The fabricator we will be working with said he COULD put runnels into a granite countertop but he would do everything he could to talk me out of them. Especially because we were going to go with a leathered finish. He said it is hard to get a consistent finish on the insides of the runnels and therefore it becomes difficult to keep them clean. He suggested installing the Blanco sink with the integrated drainboard instead. It is tempting, but then I have to give up the Super Single I've been planning on as the integrated drainboard only comes with the two-bowl option.

I love your inspiration pics! I think I have a few of the same ones saved. :) I've been shopping countertop materials for the last few months. Your top left looks like a Calacutta Gold marble. The look is so beautiful, but the slabs I fell in love with were $10,000 per slab! Granted, they were from some special region in Italy, etc, etc. That's before fabrication. I don't think the quotes you've received are high; countertops can be crazy expensive. And I agree that they make shopping so difficult by being mysterious with the pricing. This place sells directly to the customer. Even if there's not a location near you, it may help you to narrow down your materials based on price. I ended up going with quartzite (different than quartz). To me, the marble-look I wanted looked too faux in the quartz options, almost like the pattern was printed/pixelated. Check out this designer's portfolio; she's used a standard 4" backsplash topped by other materials like beadboard. You could find a solid-colored piece of white or black honed granite to achieve the look I think you want.

It does not look like soapstone. Not the color, not the pattern, but with a photo and that lighting, who knows. It may be a slate, perhaps @Karen MT can chime in. Regardless, the way you care for it is to clean it with a bit of uncolored liquid dishsoap like Seventh Generation on a damp Dobie pad, wipe dry with towel or paper towel. If you want to seal it, check first (A) whether there is sealant on there already, and (B) whether it should even have sealant. Sometimes it is the sealant itself which causes streaks and haze that I see on the photo. That is because the stone may be a type that did not need sealant in the first place, but the sealant was applied anyway but shouldn't have been. Note that sealant protects against stains, but does not protect against etching. Use a tiny bit of acetone on a small section and see what it uncovers. If that section looks better, then you'd need to strip the entire surface of the existing sealant with the acetone. You must have the windows open while doing this, and a little goes a long way.

granite can provide the polished look.....many light or whitish granite .does it need to be clinical all white? I'd have a look at beautiful granite.