I didn't know that Caesarstone has a honed finish. Why do you say it would be too much hassle to care for? I much prefer a honed finish to polished.

I like the depth of the Bianco Drift countertop. I'm not a big fan of using 2 different tones for kitchen cabinets. If not done right I think it can be too busy looking but just my opinion. I had a hard enough time picking flooring and countertop with one cabinet finish.

Wow, you are looking at very similar materials to us. Lighting, shadow, and background isn''t great but we are thinking about Caesarstone Taj Royale to go with our Rift Sawn White Oak and greige. I'm not sure the greige is right yet; we are waiting for a glossy lacquer sample to come in before we head into a custom paint color.

malabacat, it looks like you have good information to share, but so difficult to read a wall of text.

Please add some paragraph breaks ...

do you have any info about the actual shade of white...there are so many "whites". I like your general idea...just thinking about your floor and the actual white of cabinets. The ones I like right off the bat are pebble, alpine mist and cosmopolitan white...... The top two for me would be pebble and cosmopolitan white....I feel pebble would actually be my final pick.

Thanks SO MUCH for all the replies everyone! I've been checking in all day but haven't had any moments to sit and reply.

aprilneverends: Ha ha, I'm just TKO and enjoying the ride! This has been so fun... I'll be quite sad when it's all done! I've got my cabinet samples lined up just as you suggested and will share photos after this reply. ;) Thanks so much for all your great input and advice. I was lucky enough that the showroom I visited had a huge slab of Alpine Mist - it's what made me like it so much! They also had some sample counters with Bianco Drift installed, which is what made DH like it! I'll make sure to ask to see the slabs again when I make my final decision.

Here are my and DH's favourite Caesarstone samples, lined up with our cabinet sample and favourite floor tiles:

Alpine Mist with floor tile #1:

Bianco Drift with floor tile #1:

Alpine Mist with floor tile #2:

Bianco Drift with floor tile #2:

None of the floor tiles I found are exactly perfect, but I've quickly learned that's the way things go with selecting materials. I love the texture and grain of floor tile #1 but wish the colour was warmer. I love the warmth of the colour in floor tile #2 but the grain looks a bit unrealistic and the texture isn't as pleasing.

eam44: My heart fell after reading your reply. I panicked, thinking that I was just going back to a slightly different version of honey oak and cream. OH NO!! So I gathered up all my samples and compared what I have now to what I'm getting. The new oak stain is a medium brown while my old oak was a yellowy-orange. Here's a photo showing the cream counters, backsplash and floors with the honey oak:

When I compare what I have now to my samples above, I see a big enough difference. My oak won't have the yellow or bright orange tones and my whites will be much more clean and bright. It's not the dramatically different look I was hoping to get, but I think it shows that there is a part of me that is kind of sad to say goodbye to these sturdy oak cabinets.

I have a collection of kitchens in my Ideabooks with a stain similar to mine. Most have either white or dark counters. The one that made me think of using grey was this one:

Saint Paul Craftsman · More Info

The grey, to me, looked so unexpected and, to me, makes this kitchen feel more contemporary. But maybe I'm totally off and it's the other elements that make this kitchen feel contemporary, like the lovely yellow dishware and flowers?

Linelle: I love, love, love the look and feel of Caesarstone's honed concrete series. I read a few mentions here and there online about the maintenance issues with their honed finish. I think even Caesarstone acknowledges that the honed surfaces are more prone to staining. :(

maries1120: I was very resistant to doing two-toned too. I did it as a compromise with DH, who wanted an all-white kitchen. Totally agree that the Bianco Drift has nice depth and it would PERFECTLY connect the white and stained cabs. DH loves it so I may just give in and go with it...

StanZ: Wow, how very similar indeed! :) I also looked at Taj Royale and I think you're making a fantastic choice! The brownish veining in it looks great with the oak. My DH didn't like it because it looks like marble. He detests marble. Sigh... I'll be following your progress - would love to see what you decide on!

malabacat: Thank you so much for sharing your experience!! It's really, really helpful to hear from someone who actually has a CS honed surface and has owned it for more than a year. After reading your post, I went and dabbed oil, tomato sauce, and turmeric onto all of my favourite samples. We'll see how they look in 24 hrs! Thanks so much again!

herbflavor: I really like all the ones you like too! This is not an easy decision at all. We will be going to Benjamin Moore to select our shade of white soon! We wanted to nail down the counter and floors first. Will update as soon as we pick up the paint samples!

