I don't know why you didn't get more help with this, threegraces. Thanks Autumn.4 for the compliment. The kodiak brown doesn't look brown at all, but it has a brown undertone. Some other dark granites I looked at had more of a blue undertone in comparison. Steele gray is one of the least expensive granites. I put it in my basement and I really like it. I'd like it better honed, I think, but that wasn't an option from the fabricator I worked with. I'm not a big fan of polished granite, but I like this one polished. I got mine through Ikea so I could get 15% off by spending a certain amount on kitchen stuff. I've also seen it at Home Depot and it is one of their least expensive options. Incidentally, Home Depot and Ikea around here (SW Ohio) use the same fabricator, and they did a fantastic job. I liked them better than my main kitchen fabricator, but it was a small job and not tricky at all. Call a few granite yards and see what options they have in a black or dark gray with a honed or leathered finish. I recall liking Atlantic Black quite a bit and it was available in both finishes. Everything I looked at was well under $100 installed, but that may be regional. My kodiak brown leather (70 sq ft with two sink cutouts) was about $65/sq ft installed. My steel gray (with one sink cutout) was closer to $45/sq ft installed. Good luck with the kitchen and the baby!

jackson2348- Check out real Vermont/NY slate, it comes in black, gray, green, red (no movement, solid color) and a purple/green/gray mottled version. Is is naturally a matte finish, and does not snow fingerprints or oil rings and does not stain. It does, however, slightly surface scratch from very hard things like knives or stainless utensils, but as it's the same color throughout, the scratches are not really visible. If you are super anal and can't stand the thought of seeing a tiny scratch, slate isn't for you. If, however, you don't want to have to seal your stone, worry about staining, oil rings or maintaining a shiny finish, you may want to consider Vermont/NY slate, not slate from Brazil, India or anywhere else, they don't have the same properties as the VT/NY mined stuff. There are many mines in that area that sell directly to the public, just Google "Vermont/NY slate", or a large stoneyard or tile dealer in your area might have access to samples. Good luck- sandyponder

we have leathered (honed?) absolute black perimeters and in each of the three bathrooms the island is butcher block and we love it no fingerprints, stuff (crumbs, flour etc) does show but clean up is easy and looks great i've had a very high end granite with lots of movement and i don't clean up any more now than i did then and i disliked it a lot......i wouldn't choose a "shiny" finish for the island but i'm not going to say it wouldn't be attractive... bil has absolute black (shiny) and it is difficult to keep looking nice...

Thank you, thank you! I have been so rude not getting back here to update. Distracted by picking out lights for a whole house is overwhelming me and starting to really drive me crazy. But on a positive note I took all of your good advice and made progress on the countertop front. I went to the stone place in our town. They had a small sample of the London Sky. It was really beautiful and looked a lot like Marble. A better choice than a lot of quartz that I have looked at. But it was a little too gray for my white cabinets. i went back to the brushed via lactea slabs with my dark cherry door in hand and try as I might not to I had to admit that it was too dark. I hated that because I adored this brushed stone and it is my first choice but I have to listen to the good advice I got here. Sometimes I think the folks here know more than the professional ids. then I found two quartz samples that I really liked all while my granite gal told me that they had some Taj Mahal that I could look at since I had never seen it in person. My eyes must have lit up and she warned me that it will be higher than my via lactea. I was excited about seeing it anyway. just for the heck of it I asked her if she had any Imperial Danby since I loved the slab shown up thread...knowing I really could not choose it. But, still I felt like I needed to see it if she had it. She told me no that she didn’t and that knowing me it was a good thing not to fall for something I should not have. so, my kd and my granite gal and I took the hike out to the Taj Mahal with my door samples and the 2 quartzes I liked in hand. here is the result. The Taj Mahal is beautiful. I love it. Now if only I can justify the $$. Waiting for the price. Thank you all so much.