The faucet and soap dispenser are surely only a small element of the overall feel, and you can leave them alone. I don't know how shiny your cabinet finish will be. Also, you don't mention your backsplash. If it has a matte finish, that will help give you a mix of shiny and matte. You could also choose a softer paint for any exposed wall space, to help mix it up.

We opted to polish our granite despite some issues with reflections of overhead lights, because we wanted to make our counters as easy as possible to maintain. Occasionally I notice the reflections in the countertop but it is not very troublesome.

Finally, I often propose this, but you might watch the finished kitchens slideshow on the finished kitchen blog and notice what jumps out at you about shiny versus matte finishes. It might help you notice how much shine you like or can tolerate. Hope that helps.

I have Cambria, and one thing the designer told me was that it is less "shiny" than granite. Something like granite is 90% sheen and Cambria is 70%. It does have a few flecks of shiny mineral, but they are very small and look pretty subtle when viewed from a reasonable distance. I don't think that will reduce the impact of your polished faucet. To give you some idea, here are the "shinyest" pics I have of my countertop (not Bellingham but Darlington... Bellingham will be very pretty though, especially with your black sink):

Thanks Waterdamaage and Coco, I am reassured to go with my original finishes. I think everything will come together nicely and will definitely post pics on the finished kitchen forum! Enjoy your weekend.

Hi Essdana,
I'm interested in your kitchen pix! I am just getting ready to do a kitchen remodel and we are going with Nexus brown black cabinets and I'm thinking Cambria in either Praa Sands or Bellingham.

Thanks!
laela

Revisit your decision to go with a shiny black enamel sink. (cast iron, I'm assuming?) It will be worse than owning a shiny black car. Every single water spot will show and you will always have to wipe the sink dry and polish it. It's a real PIA. If you want a black sink, pick a quartz one. The more matte surface is infinitely forgiving and a pleasure to work with.

Laela, I like the look; I think the two go well together. I am going to replace the white stove with a stainless steel one and will install a stainless steel MW over it.

However, I recently saw a granite less busy and more atypical that I so wish I had purchased! How DOES one deal with regret? I'm still in the grieving phase of experiencing that "sinking" feeling when I walk into the kitchen, even as I am grateful that I have the means to spend $$$ on a kitchen remodel. Oh well, I had to move pretty quickly to renovate the kitchen as it is a rental (I know, I know, such a pricey renovation for a rental property, but the extra $500/month I am receiving for the upgrade will pay it off in a couple of years and the resale value will have increased).

And, time DOES heal all wounds! I will post a link to that granite soon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bellingham/Nexus BR BL kitchen