I think what you use will depend on what you want people's eyes drawn to. If you want it drawn to the marble, then you'll want something very subtle and light. I'm thinking one of the light brown or white caesarstones.
I think most granties would compete for attention with the marble since granites seem to be more "heavy" in their patterning.

I had trouble finding a companion island top for my perimeter Carrara tops. I looked at many charcoal-ish granites, but nothing seemed like it was the right pattern or color. Manmade quartz didn't seem right for me with the naturalness of the marble. Soapstone would have worked, but I wanted something s little tougher and less money. I finally, after agonizing for months, decided on walnut for the island top. I love the contrast in texture it will provide and the warmth it'll bring. Wood might be a possibility for you if you decide you liked wood on top of dark cabs.

I forgot to mention that I thought about two cab colors and two countertops for my kitchen also. For me, I decided it's too much. Either two cab colors with the same top, OR one cab color with two tops. I've seen beautiful, large kitchens with multiple cab and counters. It's just not for me. Making these big design choices can be a struggle!

Have you seen aceofdiamond's finished kitchen post? She did carrera on the island and buttermilk caesarstone on the perimeter. Good luck! P.S. If you're going with marble on the island - which will get the most use? - you may as well go with it everywhere else. I could spend your money in a NY minute! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: aceofdiamond

I just love your inspiration pictures, wish I could steal them and put in an album of my own, lol. Gorgeous : ) You are definitely on the right track. Good luck I really love the dark island photo and hope you can get it all worked out to your joy!

I added some more photos to my album in the original post.

breezygirl- I have thought of walnut! I wondered how it holds up? I don't know much about it as far as cleaning, etc... Does it mark easily or stain? Is it more user friendly than marble? I assume the island would be the best spot rather than using wood on the perimeter, around sink, etc... Do you have any photos? I wonder price-wise how it is?

marg- aceofdiamond's kitchen is beautiful! I will look at some of the Caesarstone's again as a companion. I didn't love them as the only countertop but as a companion they might be a good choice. I think some of them are available honed. I don't like anything too shiny.
I would love the marble everywhere but am scared of not having a "safe place" to work! There will also be a buffet in the dining area with matching cabinetry and I'll probably use marble there as well.

I have been looking online at the Cambria Torquay (which I added to album). The coloring looks similar to the Imperial Danby and if it's not busy I wondered if that might look good as a companion?

I have time to make these decisions as we are early in the planning but I know I NEED lots of time to make these decisions. I'm not the type to make decisions on the fly! Thanks so much and keep ideas coming : )

I have Vermont Danby marble on my island and "Blizzard" white Caesarstone on the perimeter with all dark cherry counters. I have a much more contemporary aesthetic than your describe but I think the combination of those products would work beautifully with your cabinets as well. I love that the marble is the star of my kitchen!

I do think you have to be very careful to pick the right white if you are going with a white or light quartz product/Vermont Danby combination. If you choose to go that route, make sure to take a piece of the marble when comparing to the various quartz samples, and to the actual quartz slab you are buying, if possible. I found that some of the white quartz colors "clashed" with the marble's white tones, and it took a while to find the right one. For my Danby slab, the white tones of the Blizzard CS were a perfect match, but each marble slab is probably slightly different.

BTW, I really enjoy having both types of surfaces to work on. If I'm doing something particularly messy/acidy, I just do it on the perimeter to be safe, but I don't baby the marble and though it has etched, no one notices the etches but me!

Good luck!

Looking from island top across to perimeter:

Broader view of both counter types together:

2Little, I just saw your last post about the Cambria Torquay. I have a big sample of that at home because I am planning to use it in my guest bathroom. I think it's the best marble-look engineered quartz I have seen yet.

HOWEVER, it CLASHES, CLASHES, CLASHES with the Danby marble in my kitchen. Just another good reason to play with samples in real life before making decisions. I personally would not combine a real marble and a marble-look engineered quartz together in the same room. I think that would look like a near-miss and detract from the glory of your natural stone. But YMMV.

Sharonite- Your marble is beautiful! : ) How can you (I) take a piece of my exact slab to match against the quartz? Also the quartz slabs don't differ from one to the next right being they are engineered?

