bump

Sorry I missed this some how :)

I love my son's granite. It's a great countertop (I tested it and it passed all the acid tests without needing sealing...though they do that to it as well). And I love how it has so many lovely colors to work with in it. When I went to get it, they had one slab of last years stone (which I purchased) and several of this years stones, which are nice, but a bit more gray than black for the background.

I wouldn't do it 100% in a kitchen. It's a busy look, but I'd definately do it on an island and then trim out the other counters in either a soft tan granite or marble with little veining, or a lovely black again, with little veining. I think it would be devine!!!

Igloo, thanks so much for your response. I was afraid when you said in my other post, that it is crazy busy that it might be too much for the island. My DH is really "feeling" this granite and I said that doing the whole kitchen would be too much and then he came up with the idea of just the island. Since you have this and have lived with it for awhile, I really trust your opinion...no pressure! So, if you don't think that 4 x 7 would be too big of a surface, then I will tell by DH that we can go with it. Now, if I can find another granite for the rest of the kitchen to compliment it, then we're in business. You seem to have such great taste and great advice, if you can suggest a granite that would go with the "Black Mosaic" and our light and gray cabs, I would be so happy. Nordic Black and Absolute Black are possibilities. You mention marble but everything I have read suggests not using it as a kitchen countertop. Your thoughts? I will try to attach pics of the cabs. Thank you soo much!

I think it really would be fabulous on an island! It's such a cool stone. People just have to touch it to see if the rocks are real :) I honestly wouldn't hesitate a bit to use it on a 4x7 island :) You will LOVE it. People will walk in and say "WOW" in all the right ways :)

I personally would put it with either nordic black or absolute black, but I'd be sure to pick the slabs to ensure that you basically get "BLACK" so there is no competition with the island. You want that counter to receed (in a good way) and let the island be a star.

Black and tan is a classic look. I don't know what color your cabs are going to be, but if it worked, a soft tan color on the other counters would also work (I'm thinking of marble). Yes they do say marble is softer...it is, but many people have marble in this forum and they just love it in the kitchen. One look that would be really cool is to do tan cabinets on the island (or wood tone) with the black mosaic counter, then on the other cabinets, do black cabs and a gorgeous tan marble or (is there a granite that's tan??? I'm not sure...but silestone also could work). Black cabs aren't for everyone, but the mix of black and tan is really classic and gorgeous in the most elegant way.

(Obviously I like black and tan in many forms):

The marble on this counter is tan and would compliment the black very well:

but again, it's marble...and I don't know if you want to baby the other counters. I do know you could find something similar in lavastone (great for counters but hard to find, or silestone).

I hope you go with this granite for the island...I can't wait to see it if you do! And by the way, my DH wanted to do the whole kitchen in it once he saw it too LOL

Here are the colors for our cabinets. The darker gray is the island and the lighter gray will be the cabs for the rest of the kitchen. This is the first time I have tried to post pictures, so I apologize for the size, guess I don't know how to do it yet. Thanks again for all of your suggestions and input. So do you still suggest the AB or NB?

Personally, I'm pretty addicted to Nordic Black. But I also have absolute black in my house as well in the entry.

I tested nordic black and it did great on the acid test. I know absolute is also fabulous. Since either will work, I'd let price make the decision for me if it were me. And the issue of finding totally black slabs. I did see some nordic black that had a white vein, and in your kitchen I'd avoid that if possible.

I have to say...I absolutely ADORE your cabinets! I have mentioned gray cabinets in the past and people said "ewww". Your doors are a great example of how gorgeous they can be.

I don't photoshop well...If I did I'd try...to show you your cab color under my granite...

Well let me try...

I think I posted this before but these knobs would be great in the bathroom.

Here is a link that might be useful: Frog Golfer

How did I miss that jenanla? I'm going to measure and see it they'll fit :) They're great!

Igloo says..."I have to say...I absolutely ADORE your cabinets! I have mentioned gray cabinets in the past and people said "ewww". Your doors are a great example of how gorgeous they can be".

Igloo, hopefully people will see AWWW when they see our kitchen and not ewww! LOL

Thanks for your encouragement and ideas. I will look for a black granite seriously, with your words in the back of my mind! THANK YOU!