As for your inspiration picture-well I like it too:) It's a pretty timeless- as they say- kitchen-nothing too traditional, nothing too contemporary. Many nice elements-shaker cabinets that will always be loved, a bit of open shelving..the great window helps a lot:) As great windows always do. And of course yummy accents help too. Simply put, that is a kitchen that makes you feel relaxed, happy, and willing to be there. I always love wood and gray together, but put there white, or I don't know-misty green?-it would be a nice kitchen too. Gray is more in fashion right now, so it seems fresher to you..but gray was always around, just sometimes more sometimes less..

Very clean lines of the countertop-yes, these are reading as more current. But then they'd always work the best with a kitchen like this.

In short. It can be analyzed of course, and by someone much better than me. But you can just say "wow I like this kitchen"-I think it's a reason good enough:)

BTW cream would look amazing too-if the color of the cabinets was a bit darker.

I LOVE windows too. I think it was Jillius who said that she loves great windows that just happen to have a kitchen attached. ;) That applies to me too! Thanks for the great analysis of this kitchen and why it works. It is a combo of all those little touches. And about grey feeling more fresh - Ahh, that's why I'm drawn to grey! Last night, I started wondering why I liked grey so much and couldn't figure it out because it doesn't have any tones in it that really complement my oak. That being said, I'm going to open up the possibilities again and consider whites, creams and even brown tones for the counter. I plan to go to a few more countertop showrooms this week. Thanks again aprilneverends!

I hope I didn't make you feel bad! The truth is you can pick exactly the same colors in a different style and end up with a different look. Just be aware, you're chosing the same colors, perhaps because you actually like them.

The image below is your cabinet under your inspiration cabinet. They may seem different to you; they don't look different at all to me. Im only pointing this out because you said you didn't like oak and cream. Maybe it's the '80s vibe you need to get rid of, not the colors per se - because you're chosing the same ones to the best of my ability to see them. By the way, your inspiration image is oak cabinetry and grey counters and backsplash (no white) - it's not a two tone kitchen at all. Perhaps that's a direction you might like to go in. Ditch the white and go with oak cabinets with gray counters. That would be a departure from your current scheme.

eam44: No worries at all - I want honest feedback and it was helpful for me to go through that line of thinking NOW rather than having it all put in then realizing the colours were so similar. If I think it through now and I am at peace with it, there won't be any regrets. :)

You're right that my inspiration photo is very similar to what I have currently. The stain I'm actually getting is darker than my current kitchen and the inspiration photo. It wasn't the best inspiration photo to choose because it doesn't match my stain. And I'm starting to think that grey might not be the way to go...

Back to the drawing board! I'm starting to think that adding grey into an already two-tone kitchen doesn't make sense. It doesn't contrast well with the oak and grey doesn't have any warm tones to complement the oak either.

So now I'm looking in to getting something with warmer tones like the Caesarstone colours below. Here they are with my oak sample on top, then individually:

Taj Royale

Dreamy Marfil

Creme Brule

Shitake

Tuscan Dawn

I realize that I'm actually going back to the colour scheme I have in my current kitchen, which I was trying to get away from! But I think eam44 is right - perhaps it isn't so much the colours I don't like; rather, it's the other elements like the cathedral style doors, the door handles, etc.

Any thoughts on this change in colour? Would any of these work well with my stain and white cabinets? I'm kind of partial to Taj Royale, Dreamy Marfil and Tuscan Dawn because I like the look of veins.

I'm going to pick up some samples tomorrow or Friday.

