Along with everyone else, I think the white cabs and the blue pearl counters are fabulous. One thing I notice in the photos, though, it that it really makes a difference to this combo what you choose for the floor. I don't usually notice the floor 1st or 2nd in photos, but in these I do. I tend to prefer the darker wood floor in shelayne's floor, you can just see a bit of it. Have you considered a tile floor with a wood look? Solves the doggie toenail issues. Maybe something like this: If you have hardwood in adjacent rooms, I'm not sure how that would work, but it's an idea. Notice also Shelayne's black pulls on the lowers and glass knobs on the uppers. Nice combo. And as long as we're talking go-withs, how about that gray backspash in boxerpup's 9th photo? I think I like it better without the black accent pieces, but I can't believe I like a gray backspash at all.

I realize this is an old thread, but thought I'd my two cents in case anyone else like me reads through this and partially bases his/her choice on all the comments about how indestructible Blue Pearl granite is. I wish I had taken joyce_6333's comment more seriously. We have had our Blue Pearl for a little over one month and I am so sad about it. During the daytime it looks great. At night with the lights on it does not. Scratches and divots can be seen when the light hits it right. The first night after installation we noticed what looked like something smeared and dried on. Two of the fabrication/installation techs came back out and took a razor blades to it to scrape it off. Then I noticed some scratches and a divot. Another tech came out and filled the divot (beautifully, I might add!), but said the scratches are too shallow to fill -- we'd have to have the stone repolished, which is a big job and $$$. In the days after, we noticed even more scratches. Like I said, they show only in certain light. And I have three big dish drying mats and three cutting boards with rubber corner backing protection placed strategically where we'd set anything down. The biggest scratch is almost a (curved) foot long. The other ones are straight and "only" about two inches long each. I am SUPER careful, use Weiman's granite cleaner and clean microfiber clothes, don't let any water drops sit on it, don't even prep anything on it -- I'm using a card table for that because I am afraid to further ruin the granite. Hubby hates it because I barely let him touch it either. We were told, don't cut things on the bare counter -- not because you'll damage the counter, but because you could dull your knives! So how, when we've babied this counter, is it scratched already? And has holes (only two very tiny ones, but still). Husband isn't upset; I am. It's two huge slabs with one seam down the center, which is barely noticeable -- they did such a great job with that. He said if I had seen how hard it was for the five guys to get it in the house and in place, I would understand how it could have been scratched in the process. But, geez, I at least expected it to look brand new on day one. And they sealed it and told us to reseal every 6-12 months even though now I'm reading pretty much everywhere else not to seal Blue Pearl. ??? I will say that the two smaller areas (stove and coffee bar areas) have no visible scratches or divots -- they look really nice. And, oh! The fingerprints!!! I've tried to cover every surface where my husband might put his hands, but sometimes as soon as I move the cloth he'll touch the granite and bam! Fingerprints! I guess this is the downside of having a polished surface. Let's see what happens when we can start having family/friends/guests over again one of these years. I promised hubby I would let it go (or see a therapist about my "obsession" and "emotional attachment" to the countertop). So, this is my way of getting it out, "grieving" the loss of my expectations, and moving on. Hope it helps someone else. [It does look lightyears better than the 40-year-old cracked white tile we had before (already cracked when we moved in). And I am loving that we had the countertop made into one level surface rather than retaining the dysfunctional raised bar area behind the sink. Our job entailed two 3cm slabs @ 124" x 74" (63.72 sq ft). We went with the demi-bullnose edge.]

Most slabs of Mother of Pearl I've seen fall in the cool family (greys/smokey taupes/greens), and copper sinks work better with warmer tones. But I have seen some MOP slabs that have rust colored streaks in them, so it depends on the individual slabs of Mother of Pearl.

It is SO nice to see a small kitchen designed so beautifully! It is wonderful! I was always a "wood" girl, but in the last couple of years have gotten so tired of my old oak cabinets (but have no budget for replacement) that I think I'm going to paint them. Either a creamy white or a light gray/green. Most people (including a good number on this site) have no idea how small some real kitchens can be! Mine is barely 9'x10' but because the adjoining dining room is also small it really leaves no room for a proper island. Unless I do THAT room over too and that's not going to happen! But maybe I need to brainstorm to find a way. Thanks for the inspiration!