Speaking of gray cabinets....

We're building a home and I happen to be a big fan of the gray/brown/creme color combinations. I saw these cabinets ( http://www.alno.com/3324.0.html ) and am hoping to do something similar, though our kitchen won't be quite that modern. Our cabinets will be made of clear alder in a similar square-sticking style.

I'm at a crossroads as to what flooring and countertops to use. I really love Caesarstone, and love the eggshell in particular. There is also a ruby quartz color that is GORGEOUS that might be great as an accent on an island or in the kitchen desk area. We live in Austin and travertine floors are very popular here, but we have some in our current house and I'm not fond of how porous it is. I was thinking of going with a porcelain tile in a linen pattern (Ann Sacks has a gorgeous one: http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=1630804&prg=1376804)

I'd appreciate any ideas/thoughts/suggestions...I'm not very good at this!

I love the kitchen you linked. So let me give you my "just a few clases in design school" view :oP

The reason that kitchen works so well is that it has many monocromatic units within the space, which lets the overall colors reflect upon each other, and not highlight any one particular tone. Texture has also played a key in making the kitchen work well together.

With that in mind, if your cabinets are going to be the tan in the mix, You need to swap out another element to get the same feel...ie paint the walls gray, do the cabinets in tan, and then use your ann sacks tiles (I love them) in linen ivory on the floor. But, to continue getting to that soft, simple and elegent feel...you have to leave out the bling, (the ruby counter). Instead, much like the kitchen picture you shared, your counter tops need to disapear into the mass of the cabinets. I think that the eggshell would be too light personally. I'd instead try to match your door color as closely as possible...but you have to stay away from any yellow tone, or it throws the whole mix off.

I'm a bit concerned that with Alder, you're going to be in the yellow tone area. Yellow and gray and ivory takes a whole different track than this kitchen you love. I've seen pretty soft alders but gad...you'd need to be very carefull to get the right tone, and make sure that was consistant throughout the cabinets. (Not easy!)

Do you get my drift here???? I love that kitchen and it would be a fabulous recreation...but when recreating something, you have to take special care to follow the big clues to why it works. I personally think this kitchen works well because there is no one bling....instead it's the mass of sameness that lets the WHOLE kitchen be the bling. It's an incredibly gorgeous mix!

My apologies to the OP, I don't mean to hijack, but it is becoming an "Ask Igloo" thread and I want to get my question in too!! This time it's about Nordic Black antique in the kitchen.

I had my heart set on soapstone, then I panicked with the GW patina threads and decided against it. Fell in love with Ocean Green Granite (mamadadapaige's countertop) saw an incredible slab that was already sold, searched local and not so local granite dealers and found another batch that was terrible, and can't find anymore out there. Then I reconsidered Soapstone, but haven't been able to find a decent slab. Now I'm beginning to panic...

Cabinet installation is next week and they are painted BM Ivory White. So, I have to make a decision asap. I saw a really nice slab of Nordic Black antique. Wondering how you think it would look with my black Lacanche? Also, considering putting marble on the island or the large hutch cabinet to break up some of the black. What is your design advice? Would all Nordic Black be too much black w/the range or would it have an elegant simplicity to it? I did hold a slab of Imperial Danby marble just in case.

Heh heh, Ok the ask igloochic hour begins :oP

Ok first...I'm biased on Nordic Black Antique because umm I love that stone! Had I seen it first I'd have a different kitchen, but once we'd made those BS tiles I was sort of stuck with the gold.

Anyhoo, this is my baby surrounded by Nordic Black Antique(the walls have changed color to their final finish but not in this pic, and the stove is missing some trim):

The color and the finish are perfect for the stove, because the enamel isn't shiny, nor is it dull. The Nordic Black Antique finish has similar qualities. Frankly...I'd use it before I would take a soapstone, mostly because it's one of the best rocks out there for counters. It needs no babying at all :O)

I think it would be fabulous surrounding the range. I chose to really highlight mine by doing the hood and BS surround in it, continuing the line down to the floor through the range. In your instance, the stone would be on the horizontal plane verses the vertical I chose, but would none the less really compliment your range.

