Unless you seal it and scrupulously maintain the sealant, the copper will definitely turn a mottled dark brown, like an old penny, regardless of whether it's splashed on; just a natural effect of oxidation. It's gorgeous but whether you like it for your space all depends on the effect you're after. Aliceinwonderland is my idol (waves!), and here are the copper countertops I made that are modeled after her incredible island. Don't know how dark your cabinets are; these are a medium-dark 15-yr-old cherry with a 'fruitwood' stain, whatever that was in the '90's (we recycled them from the ReStore). All the counters are copper, around 5 yrs old.

It's funny to read this thread from 5 years ago hearing people talking about travertine as dated. My wife and I just bought a house and it is a pretty big upgrade to go from the included tile backsplash to a travertine backsplash. I guess my point is, and I doubt anyone is even reading this anyway 5 years later, but my point is that I agree with the people that say go with what you like and don't worry about anyone else's opinions. It's your house. Why do people always concern themselves with how other people will like their things, when they are not the ones spending all their time there.

“you can order custom hoods at any depth you want.” Chispa, a standard non-pro range is about 24” deep front to back; a pro range is deeper than that. Add Joseph’s 12” to that and the hood would have to be 36” deep front to back. Yes, you can custom order anything, but how would a hood that measures 36“ front to back fit in a home kitchen? Please explain. I mentioned an island hood ducted through the ceiling but that may not be how the home is constructed for ductwork and beams. This 12” clearance issue involves a lot more than “If someone is spending money on a pro range, they should also be budgeting for the ventilation to go with it”. With this 12” clearance option, what do you do about base cabinets and counters surrounding the range? Are counters going to be increased to 36” deep also? Or, by how much can the range protrude from the surrounding base cabinetry? People sometimes get base cabinets that are deeper than the standard 24” depth. But those are 3-6” deeper than standard, not 12” deeper. And then, what happens to upper cabinetry above base cabinets that are that deep? And, are the dishwasher and fridge also pulled that far from the wall in the cabinetry run? Chispa or Joseph, please explain how a kitchen can be set up and designed if the range must be pushed away from the Quartz backsplash by 12“. As I said earlier, one can get a range backguard, or alternatively not get Quartz behind the range. Or there is the 12” clearance option, but I don’t know how a kitchen can be designed around that.

So much to unfold here. Most of your major name brand quartz are heat resistant, stain resistant and scratch resistant. That does NOT mean heat proof, stain proof or scratch proof. They will chip just like granite , marble, quartzite etc. I would do some research. There are plenty of articles about quartz scorching behind a range. Countertops are templated and then cut to size. You don't order specific sizes like a piece of tile. So no cost savings there. Dekton falls into the porcelain top category. Typically more expensive than quartz and you will have to find a certified installer. I have 2 great countertop places I deal with. They have both tested cutting porcelain and stepped away from it due to how difficult it is to work with. Keep in mind that the veining on the tops will not match at seams and will not match where the top turns up onto the wall. It may be close and sometimes you have to purchase extra slabs. If you want to keep costs down - do a quartz top and nice tile backsplash. Good luck