I had my heart set on Dreamy Marfil for a long time..(my cabinets are painted though) until I saw the full slab..Make sure to see the slabs before you finally deciding! Unless they are one solid color like white-there can always be a surprise

(I'm not sure I saw Caesarstone one though. Maybe Caesarstone's Dreamy Marfil will be ten times better)

PS also wanted two tone kitchen. but. I wanted a really really bold two tone kitchen. I chickened out of it..I think for the best because I have very few upper cabinets. It wouldn't be as successful, in my case..

Thanks aprilneverends! Dreamy Marfil is lovely on screen. I'm going to the local Caesarstone showroom later this week. Hopefully they'll have some large slabs I can see.

Now you've got me wondering about slab selection. If I see one slab of a certain colour, is that how it will likely look on the slab I actually get? Or is there still quite a bit of variation from slab to slab? I've read about others' disappointing experiences with Cambria's huge amount of variation from slab to slab but haven't read anything like that about Caesarstone .

Will I be able to to look through several slabs of the same colour and select the specific slab that I like most? I've never selected a countertop before so this is all new to me!

Update: Shitake is starting to grow on me! Here's how it looks with my oak sample and a strip of slightly off-white (to get an idea how it would look with my white cabinets) and one of my floor samples:

How does that look together?? I really like how this has an organic, natural feel. Bringing in natural elements was one thing I really, really felt passionate about when I did my "Sweeby Test" many months ago. I kind of forgot about it along the way and seeing Shitake reminded me of that.

Any suggestions on which shade of Benjamin Moore white to pick? I'm also open to choosing a different colour for the floor.

Tuscan dawn or dreamy marfil of this group would be my choices. In your close up with shitake, cabinet oak and floor there is too much pattern between the three items. With the floor product you are choosing and the oak cabinets I would nail down which specific tone/pattern of floor......then go back to counter surface. I would really want the floor/cabinets to work well together and then get the counter chosen. You have grain in both cab and floor.....sometimes the graining can oppose and be a problem.....you want the grain to provide subtle contrast or coordinate quite closely....get these two elements and you'll find the counter that works.

Ms K-no idea. Truly. They have slabs in batches..one batch might slightly differ from what you were shown. (Actually happened to us..lol. We looked at one slab-but got another. different batch. I was pissed I must say. But it wasn't extremely different..got over myself in a day or two).

Slabs are stacked vertically..are really heavy..in order to really see the ones in the middle-they'll have to ask a guy to actually pick up the slab, with a machine and all. It still won't be horizontal as it will be later in your kitchen. In short-not easy..

The good thing about slab yards though-they tend to be outside..the light is normal, not that artificial and sometimes very heavy light, which they have in the store...

So you will be able to pick the ones you prefer the most, yes..if they have enough of them there. They might need to order them. Then it's best to go look at the ones they've ordered.

Find slabs and tell them to hold them for you. Before paying and everything.

Ah. there is also a human factor. We had a lovely salesperson there who really tried to accommodate us, in terms of specific slabs..was able to go down the price since he was a rep of the company. And he really tried to do his best. But alas we needed two slabs..that's how he had to do it from the second batch. He couldn't mix the slab from the first batch and the slab from the second..he was very upfront with us the slabs might get too different.

So that's how we got two slabs that were the same, but looked slightly different from the one we liked the most.

If you find a person there who honestly will give you all this info, instead just saying "oh yeah it's Quartz they are all the same"-you're already in a much better position.

(We found two perfect slabs in the other store, beforehand..but because of the said human factor, we decided not to deal with them..I can take a lot of things but lying is irritating, and wastes my time too)

Oh boy, herbflavor: I hadn't even considered that element - making sure the two grains work together! Yikes! We're already set on the cabinet grain so the only thing that can change is the the floor tile. What grain do you think would work well with the cabinet grain? DH and I had considered switching to stone-looking tiles but we didn't pursue it because it felt like opening a whole new can of worms! Should we switch over to getting stone floors instead of wood tiles?

aprilneverends: It was really helpful to read what your experience was choosing a slab. How disappointing and frustrating that things didn't work out to get the one you first selected.