And on top of creamy cabinets....e gads that is so classic and elegant. I'd DEFINATELY go with a fabulous, traditional cararra marble on the island (what color are they island cabinets?). It would be a soft opposite to the black/white cabinet combo surrounding them, and the gray and black veining would carry the theme to the island surface. I might actually do the cararra on both the hutch and the island. I don't remember the layout on the kitchen, but one way to take a built in hutch and make it more furniture like is to raise or lower the counter top (if it's in a run of other cabinets) and use a diferent countertop. (You can do that buy just building up a substraite).

Anyhoo, the black/white combo would be the perfect accent to your gorgeous baby. My next kitchen is likely to be exactly that (ok my third one because I have a yellow and black one to do this winter). We're looking at a victorian and I can see a big sully surrounded by painted white cabinets in my future :o)

Ya know...one other thing...what's the back splash???? Would carerra work there???

Did I endorse the nordic well enough? GET IT!! :o) Heh heh

I'm laughing now and losing my sense of panic. How did I know that you would be able to help me?
Here is a link of the layout: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0812401111533.html

There have been some minor changes since these drawings, but this gives the general idea. The island is the same as the cabinets, BM Ivory white. The hutch is as you described with counter the whole length and bookended cabs on ends.

This is a pic of the outside of our house, so you can get a feel for it.
{{!gwi}}
The kitchen is in the back of the house and is 13 X 25 (including eat-in area). The narrowness of it necessitated the island size and hutch depth. We thought about doing the island in a darker finish, but ended up thinking that having the cabinets all the same color would keep the focus on the Lacanche and not draw attn to the narrow walk ways.

I actually have a slab of honed Carrara on hold as well as the Imperial Danby, but was concerned it would be too white of a marble against the already painted Ivory white cabinets. Also, I have messy teenagers. What do you think?

I design other kitchens so I can avoid thinking of my own mess :oP

Ok with that room design in mind...I think I'd do the Nordic Black on both the L run with the sink and stove, and the island. Those are going to be the work horses in the kitchen, so a stone impervious to damage is definately valuable in those spaces. And with all that white from the cabs, it won't be too black...in fact with the Lacanche in Black and the counters...it'll be perfect!

ANd then I'd do the Cararra on the entire hutch run. That will both set it off as a special feature (and it should be, it's gorgeous) but also it will break up the whole black/white thing. It's ok to have more than one feature :) This way they'll both be special areas (stove and hutch).

I think I'd do carrara subways or even a black/white marble back splash to tie it all together. Cararra as the primary, and an accent in either a pencil line, or a small piece of black marble here and there. One other thing...I'd have a lazy susan (is that what those flat things that spin are??? I'm not finished with my first coffee...that sounds wrong...anyway a flat round thing that spins) :OP made out cararra to set by the stove area for oils and what nots that you keep handy.

About those teens....Honestly, messes are so easy to clean with a quick wipe on painted cabinets. That's one of the reason's they're such a classic element in so many homes. I wouldn't worry there. The bigger worries are the dents and dings that a 2 year old will put in them...but that's for me to worry about LOL not you!

You know...I'm looking at your gorgeous house and thinking...there you go...look at the front, see how classic and elegant black and white can be? That's your kitchen, just waiting to be finished :O)

I have been reading this thread and it really hits home. Maybe igloo can help me as well. I have an Old Captain's home in New England. We are finally doing a very dated kitchen over. We are bumping out and it will flow into the family room. After much tramua I picked out a soapstone and my cabinets are a creamy white. Also the floor is cork. Those things cannot change. I am planing on doing the island and counters in the soapstone it has alot of white veining and have been considering either marble bricks or beadboard for the blacksplash. Now my problem is the old kitchen is an extension of the new. There is a wet bar that I want to do in marble, but the problem being the only creamy white marble I can find is called white Rhino. It doesn't really do it for me...but goes very nicely with the cabinets. Now the wet bar is not exactly in the new kitchen but flows into it. So now I have two different marbles. One for the bar and one for the blacksplash.Not sure I can pull it off. I am also afraid that the kitchen maybe it is too predictable or boring. Any suggestions PLEASE.

