, it is a soft stone, subject to scratches and must be oiled frequently. Still, the veins of color variations (greys and greens) just really make the soapstone "talk" and IMO, you can tell it's stone from its variations whereas sometimes with granite I cannot tell the difference between it or Corian. Just sayin'.

thank you Mamiam for the info on soapstone - I do remember hearing something similar and I'm not big on maintenance, i.e. oiling and treating. I guess slate has similar requirements... that's how I ended up with granite, which I don't love.

Which is the lowest maintenance wood countertop - maple? walnut? I do love the look of wood and since I've decided to spend Big on the appliances, I'm looking for other ways to save. Lots of Ikea countertops look really nice on this forum - I'm furnishing oldest son's college apartment right now and still can't figure out how Ikea can be so inexpensive!

Hi, just a couple of thoughts.

We chose Lyptus for our upcounter because it was the hardest wood available from the supplier. We liked the look of most of the woods they worked with, so used hardness to help us decide.

We have soapstone countertops, and while we've only had them about a month, I believe one can choose to oil them or not. Ours came freshly oiled and looked much different (both beautiful) than pre oiled. After a month, there are some subtle changes. It's a pretty cool material...