This topic couldn't be more timely! I am in the process of selling my NYC condo and buying a Loudoun County new construction home. To start with, the condo had marble baths - vanities, floors, shower tiles, wall tiles - the whole thing. I hated it! Looking back, I now know why I hated it. I hated it because I always knew that condo was not my forever home. I was always trying to keep it looking fresh and clean and pristine for "when we sell". That meant that I was always wiping up water from the vanities. If we had guests, I would take every opportunity to go into the second bathroom to wipe up whatever water was sitting on the vanity. This was a constant issue and stress for me and my poor husband who was an innocent bystander to my obsession. One day my cat peed on the bath mat on the floor and the etching in front of the tub freaked me out and I couldn't look at it without worrying about a potential buyer's complaints. One night I put my contact case on the vanity without drying it off and to this day there is an outline of a contact case on that vanity. All this being said, the first person who looked at my condo made me a full price offer with no mention of the barthroom marble! Now that we are building our dream home, I have decided to put in 150 feet of Carrara marble kitchen counters and am plotting for that day In the future when I can afford to redo the builder 4x4 ceramic tiles in the master bathroom our budget requires we get now with Carrara marble tiles and vanities. Long story short, now that I know that this is "my" house and whatever I do with it only has to please me and not some future buyer, I am doing exactly what I want. The thing is that I am a relaxed person who enjoys things that feel warm and homey and used but have an underlying elegance. Marble is perfect for me! I can't wait to have it and enjoy it and appreciate it's characteristics rather than fighting them. Marble boils down to this, if you are going to fight every mark and indication of use - DON'T GET IT it is not for you. Stick with granite or something else that will look brand new in 20 years. If you appreciate a patina and signs of use, then get it and love it.

How long will the sight line be looking at the sink? If it is a long view, then yes I would probably have a problem with the p trap and lines not being centered. If you really can't see the sink until you are at it (as is the case with small baths) I wouldn't mind at all. Is it a guest bath as is when you have guests sleeping over? Or a guest bath for anyone you have any guests in the house? I think that too would determine if the pipes not being centered would bug me. If it is used rarely, not so much worry, used weekly, more concerned. How off centered??? Semi:

willowdecor: (at least you won and paid 1/2 for your countertops: that's a plus wow! (fyi: that is why we don't take american express! lol: customer always wins!) they should have NEVER charged your card 3 days before install! (I charge cc after I get a Job Completion sheet turned into me by customer stating ok to do so!) gaps: well: have had to deal with fixing terrible 1/2 installed jobs from installer who disappeared off the face of Earth leaving 1/2 installed kitchen. We "DOUBLE durrocked the wall: to fix gaps. They left a hugh mess: customer didn't have running water for 90 days in her kitchen. We installed within one day after she came to us. (went to stone yard same day she walked in our showroom: matched 3cm Portofino Gold as best as could be: moved it: fabricated it after measure same day and installed December 23rd 2007 for her 25 person Christmas party!) WOW! Right! (also: just to let some of you know: when we install: we usually rip out the sheetrock and countertops. then install countertop: granite is 99% level and even: Walls & cabinets and floors are not always level or even. So my tile installers who do the backsplash fix "problems" after the fact: to hide wall issues and CABINETS THAT ARE NOT ALWAYS LEVEL! I make customer sign a disclaimer regarding gaps when we are "not installing" their splash. When you keep existing splash: there might be problems with gaps due to countertop install) It's possible. Just giving heads up on issues that can happen during an install. ***If they cut your countertop wrong! Put your FOOT DOWN: don't let them glue the countertop to your cabinet and tell them to take it back! buy new slab and re-fabricate correctly: once countertop is glued: they are going to try and "talk" you into keeping it the way it is. (how can people stay in business: installing this way: they move around and change their names! LOL) Everyone makes mistakes, but a good installer/business will fix the problem correctly! MISTAKES COST MONEY and fabricator ends up doing a kitchen for FREE: that is why they are usually careful! Marble can be expensive and so are exotic granites! You want your kitchen to look great and have it look right! You deserve that!

Seems like anything goes these days. As much as I like to look at the glass bowels on top of a cabinet, I don't like them. You go with what you want. Both pics are very nice.