How about pulling the color from the cork floor onto that wet bar? This keeps your kitchen flowing in black, white and tan (I'm guessing the cork is light in tone?) If not we'll rethink this...but go with me for a second...

This marble (on the cabinets in my master bath and not fully installed) is called Crema Marfil. It's a soft tan color. Definately not white. If you had it in the kitchen on the wet bar, separate from the others, then accessorize with a few tan items in the kitchen (I can see some lovely baskets and perhaps a blown glass vase, towels, etc) you'd carry the color over to the cabinet. On the wet bar, you'd want to carry the black over by using some black accent pieces or accessories (I black iron faucet would be drop dead gorgeous). I'd do the backsplash on the wet bar in the same crema marfil, and perhaps doing a french back (I think that's what it's called) which I can show you a picture of in a few days (basically the back is 4" tall, curving down to nothing on the ends of the backsplash and raising up to 8" in the middle)...gad let me see what kind of pic I can find...

Ok first, crema marfil:

Ok for that backsplash idea...not exactly the link below, but something in that style...(the shell is obnoxious LOL)

Anyhoo, I posted in another forum....no wait was that up here LOL that black and tan are favorites of mine. You can easily flow white into that mix, especially in a home with some lovely character. I can see that gorgeous creamy cabinet with the crema marfil and some lovely black glass or enamel pieces, then a towel or two in black :) Very lovely...and perfect with the feel of the rest of the kitcen.

Trying to match white to white is tough (and not recommended in my opinion). The only way I'd try to make a white work would be to use white onyx, which has many variations of white and cream in it, so it often goes with anything. Underlit...it's stunning...but not really the right feel for your kitchen (at least what I'm picturing in my little head). And I don't know if you've ever priced onyx...but it's enough to make your head spin (I toyed with a rare tan geodite onyx for a week...then the final figure came in and I had to go hyperventilate). :o)

Here is a link that might be useful: The shell curved one laying down on the counter...

I'm so excited. It's another "Ask Igloochic" hour. So much better than the Talking Heads reviewing ad nauseam the political brouhaha! So, I've read your advice to me, as well as to Cran and it looks like you are on a designing roll. One question though, regarding the Carrara marble in my kitchen. You mentioned in Cran's answer that trying to match white to white is tough, do you think the Carrara marble will be too white for my creamy cabs or does Carrara go w/everything? The Carrara has more movement in it than the Imperial Danby, but the Danby has some tan in it as well as gray and white.

BTW, I love your Creme marfil. That is one gorgeous master bath.

Oh you need to visit the hot topics thread plucky...I'm currently posting my creditentials for VP or President, ya know...if the old guy takes a kicker :oP

Ok so on the Carrara. White to white is a challenge. When I hear creamy white, I think of...well creamy white. Not yellow based. So I guess I do have to conceed that in picking carerra you do need to check out that white. If the white is leaning towards yellow...I'd change to something like the crema marfil, which is tan, but would work well with a yellow based white (if you look at the bathroom pics you can see the 12x12 travertine on the tub deck wall...its called sunflower, because it has some yellow in it). If however your white is creamy white because of a soft glaze or tan tone to it, again, not leaning to yellow, that the cararra would be gorgeous.

So, what color are those cabinets :) Do you have a pic?

And thanks on the bath...it's still got a ways to go, but it's starting to feel like a real space. We get backsplash this weekend I think, and the artist should be done with the walls, which are going to look a lot like the marble...but with a bit more brown veining. :O) And someday I may get my doors back for the cabinets. The glass is being blown for me and I'm in some sort of evil line to the kiln. I keep trying to find out who's ahead of me so I can burn their house down...but they won't tell...

Oh I shouldn't have mentioned that last part on line...darn!

The white is BM Ivory white #925. It has a tad bit of yellow in it. Oh, it's so hard for me to tell. I don't have any cabinets yet, but they are already painted. If you have a BM fan deck, you could look at it.

