I love the marble top I received and it was very similar to the one I saw in a RH store. You can also purchase samples of the counter material online ($20 I think?). I will probably be purchasing some samples now (yes, after the vanity is installed) to test out soaps and find out what will or will not etch. I think a dark gray tile on the floor and white tile on the tub surround would be absolutely lovely. Personally I would use tile colors in the "cool" family (whites, grays, etc) to be in keeping with the cool colors of the carrara top. I will definitely post pictures when I am finished. Things have been a little crazy lately and I'm at about the 90% completed mark and am struggling to find time to finish.

I would do stainless and quartzite purely for the reason there is already a lot of wood. I would do the same material in the same run if it were my kitchen. I don't see myself needing to spray down the kitchen. That being said this is your space and do what you like with it. If choose to mix up the run I would stainless on either side of the range to end of uppers/the set of drawers area. Then I would do the quartzite on the rest. Or you could do the back run stainless with quartzite on the island. The other thing you need to consider is the amount of stainless appliances you have in your kitchen. You do have enough warm feel from the wood to pull off a stainless steel counter. Here are some pictures of stainless steel countertops with different mixes. [eclectic kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by san francisco architect Andre Rothblatt Architecture [traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by sydney media and blogs A Beach Cottage [traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by denver kitchen and bath Exquisite Kitchen Design [eclectic kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by atlanta architect Soorikian Architecture [modern kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2105) by hong kong architect Original Vision Limited

Sorry for the late response! We have a lot of family visiting for the holiday and I couldn’t get to a computer… Beautybutdebtfree- Good idea!! We will probably use the uba tuba for the fireplace hearth and surround, and possibly mantel too. Hopefully it will coordinate well w/ the kitchen. Thank you! Skyangel23- Thanks :-) I have been looking at the black trash bags a lot, just walking through the kitchen and really like the look :-) I did order a bunch of light and dark samples from wilsonart and formica but don’t remember if I got any of the 180x series. I thought of doing the silgranit overmounts, but they didn’t a large single bowl for our island sink. :-) Just the diamond series which had the curved back side and offset faucet hole… May_flowers - Thanks! I hope so :-) We have until Tuesday to decide for sure :-) Enduring- The slabs we tagged were polished- not sure if they can change that in the fabricating process/or if there’s an upcharge (probably)? I haven’t looked into the benefits/downsides of those- will look it up on here. :-) Whenever I think there couldn’t possibly be any more choices, there are haha. Nosoccermom- I love the adjectives you used- a combination of rustic, sophisticated, and organic is definitely what I’m going for :-) Hope to find a good balance! Thanks for the link too- I’ll check it out :-) Hyny2- It is good to know about the wipe marks and have that expectation going in! Thanks! I usually use hot pads (we have laminate now), but I had heard hot pots don’t damage granite too much- but it will be better to be safe than sorry! Will definitely use hot pads- thanks! Serindipitypoo- Sorry I can’t help too much w/ this!! I too don’t know what I am doing! If you start a new thread more people might see and be able to offer advice- if you go to the main gardenweb kitchen page, scroll to the bottom and you will see the new post form. Thank you again everyone for such thoughtful help and suggestions! If anyone has an example of a honed vs. polished uba tuba countertop I would love to see it!

You have a play of light/dark....[ backsplash/light quartz] . However, then you have a medium tone inserted into your palette with cabinets and floor. I think you might be well served by getting back to what is most compelling in your preference. Light/dark contrast is perfectly acceptable in kitchens. Also, one can do a monochromatic mid tone kitchen where the total effect stays in that midrange for harmony......esp. in small spaces. You are moving along both of these paths here. Not a violation, but you achieve a "miss". Cabinets look nice-they are the most costly....I might go back and work with those in regards the counter/backsplash options. Personally, I'd start over with floor/counters and backsplash as I find them ho-hum with your nice cabinets.