Good to know about the Torquay. If I chicken out of marble it sounds like the Torquay is the closest quartz. I don't like the others I've seen so far.

sharonite- Do you know if your Danby holds up better than a Carrara lets say? I know it has a lower absorption rate but wonder if it really translates into a real life difference between the two as far as durability, etc. They say Danby is better for kitchens but it is more expensive as well and I wonder if it is worth the difference. I'm sure you did your own research on the marble so if there's anything you can add that would be appreciated

2L: I did read that Danby marble is supposedly less absorptive than other marbles, but I think that the difference, if it makes a difference at all, goes to the staining, not the etching issue. All marbles etch with acid, but the honed finish hides the etches better. (I forgot to mention my marble is honed.) I've had no problems with staining on my sealed stone.

I chose the Danby primarily because I loved the caramel veining in it, which the Italian marbles I looked at did not have, and also it's *fairly* local for me, as there is a Vermont Danby quarry within a 3 hour drive of my home. I purchased it from a local stoneyard that gets it from that quarry, and the stoneyard folks were happy to hammer a bit off the slab corner for me to take home as a sample.

My stoneyard also carries the Caesarstone slabs, and I learned after calling the company that though all batches or lots of each color are engineered by the same process, there can be slight variations from lot to lot (presumably from variation in the natural quartz used in the process) so it's important to use "same lot" slabs for jobs that require more than one slab. When I went, they had slabs from two lots of the Blizzard color, and there was a smidgen of green tinge to one of the lots that I didn't like, although I could only tell because they were right next to each other. I just chose the actual slab that looked better with my marble sample and they marked it just like they marked the marble slab I chose.

Good luck, keep us posted!

Thanks! I too like the caramel veining- especially with the ivory cabinets.
I think you're right that the Danby being less absorptive just has to do with staining. I wonder if it's harder though as far as chipping, etc.
Oh, which Danby do you have? Is the the Imperial or Eureka Calcutta or other? I know there are several kinds on their site. I've had some samples shipped to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: VERMONT DANBY MARBLE VARIATIONS

I am thinking wood too for your kitchen. It looks gorgeous with marble, especially if you are getting one with a bit of caramel veining in it, and your pics look like you are thinking some more classic, traditional, warm tones and accessories. Marble and wood would be a great choice I think.

So, this sounds silly but how do you DO wood? Where do you go to choose, etc? Probably walnut? Also, the same questions I asked breezygirl-

"I wondered how it holds up? I don't know much about it as far as cleaning, etc... Does it mark easily or stain? Is it more user friendly than marble? I assume the island would be the best spot rather than using wood on the perimeter, around sink, etc... Do you have any photos? I wonder price-wise how it is?"

info on wood countertops? : )

sharonite,
You say you got your marble fairly "locally". I live in MA. Is there a close place that I may see and purchase Danby Imperial ? I have not had much luck finding it.
Thank you,
salbwil

Hi salbwil,
I chose the marble slab at Marble and Granite Inc. In Westwood, MA. It's a huge stoneyard and I had a good experience there; I'm lucky that I live only about 20 minutes away. My fabricator then contacted them and quoted me a price for the chosen stone, installed. They have pictures of their stock slabs on their website, which is helpful to get an idea of how many different lots they have available at one time. Good luck!

Apologies for the highjack, 2littlefishies!

I'm pretty much a lurker on this site, but I can give the wood link as my first reply, since it's been on quite a few other posts...

Here is a link that might be useful: Craft Art Wood Countertop Site

Devo's site is attached below. Not sure where you are at, but there is also a guy in Michigan that is very reasonable in pricing and will ship. Blocktop.net is their website

Place in Kentucky...AWP Butcher Block in Kentucky.

You can also order from Lumber Liquidators and IKEA.

And this is a past thread with several company names..
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg121653119396.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Devo's

Thanks so much! I'm going to look into it. However, the more I look at my inspirational pics (below) I'm thinking I may be better off with one counter color being we are using 2 cabinet colors... I'm looking at Cambria Torquay soon- ordered a sample. Going to see if I may just use that everywhere. I LOVE MARBLE but if I like the Torquay enough I may let it go for the care reasons. I don't know. Tomorrow I may be singing a different tune! lol

Here is a link that might be useful: INSPIRATIONAL PHOTOS