why are the first two pics so blurry? try posting a few more pictures that show a clear, over-all pic of the kitchen. I can't even tell what color your island is, or even what it is! the lighting is fine, so I don't know why it's blurry. use a flash, turn on all the lights.

I like the Oyster, from what I can see so far. But quartz is expensive, so I don't know why you've gone that route. You can do granite in a simple white or black, or look at the Pre-Fab granite/quartz countertops.

do you plan on doing a backsplash? If so, leave off the 4" piece up the back.

Hands down, new hardware will make a huge difference in the look.

I actually like your flooring. What kind of lighting do you have in the kitchen?

Buy what you like, right now. 3-5 years is long time to be worrying about what the next buyer wants. if you're spending your money to redo this, spend it for you.

I've got a suggestion you might want to consider. I also have a caveat. If the design has translucent aggregate pieces, be aware that if they are on the edge - and some likely will be - it can look like a "chip". Of course there's no chip, but because it's clear/translucent, it looks like there's a chunk missing. Just something to keep in mind.

Here's a lovely offering by HansStone:

Quartz is expensive. So, forget it. Your samples are very subjective…I wouldn’t want any of them as they are too busy for me, so I wouldn’t be influenced by either when deciding to buy your house.

Stick with laminate and investigate all the new edges. Go with white to match your appliances and make the perimeter blend.

Here is Formica for example:

I think if I had to choose from those 3, it would likely be Oyster. I like the cashmere too, very much. I wonder if it might be too white for the rest of the kitchen, but it is very hard to tell from the pictures. Either of those two would work.

Seems like you are drawn to what I call "spotty" stone. What about the more marble looking versions with some veining?

Just a quick look at the Pental site and I see these that might work, if you like grain in your stone, rather than spots.

Statuario - because it appears to have some brown in the veining that I think would look nice with your cupboards

Crema Chiffon - similar colouring to the oyster but more grainy rather than spotty

Arabescato - again because of the brown in the veining. More pronounced veining than the statuario.

Taj Mahal

Marfil

Cappuccino or Serra - do either of those do it for you? These look more like granite IMO and could be very nice.

First of all, here is a better pic, not so blurry/better light. The island is also oak. The oak is very grainy/strong, with a fairly busy floor, so thought the quieter counter might work better (another problem, perhaps, with the Creekside). We just got through texturing/painting this room, that's why the outlets aren't covered. I was going to extend the counter top up under window/cabinets in back/right corner. The cashmere is in the laundry room with same style cabinets, but I think it is too white in here. This is not a "formal" home in style (ranch from the outside, and it is a horse property). And with a very brief investigation, it would appear the quartz is roughly 25% more than Corian.

Keep the good thoughts coming, they are useful!

New knobs some kind of laminate and forget it. I would not be spending money on quartzsee if you can find just a plain laminate to work with the rest of the counters if they are still in good condition or just trplace them all. BTW that center light makes colors look off I would replace tha with a nice LED track light with 3500-5000K bulbs and replace the others with the same bulb color you will be surprised how mush different the room looks.

There are Formica and Wilsonart laminates that look almost exactly like the quartz samples. Use them unless you really, really want quartz. In five years, there will be new fashions in kitchens.

Is that oak island the same wood as the cabs? it looks like a gray/purple tone.

agree w/changing out that light. spending all that money on quartz but neglecting the other issues will be disappointing to you.

And I'd still replace that hardware no matter what you do. the gold knobs aren't cutting it. Do some simple style pulls in the brushed nickel or ORB if you want a little contrast.

Since you have so many different tones of brown, I'd paint that door something lighter. wait until you get the countertop and pick a color from that.

Having seen a clear picture of the kitchen, I think new hardware and laminate counters are the way to go as well. Formica, Wilsonart, Nevamar, and Arborite will all send sample for free. You can request samples from their respective websites.

No complaints about laminate prices vs. quartz! We've just looked at a very small selection of Corian/WilsonArt at HD, will try to find a better source for samples. The island oak "frame" is very slightly different from cabinets (although it has the same cabinets on stove side), it is just accentuated in this pic. We just finished that light box yesterday, lol! It had some sort of old gray meshwork on it, we switched it out for white (looks much better when light is off) and replaced a ballast. It is fluorescent tubes. The lighting looks pretty "right" on my screen, I have to wonder about screen variation as the knobs are white enamel. Definitely dated, but I thought they lightened up the wood a little. I've never played with other options before, that would be easy!

There ARE a lot of shades of brown, I always thought the countertop color was odd, but we bought the house anyway. I guess that says something about it all, yes?

Sounds like the consensus is on the light side. Thanks for your opinions!

keep in mind that Corian is not laminate.

Corian isnt laminate and is more expensive than laminate. I would bring home white laminate samples, to find one that is close to the white of your appliances and use that. Your kitchen looks to be in nice condition, but, the countertops you have, dont do much for it. Some better light bulbs would take care of the darkness in there. Dont spend any more than you really have to, since someone else will most likely want to change things to their own taste.

Thanks for all your suggestions, the 7-8 laminate samples are in the mail. And good catch on the solid surface/laminate brain freeze, must be old age setting in. . . Loved the hair/shower analogy, it's amazing how a cheerful and humorous comment like that can lighten the load!! Moving forward!

Well it's done. Although not without some drama/trauma on both the stove and countertop. All is well that ends well, though. We ended up putting the oyster Pental quartz on the island, the tone goes really well with the laminate on the counters. I "think" it looks fine w/the different countertops, not dissimilar from differently painted islands, etc and it definitely lightens up all the brown. So without further ado:

Before:

After:

We love it!

Looks very nice. Also nice is that you'll be able to enjoy it for a few years before selling.