Actually, I really like those slabs! They are very different and would definately be the center of attention! From my experience, you know when you have found "the slab".....it's the one you compare everything else to, I really like those!

I'm sure you've seen sochi's breath-takingly beautiful kitchen? Her luca di' luna (don't know if I said or spelled that right) counters are linear and spectacular. One of my all time favorite kitchens. Do a search... you see what I mean.

BTW... I think the stone you pictured is beautiful and could definitely work.

I'm glad you both like the Anasol. It is definitely eye catching. Would you use it on all the counters or just the island?

I adore Sochi's kitchen. I found White Macaubus locally that looks similar to her counters, but just not as spectacular (background not as white and pattern not quite as nice).

I would imagine negative feedback is helpful. I don't care for it. Aside from the pattern, which to me is busy, I don't care for the colors, which look quite cold to me.

I particularly think the tile b/s they show it with is too busy in combination.

I would only buy it if you really love it. And I would consider it on just your island, as a focal point (overused word). I would not use it everywhere.

Negative feedback is helpful too. It is such a strong pattern that I suspected some people would really dislike it, and am curious how many have that reaction. I have not purchased and installed it yet, so I am not offended if people tell me they hate it - now is the time.

I am not a colorphobe (hi mtndredux ;) but I don't particularly like these colors either and I agree the colors are too cold. I think the stripes are too hard and it sort of reminds of me of a barcode. I would not use it on the island with that nice curve. I also think the stripy-ness could work badly with the grains of the wood, which are also kind of stripy (in a good way).

But if you LOVE it, then use them! If you don't love it, keep looking. We looked for marble for over a year before we found the slabs we liked!

I love the slab and hate the tile. I would put it on the island only so it can be a focal point and put a complimentary cream around the perimeter.If you use this slab the backsplash needs to not be busy. I like glass tile, but I think a solid glass backsplash would be awesome in your kitchen. Green goes better with walnut than grey.

And not that you asked but I don't like the shape of your island, it really seems out of place with the other lines of your kitchen. And it may be the drawing but the upper cabinets on the sides of the hood seem too small. But I love the cabinets!

I like it and think the colors are fantastic...but I'm not sure I would like it with walnut, which tends to have a busy grain already (although sochi blended her linear stone with walnut beautifully, so it can be done, and done well).

I thought you might be interested to see the Bath of the Month from House Beautiful's last issue, which features a very similar marble. Note how carefully it's used here:

I'm with mtnrdredux. The stone is pretty enough by itself (though I can't say I care much for the name...). Anyway, as I said, I think the stone is nice-looking but I would be concerned that the strong pattern would fight with or detract from the look of your walnut. Will your cabs have a distinct horizontal linear grain pattern like the ones pictured? If so, that stone on top of them might just be too much of a good thing. Same with the backsplash they have pictured with it; it looks to me like just a lot of stripes. If you really love the stone, then I think it would be fine in small doses (i.e. on the island) but I wouldn't put it on the perimeter or as a slab on the backsplash. The walnut is gorgeous and I'd let that "be the star," to use another cliché.

Hm. Cliche (with the CORRECT end accent) was fine on the preview. Just so you all don't think I tried to spell it with an A. haha.

I just looked up Sochi's kitchen again. A fine kitchen to emulate; I'd love to have that good an eye for design! I noticed that her countertop stripes have a softer color and there are fewer of them... almost like they are a quiet echo of the walnut grain instead of matching it. OK, I almost take back my last post. I think we need to see the stone next to your actual cabinet doors before passing judgment.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sochi's kitchen

I fear neither pattern nor color, but I'm not a fan in this case. The stone looks pinky-gray-beige to me, not my fave combo. Perhaps more importantly, it is too similar to the horizontal lines in the walnut figuring.

Anasol is a marble, or at least thats my understanding...it would have the same maintenance issues as the white marble DH nixed, so not sure there is any advantage to using it.

When I googled Anasol, it does seem to be a marble, so maintenance might be a real issue as jsceva said. That aside, I think the stone is beautiful, and you could avoid some of the concerns by doing only the island in it.

Love it. But not with the strong linearity of walnut grain.

I'm also not liking the bright white with the walnut cabinets. Have you thought of something like Corian Saffron? It has a hint of linearity that can work with the walnut, but it's not so strong that it competes badly with it. It's also warmer in tone, which I think works better with the wood than the cooler tones you've been looking at.
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If those tones are too warm, there's Clam Shell, which is one of my personal favorites. It looks a whole lot like limestone without any of the maintenance or etching possibilities.
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kaysd - are you sure that that stone is quartzite? It looks an awful lot like the stone I first fell for - Cipollino marble. The colours in the Cipollino I saw were more blue and brown, but it is from Italy like the slab you saw. Check my old thread from a couple of years ago. I found one fabricator in my city who had ever used Cipollino, in a bathroom application. The stone was VERY soft, and they strongly recommended against it for kitchen (but they were ok with other marbles in the kitchen, like Calacatta and Carrarra). Just last week I saw a Cipollino vanity in a showroom - if was quite badly marked up.

But maybe your stone is quartzite - but do get a sample and test it to be sure.

I think linear/horizontal movement on the stone is okay with the linear movement on the walnut (obviously), but I would want to see the stone with your cabs. I worried that my counter would compete too much with my walnut cabs, but they don't (IMHO) The slabs you show also read quite dark, at least on the monitor. I think they are lovely though.