Never been in a slab yard before so I never even considered the logistics of viewing the slabs! Wow, it sounds like I won't be able to be as obsessively picky and selective as I normally am with choosing materials! Oh dear... it might drive me crazy not being able to see every slab! ;)

I've copied and pasted your tips into my collection of tips to remember - thank you!!

re floor: I always prefer wood or wood look. I feel your kitchen is more refined than the rustic look. Might take the deeper hue in your cabinet wood and get a more monochromataic looking color in the floor to anchor your room. The product you have chosen would be fine...just comb through their color/looks a little more. Re stone or tile floor: you could find one that works but hard floors are my least preferred choice. Resilient flooring is much better.....I have aging joints.

I think leaving aside the gray is a brilliant choice. I like the options you have above; have you considered using a lighter hue with your oak, perhaps like Statuario Nuvo? I'm showing it with your cabinet picks and Marazzi Montagna floor tile in Gunstock.

herbflavor: Yes, I do have to go more "refined" to compromise with DH. If it were my choice, all of the finishes would be a lot more rustic!

Phew... so glad that I don't have to go and switch gears and start looking for stone tiles! I love the look of wood so I would have been heartbroken to give that up too. I wish I could go with real wood. But I have young kids who are still very destructive and I'd like to get a dog in a few years' time... so wood floors just wouldn't be practical in the kitchen. :( I've gotten used to wearing cushy foam slippers and standing on my foam mat at the sink. Helps a lot to prevent the aches from walking on tile.

I'd really like to go for the monochromatic look as I like the warmth of the stain on my oak. The only problem is, I can't find any tile that: has that colour, has a nice texture AND has a realistic looking grain. ARGH! The tile that I've shown is Daltile's Saddle Brook line, in "Oak Trail". They only have two other shades that might work:

FarmHouse:

WalnutCreek:

Farmhouse doesn't warm things up much and WalnutCreek is lovely but likely darker than I'd like. I'll get some samples in the next couple days or so.

eam44: I like that Marazzi Montagna tile you found, and I see that it can be bought at HD. Do you know anything about the quality of that line?

I'm still open to considering a lighter colour counter. I went with the darker hue of Shitake because for some reason, I get a very zen, calm feeling looking at it (must be Caesarstone's marketing and slick photos that brainwashed me!) If I can somehow make it work, I'd love to use Shitake. Here's some photos I found where it's used with two-toned kitchens or just with stained wood, and looks lovely:

Home Design - The Etesian · More Info

A Closer Look at Caesarstone · More Info

Kitsilano Point Residence · More Info

CLIFF DRIVE, Laguna Beach, CA: tranquil coastal · More Info

I'm sure I just missed it while skimming through this thread, but did you say what your plan is for the backsplash?

I would highly discourage going too dark on the floor. Don't get me wrong I love them. I have them. Mine are a dark rich Ipe wood. Beautiful, but never again. Shows to much, especially the little white doggie hair.

I love your quarter sawn oak cabinets. Myself, I'd go with the lightest and plainest off white countertop. I think the last one, the dark "shiitake", is too much of the same tone (yet undertones look off on my monitor) to the cabinets.

I really liked the lighter rustic wood look floor tiles that you were liking in the beginning. Personally, I love mixing rustic with contemporary.

I have the Marazzi tile under my fridge wall. It matches my hardwood beautifully, and I think the quality and consistency are good. Run to HD and take a look, see what you think.

i like the Shitake. Like rebunky, I sort of felt there wasn't enough contrast in that choice with your oak, but that's me (I want solid white counters so I can have a knockout backsplash). They are equally saturated, just slightly different hues. Stan Zs sample of Taj Royal is pretty appealing with oak, and the sample looks very different from the image. Does that happen a lot with cesarstone? If so, definitely bring home samples. And think about your backsplash too. If you want anything other than monochromatic subway tiles, now's the time to step away from busy counters.

Will you have a lot of light? The pictures above are all pretty because of the lighting. I would not want a countertop in the color range where daytime use of under cabinet lighting is required to keep the kitchen from looking too dark.

Ms K, if a person has ended up with a decorating result they didn't like, as I have, I think it becomes harder for us to trust our instincts/likes. For me, the fear of making a mistake becomes a huge, unspoken elephant in the room controlling my decisions.