Your bathroom is just one of the amazing rooms in your home remodel. I love looking at your pics, they always intrigue me. I remember when I first saw your chickens, I was somewhat taken aback, but now when I see them, they look just perfect above your black Lacanche. Your house looks like a home and it reflects so much of you that even though I don't know you, but through your postings and your pics, I feel like I do. Thanks for helping so many of us and doing it with such panache! If you're ever in New Hampshire, make sure you drop by :)

Careful...I've taken people up on that LOL (We visited with many GWebbers when we were in the hospital this winter in Baltimore). It's always fun to put a face with our "chats" :o)

I spent last night dreaming of white cabinets and marble last night ladies. This is your fault. I went over and over in my mind about that white on white issue. Honestly, I woke up and said "I gotta post" then the inspector called and that ended LOL

So on that BM...I do have a deck and it looks to be just the teensiest little bit towards the yellow tone of white. But decks are terrible examples. Here's what I suggest...First, go down and get a quart of the stuff in a high gloss sheen and paint it on an old door or piece of sample board even. Do at least two coats, if not three so you have a "finished" product.

Now, take that and check it against the Cararra and the Danby. I'm thinking that maybe the Danby is going to work better because it brings in the other tones, and yet is still basically "white" marble.

Thank you so much for the kind words on the house. I had a horrible day today, ending in tears and needed to smile :) I try to keep my head up in this stupid remodel stuff...but I'm close to losing it! So close that today I spent a grand on power tools. If the danged contractor won't get his arse on the job and finish...I'll do it!

So tomorrow I'll either be triumphant, or missing some fingers :oP I'll try not to bleed on the chickens!!

Sorry for the whine with that thank you...but it did feel good to get it out. :O)

Now, go forth, paint LOL and let's see which is the best match. I don't want you to go off of a paint chip and get bad news.

I actually went out and checked that marble in the master several times (it's about an hour drive from here....over by Palin's house) :oP I kept worrying it would be too gray against my tans...and couldn't get it out of my head until the third visit when I brought a door, a crocodile tile, a travertine piece and a piece of hand made glass that will be in a door. I just HAD to be sure! So be as neurotic as me...I encourage it LOL

So glad that I originally posted this for Igloo's help with our kitchen countertop since so many people are benefitting in their own way! Igloo, you are a great sport, helping so many people here. Maybe you should host a TV Home Show!

Thanks, again for your help. I will post pictures when we get our kitchen done, but we are going to go with the "Black Mosaic" (like your DS counter) for our island and will let you know on the black, looks like either Nordic or Absoluite for the rest of the counters. Would you suggest we keep them glossy or go honed?

mominthedubc, thanks for being such a great sport as well and sharing your thread. My 2 cents, at least on the Nordic Black would be to go with the Antiqued. The polished Nordic Black wasn't as appealing as other polished stones to me.

Pluckymama,

Love to share, that's what it's all about! :) Glossy, honed, antique, satin??? It's all too much for me as I am so new to this! That's what's difficult about choosing slabs. Not every place has honed or antique etc., so I have no idea how that might look. I appreciate your input. I will see if I can find pictures that show Nordic or AB as antiqued or honed. Thanks so much.

Igloo,
THANKS, for all your input. First of all as I said we are doing the kitchen remodel and I am currently not living in the house...therefore did not have access to the computer for a couple of days..Ouch! I really am re-thinking the wet bar and what you said made a lot of sense.
The laundry room off the kitchen has black and taupe striped wallpaper and the office off that has taupe walls and black and taupe toile window treatments. I am thinking the Crema Marfil might fit the bill. Do you believe that DH is in the car waiting for me and I have so much to say. Plucky my cabinets are BM 925 also..we are definately on the same page. Igloo your bathroom is great and I love the curved blacksplash..my house has so many like crooks and crannies it just might work. Thanks for all your help. I will post more later.

I'll load up pics of my curved backsplash...it went in today (with our onyx counter as well...so cool!!)

Anyhoo, I'm happy to have helped :o) It allows me to forget my houses LOL

Now Mom...on that black mosaic...definately polished (just in case that was part of the question). It needs the polish to bring out the stones. And then because it's polished, I would NOT do a honed stone on the other counters surrounding it because it would be...well it wouldn't work. But, that said, I would do an antique finish on the nordic black. It's both shiny and matte, and would flow well with the Mosaic.

