I'll just wait until the cabinets are in to pick open shelves. I do prefer the look of wood shelves over painted shelves but we'll see how it looks when everything comes together.... Still not decided on color combo though so if anyone else has any input I'd appreciate it. The layout is finalized so I just need to pick the color by the end of the week so I can put in my order.

Circling back to thank everyone for their input! And share some pictures of our kitchen now that it's 98% done (we still need to install the pulls on the smaller under cabinet drawers). We kept the cabinets around the fridge blue and went with polished nickel hardware everywhere. We're so happy with it! Thank you again and happy holidays! wilson853, boxerpal, artemis_ma, chocolatesnap, dandan_xiao, daisychain01, rantontoo, Therese R, ninigret, luckyblueeye, cpartist, sprtphntc7a, mainenell, Kate Zink, cat_ky, Kristin S

Oooo! Pretty! You made your stone the star (as you should). I admire the way you managed to use cream colored walls and gray in the same room and make it look right! May we see the rest of the room? Did you use your slab in the shower at all? Curb top, pony wall top? Niche?

I agree with Patricia. I don't get why everyone wants synthetic stone. Probably because everyone else wants it. The natural variation of granite looks much better to me than the synthetic look. And it typically costs less. Many granites require no maintenance. Everyone also wants white kitchens. In a few years all these white kitchens will be dated. I like dark cabinets with everything else white. Much better contrast. Dark cabinets never go out of style. White cabinets do,