Yes, go with the Shitake once you've seen it in person. It gives you a Zen wonderful feeling, which neither the greys nor the creams did. You found photos showing it in different kitchens, and you like these photos. Most important, I like it too. Yay!

I've got a bunch of thoughts, so I'll just break them up.

________

I really liked floor tile #1 with your cabinets (shown here):

They're a really great contrast to the cabinets (both in color and in grain), yet both are pretty soothing. I also liked how the swirly-ness in the counter option in that pic echoes some of the swirlyness in the floor. I'm not liking the nearly solid or nearly no movement counter options as much. Since you're going with all neutrals, I like that you are more showcasing textures (as opposed to colors).

That particular combination is reminding me somewhat of Faith's kitchen from Apartment Therapy:

I like her kitchen a lot (everything except the island cabinet color -- I wish that were just more stained wood like the perimeter), but I am getting the sense from you that you'd rather something warmer. Her kitchen isn't cold, but it is sort of cool and crisp and calm. I think's what you'd get with the nearly-white grey counters like Alpine Mist or Cosmopolitan White or any of the white marble lookalikes suggested by various people later.

It's all pretty, but is it really what you're going for?

_____

I'm afraid I don't like this combination at all:

They're all too dark for me and too close in color to be an interesting mix. I think you want warmth, but instead you're going for dark, and it's not quite the same thing.

Just compare it to your inspiration photo:

Saint Paul Craftsman · More Info

That inspiration picture is overall brighter and has more warm, yellow tones. The dark picture is darker and has a lot more grey undertones.

________________

I think you might have better luck choosing both your counter and your backsplash at once. You might be expecting too much from the counter selection -- something the backsplash could bring (like warmth).

Here again is that picture with tile #1 and Blanco Drift, except I also added the tile backsplash from the inspiration photo you posted. I really like all together. Nice mix of soothing, natural tones and elements and textures.

That said, it's not nearly as warm as your inspiration picture either.

What would be noticeably warmer is a backsplash in the green/blue family:

Use your hand or a piece of paper to cover up all the backsplashes there except one to get a sense of what each would look like with the counter, floor, and cabinets.

That dark blue-green and stained wood mix is also a very craftsman combination, and you seem to be drawn to the craftsman color scheme, if not that out-and-out style.

_____________________

That said, it's still not as warm as your inspiration photo. I don't think you can get that kind of warmth without entering the realm of honey/orangey/reddish wood for either the cabinets or the floors.

Here's two other images of Shitake. Hope OP can try an actual sample with her actual cabinet finish.

I didn't care for the Shitake counter and floor combo. All seemed too close depth wise but different tones. I think at least one of these needs to be lighter. I think a few of the inspiration photos posted might be helpful. I like the Saint Paul kitchen with the lighter counter and the Cliff Drive/Laguna Beach (darker counter/lighter floor) ones the most. Wood stain cabinets and wood stain or wood-look flooring are a bit trickier to pull off - at least I thought so when I considered that for the kitchen. Even with the designer at the flooring store trying to help, I got frustrated and went with a stone look for flooring instead. For us, there was a tone in the cabinets that just didn't work with any floor sample. The light at home changed everything that seemed to work in the store. I think the suggestion to also add the backsplash decision into the mix is a good one. If not the backsplash decision - at least have a vision of what you would like to do with that. Look at the photos posted or other kitchens you like to see if that helps. DH and I can differ on what we like so trying to find that compromise can add to the challenge. I try in most cases to find that but sometimes I just need to tell him that this is the decision and to trust me. I gave him another room to do anything he wanted in.

I'm overwhelmed by all the amazing, helpful replies you shared - thank you!! My whole day was spent doing kitchen stuff yesterday so I didn't have any time left to reply back. I'll get to the individual replies bit by bit as I sneak in some free moments today. First, an update:

I visited my local Caesarstone showroom. It was so helpful to see all the large slabs of every colour in person. I brought my wood and floor tile sample with me and quickly saw that neither grey nor brown-toned colours worked very well, for many of the reasons you all pointed out. So... I'm changing gears yet again! I'm going with a white countertop. It seems to be the best way to give the kitchen a more contemporary feel vs. verging on traditional.