In fact, if it would help...I'll take a picture tomorrow while I'm working at the house, of nordic black antique right next to the mosaic for you. And if you'd really like...I could send you a 4x4 piece of nordic black antique to look at in person if you can't find it. Just pop me out an email and I'll get it out next week.

mominthedctube, Saw some slabs of Nordic Black Iced today and thought of you. They aren't polished, but they have more shine to them than the Nordic Black Antique. I prefer the antique, but my DH was really liking the iced.

Igloo, cabinetmaker had given me a drawer front slab painted, so we took it to the granite and marble place. Carrara definitely dosen't work. The BM Ivory White has too much yellow in it. It worked next to Calacutta, but that is over the budget. I'm going to go and check against the Imperial Danby Monday. Saw a table top made in the Nordic Black antique and it looked great. Even though it is antiqued, it is such a smooth stone with lots of movement. You have to be neurotic, it seems, in order to get it right. And flexible, very flexible!

Igloo... Quoting from you...

"Now Mom...on that black mosaic...definately polished (just in case that was part of the question). It needs the polish to bring out the stones. And then because it's polished, I would NOT do a honed stone on the other counters surrounding it because it would be...well it wouldn't work. But, that said, I would do an antique finish on the nordic black. It's both shiny and matte, and would flow well with the Mosaic.

In fact, if it would help...I'll take a picture tomorrow while I'm working at the house, of nordic black antique right next to the mosaic for you. And if you'd really like...I could send you a 4x4 piece of nordic black antique to look at in person if you can't find it. Just pop me out an email and I'll get it out next week."

I was definitely going to do the polished in the Black Mosaic. I think that's why my DH loves it because it looks like rocks under water and I am sure that's due largely to the shine. So, thanks. It was the rest of the counters that I wasn't sure about. They are not right next to the island. The closest counter in Nordic or AB (whatever we decide) is about 42" away from the island. Does that help? I am really impaired when it comes to posting links or pictures here so I don't know if that helps you visualize or not. But that was my question, what kind of a finish to get with the Black Mosaic to compliment each other. I would love a picture, if that's not too much. I will be out of town for a week. My great niece, who is 7 months old, is having heart surgery on Tues., so I may not be checking GW for awhile. The sample would be great, how do I email you? I'll check to see if I can find that out somewhere her. Thank you so much!

Pluckymama, thanks for telling me about Nordic Black Iced, I will check that out, too!

I saw the coolest kitchen this weekend at a furniture store. Unfortunately its not on their website. It had black mosaic on the island and a black granite for the surround. The base cabinets were a red lacquer (euro overlay stuff that I can't think of the name). The upper cabinets were glass. The back of the island was metal. It was pretty modern, but did not feel cold.
I can't wait to see what you do w/ your kitchen!

Well most important Mom, I'll be praying for your little great niece to have a successful surgery, and that her recovery is a smooth one. I'm not sure if you know about my 2 year old's history, but we were in and out of the hospital for the first two years of his life, and he had his first surgery when he was just 3 months old and weighed only 8 lbs. Please hug the baby's mom for me! I can imagine what she's going through. You're a doll to be there for her.

Now onto the counters, I'll download after dinner and post the pics I took. Quick answer on one of them. The nordic black antique is a bad choice for a counter to compliment the mosaic. I would use it on different surfaces (ie mine is baseboards and trim in the shower) but when I sat that square on the counter, right on the mosaic, it was very very clear that the finishes aren't close enough.

I did however have a square of absolute black and took a picture of that as well. The two were PERFECT together. The AB didn't compete, but accented the mosaic just perfectly. They're gorgeous together.

Sometimes you have to see them to get a feel for that, and in a slab yard they aren't going to want to put the two slabs next to each other, but since I had the samples I thought I'd see for myself, and there was a clear winner. I would absolutely NOT use nordic black antique next to that mosaic.

Ok the 2 year old wants dipsey so I have to sign onto the teletubbies website....I'll post later with those pics, and caht about that ivory door issue plucky.

