Photos of our kitchen... (house is farther along now, but still under construction)

WhatsWhat’s the name of the granite do you want to use?

the pictures of your slabs look like they have less variation than the layout photos. I'd try to go see them in person because the (shown) color variation a the sink seam would drive me insane. I really don't think it's going to be that noticeable - but with your kitchen you sure as heck don't want to take that chance.

Or talk to your fabricator and see about them retaking the layout pics or choosing differnent slab for your island if that is the real variation in the seam.

Thanks, just_janni. I was surprised at how dark the layout pictures from the fabricator looked, since they are supposed to be high resolution. My slab pictures were taken with just an iPhone but are much more representative of the tones of the slab.

I am going to talk with them today (I got the email late yesterday with the first attempt at a layout, so haven't spoken with them about it yet.) It's a 5 hour round trip to meet with them in person (we are in a rural, resort town away from the big city), but after your post I'm thinking it would be worth taking off work and making the trek there to feel comfortable with everything.

Very much appreciate your thoughts on the transition point of the sink seam. Thank you for the help!

If it were me, I would use the lower veined sections of slabs 1 and 3 on either side of sink giving it a butterfly effect. My personal preference with veined stones is running vein parallel to wall (backsplash). Slab 2 on the island. The other areas are smaller, least noticeable so don't require as much of a 'wow'.

What is the opossum's opinion?

@Mark Bischak, Architect - His name is Silas and as job site supervisor, he is really slacking at the moment. Completely mum on slab placement and orientation. Maybe he is as burned out with decision fatigue as I am. :)

@Londinium - Thank you for the suggestion. These were the only slabs available when we bought them and the quarry is no longer producing. We will need to work with what we have and I feel confident we can make something work. If need be, the laundry run can be the less than ideal selection and the kitchen and dining can take precedence.

@Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor - Thanks so much for that thought. That is exactly what I was inclined to think, that the island is the show. I will let that guide other decisions and keep that as the focal point.

I had a star quartzite and what I did was put the star with all the different patterns and colors on the island and then used the "quieter" greens for the perimeter.

I had them seam the other pieces between the cooktop and also the prep sink under the window.

A note for those picking slabs:

Have your fabricator map slabs and determine needs from post measure cabinet drawings. If you buy before this point it is risky.

Be careful of high pressure slab sales & get your fabricator to approve. Most pro suppliers will hold for a fabricator.

Thank you, @cpartist. That is just what I needed to be reminded of - to choose one center, focal point and not to have multiple ones competing with each other. I like how you phrase it as "quieter." I am going to make the drive to the fabricator tomorrow and work on balancing pieces so they are in harmony, like you achieved.

@Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor - Excellent advice and I completely agree. We chose these slabs without pressure and knowing the risks. I went to every slab yard in our area back in November of last year, "just to look" and get a sense of what was out there. (It's a bit like saying you will go to the animal shelter "just to look" - ha! Get ready to fall in love with something.) Currently, if one is not doing a white or grey toned kitchen, the slab selections are less abundant and so I wanted to research what I could expect for options.

These slabs found me and spoke to me and while I was deciding whether or not to take the leap (and take on some risk securing them so early), two other couples who came in while I was standing there wanted to buy them! They are definitely unique and nothing else out there was like them. The slab yard is a highly respected one and the sales person was one of the most professional vendors I have come across in the whole build. This luckily wasn't a high pressure sales job, just pressure applied by yours truly to want to get something special that I dearly loved. I did check on the amount needed for the layout of our kitchen before committing. They were gracious enough to hold the slabs for me since November. You are spot on, though, that anyone looking should be ready with all the information they need to make an informed decision and to have their antennae up for anything that feels like high pressure tactics.

Have your fabricator map slabs and determine needs from post measure cabinet drawings. If you buy before this point it is risky.

Actually I only had my own drawings of my kitchen when I found these slabs even before the house was built. However they were so unusual (so much so that now the mine is actually closed), I couldn't pass them up so we bought 3 slabs as a just in case.

That's exactly what happened to us, @cpartist. We didn't even have a house yet and we knew if we didn't buy the slabs right then and there, when we actually did eventually have a house, there would be no way they'd be available and everything else we looked at would fall short of them. The quarry was no longer producing and we also bought 3 slabs just in case.

I think when you know, you know - that you are looking at something special and you would regret letting it go. And I am guessing that every time you look at your gorgeous countertops, you are so happy you didn't pass them up.

I will be relieved when ours are in place. I am terrified that something will happen during cutting and/or transport and a slab will be dropped and shatter into pieces (I have seen those horror videos.) I have no idea what we would do, so I am working steadily at envisioning it all working out well.

I will be relieved when ours are in place. I am terrified that something will happen during cutting and/or transport and a slab will be dropped and shatter into pieces (I have seen those horror videos.) I have no idea what we would do, so I am working steadily at envisioning it all working out well.

We had enough with our two slabs but I had intended to use the third slab for my outdoor grill and to make an outdoor table, but our third slab supposedly shattered. When I asked to see pictures of the shattered stone, they sent me pictures of pieces that looked like remnants they were cut from the large slab.

BTW your cabinets are stunning.

@cpartist Oh. dear. me. That you had that happen after everything else you had already been through... you have the patience of a saint.

Thank you for the kind words about our cabinets. A dear friend has been a custom cabinet maker for 40 years and was gracious enough to move from NC to Idaho for 3 months to make them (he made sure to ski a lot, too :). He has a MFA and wood just happens to be one of his mediums. We love the cabinetry, but especially so because they bring with them memories made with a good friend.

I don’t pretend to know much except what I learned while doing ours, so I cannot comment on much, but I wanted to make one suggestion… our fabricator created a separate piece for the sink deck. I like that I don’t have a seam under the faucet and also that I don’t have to worry about fractures in those corners (even if it’s not a valid concern, I still feel it seems more stable) We also had a stone splash installed under the window behind the sink and the rest is backsplash tile, similar to this photo.