Here is a link that might be useful: sochi's counter choice

I don't like it all that much for two reasons. 1. Personal. I don't mind the stripes, but don't like the sickly peach color I see on my monitor on that vanity with the other colors. Maybe the slabs available to you would look different. 2. Your kitchen. I'm not sure I'd like the stripes with your walnut grain.

If this isn't "the one", keep looking but don't pressure yourself. Easier said than done when you're on a timeline and have a baby to haul around to slab yards. Been there. The right stone will come along, and you'll love it.

Anasol is definitely a marble, with overtones ranging from greenish to greyish and heavily banded. It's from some very old quarries in Spain and Portugal.

If you use it, use it boldly and don't have a backsplash that competes with it. The first picture is an example of what not to do.

I love the linear nature of it for a contemporary kitchen but much prefer the Luca de Luna. That looks like it has pink in it? Or salmon? It would not be my choice, personally, because of that . . .

I don't mind the counters, but I don't like it with the cabinets you have chosen. Too much linear design on counters and cabinets... they would seem to compete with each other. If you really like the counters then I would go with a cabinet with less defined grain.

You are all giving me a lot to think about. I liked the Anasol a lot better in person than I do looking at these photos. DH was so excited because he wants to be done with the decision phase, and this stone is only $15.50 sf. I should have said that I will not do the rounded island shape shown if I buy this stone. I was thinking a 8.5' x 4' rectangle with a thick mitered edge. The guy at the yard said it was quartzite, but I see based on your comments and Google searches it is marble. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Just for reference, I like warmer and darker woods with strong grain patterns (walnut, cherry, mahogany, sapele), but to go with them I prefer cooler colors: blues, greens, grays, white. I like certain shades of ivory/cream/beige. Colors with yellow, orange and golden tones are my least favorite.

We have also considered sapele cabinets (gorgeous grain, reddish brown color and lower price point), but the walnut goes better with our wood ceiling and dining room furniture. With sapele, I considered doing a white or white and gray island and Raven Ceasarstone on the perimeter. I do not think the dark gray will look as good with walnut.

I am going to post some photos of other stones later when I can upload to Photobucket so I can get some comments on other possible choices.

I love it but not with those equally lovable cabinets.

To be honest, I would love it in a beach house with light cabinets but my concern is that I don't think it goes with the beautiful linear lines of the warm walnut at all. Sochi's also reminds me of a fabulous stone for the beach. At least in the photo that makes the stone look blue. Pictures can be deceiving though. I could have some fun with those two stone choices at a beach house for sure : )

I love those slabs, not with the backsplash but with
something simple or even a backsplash made with the same
rock.

Lovely.
bp

I"m with Gr8day.
I really like the stone, but your cabinets are so beautiful I think it would distract from their elegance.

Perhaps your island with a different base color?

Oh - but being marble, you're passing?
That's hard if it's what you love.

I've been paying on a slab of Emperdoro dark (I can never spell the 1st word!) for quite some time, for my bathroom. I've looked for years for something I love and keep coming back to it. I dislike specks, and granite is mostly specks. The marble speaks to me. My point is that I understand how it is with the AAA HA! moment. I hope you have one with a material that's more durable.

Christine

If it will be a maintenance issue, it will be an issue everyday. I'm with DH on not going with marble at all. I like the slab, but agree it has to be in just the right place. You also mention that resale may be an issue.Well, you have just seen that there is a variety of opinions on that pattern right here. You may want to go with something that has a long track record of everybody liking (if not loving), but I say this only because you bring up the issue of possible resale.

My advice, take your cabinet door and put it against as many slabs as you can and something will pop for you.

Good luck and try not feel discouraged

It is a very pretty stone, but paired with the wrong bs.
If it is delicate, I'd pass, but it is pretty, IMHO, either way.
I'd have to see it with the cabs to know if there were too much linear action with the grain.
I hope you find something just as wonderful that is hardy.

I like the slab, and the colors, but not with the highly linear/striped grain of the walnut. Were I to use the walnut, which is very attractive, I'd probably want to use the slab elsewhere in the house, where it would "refer" to the kitchen, but not compete with the cabinets. I do like the photo with the backsplash.

Maybe I'm alone, but I lOVE that stone and love it with the walnut cabs, as long as the cabinets are set horizontally and the marble vertically.

If you use it, I too would forego the backsplash tile for simpler glass or paint, something with fewer lines.

ditto circuspeanut; tone down or lighten up other materials and get horizontals to be the one thing happening in the foreground not both verticals and horizontals going into action with the same intensity on the same plane.

in other words, i like it. As is. My suggestions were about how to make it more of a thing, all by itself, by underplaying the surrounding elements.

I love it with walnut, but just not with the doors you've shown. The problem is the walnut grain is both vertical and horizontal in those doors. If the doors were all horizontal (like Sochi's) or maybe even all vertical, I think the lines would work together as long as everything else in the room was subordinate to the cabinets and counters. You could still do a very small scale pattern for some choices, but most everything else would need to be solid color blocks. Are you set on that particular door style or would it be possible to change to a simpler walnut veneer style?

I like the stone, but when I visualize it on the rounded counters, it doesn't quite work. If your island top were rectangular, I would probably vote yea, but as it is, I have to say nay.

I don't care for the combination personally - too many lines. I think each on their won are beautiful.

BUT go with your gut - if you LOVE it - go for it. Sounds like this might be compromise because your DH did not want white marble in which case keep looking?

When we were looking at granites, after months of looking my DH said - "You know the labradorite australe you really liked [the first stone I saw and fell in love with], it's beginning to grow on me" We then spent months looking for the "right" slabs of labradorite austral- and I am happy to say we love our countertops

Good luck