Mom, Prayers for your niece here as well. It's so hard to watch little ones go through so much.

Igloo, here's a link of Lisa's kitchen. She has Imperial Danby marble on island.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/gal090707024688.html

Hi Igloo,

Thanks to you and Pluckymama for the prayers. Little Corinna's surgery was a success! She is doing so well, in fact, they are thinking they might be able to discharge her tomorrow... a week after open heart surgery! Yours and so many other people's prayers have been answered, thank you!
Igloo, I do remember reading months ago little snippets about you and your DS, but I don't know the details. I assume he is doing well, thank God.

Now onto more silly things...countertops!

Have you( or anyone else) seen Cambrian Black Leathered granite? My niece, whom I just left, had a Brown Leathered and I loved it. I see there is a black. What do you think that would look like a few feet away from the Black Mosaic? We will look at AB this weekend due to your rec. but would love to get your opinion on the Cambrian Black Leathered, if you have one. I appreciate your help as I was leaning towards the Nordic until your last post. Do you have pics? Thanks. AB honed or polished?

Oh it's so good to hear that the little darling is doing well. I've been wondering and I'm so happy to hear this :o)

My little guy has a ways to go, but he's much much better than he was when he was small. We'll know much more after we go to Childrens in Seattle again this winter. Thank you for the kind thoughts.

Ok now to silly things :oP

I haven't seen leathered granite here. It's not "Hot" in cold alaska :oP If it's shiny enough to flow well I'd say go for it. In the above pics I show Absolute black in it's polished form (I used it in my entry hall for a little detail around a mosaic) and then you see the smaller square that's the nordic antique.

I wonder what nordic looks like in a shiny finish?

I would go with a stone with as little movement as possible, ie AB or a tan marble (although they're softer). You don't want to compete with the fabulous island.

I'll jump in with Igloo on this one as I saw some Cambrian Black Leathered and polished this past weekend. Also saw Nordic Black polished and iced. But first, that is wonderful news about your niece. Such a relief to hear she came through such a big surgery so well. Keep us posted.

Now unto granite....the Cambrian Black Leathered really changes the stone. In it's polished state, it has very little movement and is quite black. In the leathered finish, it has little pits in it to the eye, but not really to the touch. But is still a very dark stone. Darker than the Nordic Black antique.

The Nordic Black Antique looks better than the Nordic Black polished IMHO. The antiquing process brings a lot of life to that stone and interest. My DH loved the NB iced. I thought it looked like patent leather shoes. He thought I was wrong on this and liked the shine and darkness of the stone. I couldn't get shoes out of my mind. Black Zimbabwe granite is also a nice black stone with no movement and comes polished or honed.

I would say you have to see the stone slab to make a decision. Hope this helps.

Igloo, my cabinets are now delayed another day. Going in Thursday. I'm still driving DH crazy with my countertops. I have several slabs of Nordic Black Antique on hold and that one slab of Imperial Danby Marble. Then I get the idea to reconsider trying to find soapstone after seeing some more kitchens posted with it. Am I nuts or what? If you're still on, straighten me out, before I go to bed (it's almost midnight). DH will thank you and I may actually sleep tonight.

Igloo and Plucky, Thank you both so much!

Igloo, I see what you mean about the AB going with the Mosaic better than the Nordic. The AB definitely looks better and I guess the answer to my question, would be to go with the polished rather than honed. The slab we like has more black stones than yours (rather than brown) which probably lends itself to the AB even more. Plucky, I'll check out your suggestions as well. Thank you!

LOL You're nuts :oP Did that help?

Making that final decision was a killer, then (I don't know if you know my story) after I made it, paid in full...they sold my granite ACK!!! (And myBS was hand made to match. In the end, it was a happy problem because we really like our new granite, but ohhhhhh man I was upset.

You're not nuts. Here's my way to make that decision...I personally don't want huge "patina" on my main counters. I particularly don't like the water issues with soap stone, but don't get me wrong, the stuff is gorgeous. I just know how lazy I am and I wouldn't want to have to oil it before every party. So, how lazy are you? That would lead me towards the granite or back to the soapstone (but get the marble!!!)