I narrowed it down to either Cosmopolitan White (top photo) or London Grey (bottom photo), with London Grey being my favourite:

The Cosmopolitan White isn't that dark in the light but in a shaded area (like it was in the showroom), it becomes very grey and loses the whiteness. It is also more busy looking than I'd like.

London Grey is so subtle and has some faint brown veining mixed with the grey veins. It's got movement without being too busy. And the white is a clean looking but warm white, so I'm hoping it will give my kitchen that fresh feeling I'm trying to achieve. I also love it because it looks like marble, which is what I really, really wanted in the first place, but had given up on because of the maintenance.

I also realize after reading through the replies that I chose the wrong photo to share as my inspiration photo. The one I shared above with the lovely yellow accents was my inspiration for using a grey counter. THIS kitchen (below) is my inspiration kitchen:

Urban Homestead · More Info

rebunky: You didn't miss it at all - I purposely didn't bring the backsplash in to the mix because I was finding it mind boggling to choose the floor and counter alone! ;) But you all brought it up at just the right time because I feel like I"m getting close to figuring those out and ready to consider the backsplash.

I'm with you about the dark floor. I am drawn to them most when I see the tile samples in the store, but I currently have cream coloured floors and I really appreciate that I can see spills and drips and clean them up right away.

My cabinets are actually rift white oak, not lovely QS (another compromise with DH!) but I was aiming for the warmth of the traditional QS look. I keep worrying that I made a mistake choosing oak with the stain I did because it's been a challenge to keep this kitchen looking contemporary and fresh with that stain. Your suggestion to go light and plain off white for the countertop is the direction I'm now going in (see post above).

I'm trying for a rustic/contemporary mix! :) I'll need some help to get it right, like they did in my inspiration kitchen. With my traditional looking oak, it seems very challenging to do.

eam44: all of this colour selection stuff is so over my head! I really appreciate learning from all of you. I see what you mean about the saturation of the Shitake and my oak and get why they don't work together. I really want to get a standout backsplash so I hope the London Grey is simple enough of a counter to allow for that. I'd really like one section of the backsplash to have a splash of colour too so I'll see if that's possible with what I've chosen.

I went to HD yesterday and they don't have the Marazzi. I live in Canada so I guess they don't carry that brand or line up here. :(

practigal: good eye - you're right, all of those photos had lots of lights on. In person, the Shitake isn't as dark as in the collage I put together (it looks pretty much like the lighter image that barncatz found) but it definitely won't give me the light and airy feeling I want. So it will have to be nixed.

barncatz: Thanks for the support! I AM so afraid that I'll end up hating what I've chosen so it has been a bit paralyzing and is making it really hard to choose what I like. It helps so much to bounce ideas off you all. All along, it's all of you who've helped give me the confidence to make decisions. :) Thank you!

either of the last two combinations seem really just fine. I prefer the cosmo white as it has slightly darker background with the lighter veining....as opposed to the gray/black veining which to my eye seems too "scribbly" and a little competitive with the oak grain in both your cabs and floor. the cosmo white has a more monochromatic tone, yet presents the subtle veining when you bother to get close or look more intently......that appeals to me more...but either of these last choices have the characteristics to make a good pick, whichever you decide.

Jillius: hiya! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the time you put in to pulling together those inspiration photos and the collages/mood boards (what do you call those?) While I'm not going to use Bianco Drift, London Grey is very similar to it in colour so your collages are really helpful for getting me started on visualizing what I want for the backsplash.

I really like Faith's kitchen. It feels fresh, airy, contemporary, calm, and has a lovely natural feel to it too. She's got gorgeous marble on the counters and backsplash too. It's going into my favourite kitchens folder! Totally agree about the island - it would have looked so great had she kept it wood; but I gotta give her credit for being brave enough to bring in a pop of colour there. I do like having a warm-looking kitchen but I feel like going too warm leads me towards a more traditional look, which isn't what I'd like. The way Faith pulled it off suits me.

