I have the birch Numerer butcher block from IKEA. I love it. The colors are hard to photograph and the lighting makes a big difference, but you can see my blog post on it below, and also check out the photos of the wood when I was trying to find a paint color. (you might have to register) It seemed to me that the birch was lighter and more golden. The beech is also lighter with a slight reddish hue. The oak is darker with more "character". I wanted to have the horizontal lines in my kitchen (floor and counters) have the same color value, so I chose birch to go with my maple floors. What are your cabinets? Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA birch counter top

Hi Latimore, We are actually in the process of replacing our BB with soapstone on our perimeter cabinets b.c the areas around the sink were too challenging to maintain. We are keeping our BB on our peninsula. It is John Boo's and we have been maintaining it with mineral oil. I think that BB and SS go really well together. Either way you go, I think that it will be nice. Just a thought, the areas around your range do not seem very big and you may get a good deal on some remnant pieces of SS. I personally like the BB when it is on an island or peninsula but it is all personal choice. good luck!

I agree -- it's stunning! I've an almost all-white kitchen (cabs / countertop / backsplash) so I know that whatever is different is really going to catch the eye. I am neither encouraging nor discouraging; how about this, I'm asking: in your mind's eye, when you see your kitchen can (or do) you see this on your island? How does it make you feel? It sounds as if you want a statement-making countertop (the striped hickory) anyway -- or am I misunderstanding? Thinking of your kitchen, I don't think it'll be too busy. If you'd been planning on a really subtle island top I might say yeah, could be too busy. But not if you were already envisioning the striped hickory. You've a great eye -- thanks for sharing the picture with us!

We also love our...birch? counter and island, chosen because it's slightly more reddish than the other B. The oak is both darker and a cooler brown, with a bit more character. My counter has performed excellently, but this not the same stuff you pay at least 8 times more for. I also chose to seal with Waterlox because the island's used for everything but didn't stain it even slightly darker to match the floor because the strips of wood have different grain and would have taken the stain unevenly. It's very handsome as is anyway. My husband sliced off the ends of 2 pieces where they would join in the corner (they're designed to just be dropped side by side on the cabinets) and used rabbits to join them tightly together.