Love the analysis you did comparing my Shitake collage to the Saint Paul Craftsman photo. I'm getting a better understanding of colour now. Still very mind boggling but I follow when you all help to spell it out for me! Ha ha...

You might be expecting too much from the counter selection

SO TRUE! I think that's why it's been so challenging. I realize now that I don't really want the counter to shine. It's the backsplash that I'd prefer to stand out. Many months ago, I wrote in my Sweeby Test:

"The
perfect backsplash will complement the cabinets and work harmoniously with the cabinets to create one well put together look, like they
belong together. And possibly provide a
pop of colour or visual interest in one section of it. The
perfect countertop will be really easy and unfussy. Low maintenance. Just like
backsplash, it will complement the cabinets and help connect and tie everything
together"

I think London Grey will be the right choice to help pull everything together.

I do like the Craftsman colour scheme, but not for this kitchen or house. It is too dark and traditional for my 90s home.

I was REALLY drawn to the light aqua subway tiles on the bottom right of that collage and the ones that have different shades ranging from light grey to bluey-grey. That just might be how I get in my pop of colour! I'm surprised that blues and greens can look warm - is it because they contrast well with my oak and the floors? I really want to stay away from orange and yellow tones for this reno simply because I don't want it to end up looking too similar to what I currently have.

maries1120: Love how you handled your husband! ;) We don't have plans to reno any other rooms in this house for many years so I couldn't use that tactic with mine. Darn! My DH is willing to let me veto all his selections but I feel badly for not letting him have any say at all; hence, the compromises. It has made it hard to get a more cohesive look, though... so I do wish I could do what you did and just give him another room to do what he wants!

I like the latest countertop options. Your new inspiration photo is helpful. Which cabinets were you thinking of to have white? In the photo, it looks like the backsplash might be the same material as the countertop. One way to handle that decision.

Kitchens are not easy with so many decisions and different surfaces. And not cheap ones so there is a lot of pressure to get it right. It isn't a fun time - or at least it wasn't for me. A constant state of anxiety and a big relief when it was over.

I'm trying for a rustic/contemporary mix!

I'm glad you clarified this. I keep looking at your inspiration pics and seeing many traditional elements. Updated, yes, but still traditional.

I like the floor you posted. But, based on your inspiration pics, I'd go with something warmer and less grey. Both inspiration pics lean very warm to me. Flooring is a very large area to lean cool on, if you are going for that same feeling. Maybe save the cool elements for the glass and BS?

herbflavor: good point about the scribbliness. I also don't love that about the London Grey. I think I'll go back to the Caesarstone showroom and spend more time comparing the two and bring DH with me to see which he prefers. The white of the Cosmo White is also more crisp and clean which looks more "fresh".

maries1120: I'm considering that option too - bringing the counter material up to the wall as a backsplash. I'm going to start a new thread to get more help with the backsplash. So many great options out there! You're so right - these are NOT cheap decisions so the burden to get it right is so heavy. I've enjoyed the ride so far but now that it's crunch time to start putting orders in, I'm feeling the stress.

Wendy: I'd LOVE to go with less grey too. It's the darn tile stores that just aren't cooperating! ;) I mentioned above that I've been to, I think, eight different tile stores and this tile was as perfect as I could find - it has a lovely texture (smooth, but with a hand honed-like finish), it's light coloured, and the grain looks realistic. If it was just a tad warmer coloured, it would be absolutely perfect. I'm going to do one last go-round to some tile stores I haven't checked out yet before I confirm 100% that this will be the one. Hopefully I'll find something!

Here's my new backsplash thread! Hope you can all check it out. It's very pic heavy so hopefully will give you a clearer picture of the look I'm going for. :)

So I visited two more tile stores this weekend and revisited one. Couldn't find anything that I liked. The Daltile is the closest to perfect so looks like it'll have to be the one.

I'm a bit worried about going with Daltile though. Their tiles seem to get very mixed reviews online. Anyone have Daltiles installed? How do they hold up to chips and cracks? No replies to my thread on this yet: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3942978/m=3/anyone-use-daltile-wood-tiles.