Once I get a door sample, I will try it with the Torquay. There is a Cambria warehouse about 2 hours from here, so I can go look at slabs if I like the sample. I have to decide if I like the quartz as its own thing - I don't want to feel like I bought "fake marble." I do like the subtlety of the Torquay pattern in the pictures, but I really would like to get a little color in this kitchen, preferably some blue or green, and I don't know how to tie that in with the Torquay. The appliances are stainless steel. The porcelain floor tiles will be selected after the counters. I expect they will be a lighter shade in a very large format (i.e., 12x24, 24x24, 24x48 or something in that range). I am attaching a CAD of the layout. The island shape is something my designer friend was playing with. I expect the island will probably go back to being a 4'x8.5' rectangle, but the choice of slab may impact the choice of shape. There is a large amount of open wall space on the back wall around the range, so the choice of backsplash is very important. I feel like I need pattern in either the counters or BS - having both be solid colors just seems too stark to me. My original color plan was walnut cabinets, blue and white Namibia Sky counters, slightly iridescent white mosaic BS tiles, light blue paint on walls chosen to complement counters. Now that I am afraid of using the marble counters, I need a new plan. I saw a kitchen I liked on DIY that had a solid off white quartz counter and a mosaic backsplash that mixed green, SS and the off white of the counter. Of course, that kitchen had espresso cabinets with no visible grain pattern. I am worried about having a large BS with a pattern that competes with the walnut grain, which is why I thought it would be safer to go with a counter with movement and a solid color BS. I like the idea of using back painted sheets of glass for the BS, but I understand that is quite expensive and I can't splurge on every item!

We did this in a showroom, on an island that we used to set up buffets. Yes, people snagged their fuzzy sweater type clothes on it, and yes, it was difficult to clean. Requires a scrub brush, lots of towels, and a directed spray of clean water to rinse. Thus the towels, to keep the water off of the cabinets. The great chocolate syrup spill during our ice cream sundae gathering was a pain to get it looking right again.

megs1030, I think you are probably right about the wood finishes competing. I liked the cushion color a lot which is why I'd narrowed it down to that one, but I wasn't super thrilled about the base color. I hear you all on adding color. I think one of the reasons I'm hesitant here is because the configuration of the kitchen is such that there will be a fairly narrow area to pass through between the island and a wall that juts out behind it. Currently this is where the fridge sits and there is literally only 21" right now between the right corner of the island and it, but that should hopefully not be for much longer. Once the fridge is moved there will be 54", but I hope to put in some lockers along that wall to capture the jackets and boots that everyone wears out back, so it could potentially shrink to as narrow as a 36" walkway (that's still tbd though). So I don't want there to feel like there is a lot there, I think I want the stools to seem to disappear when not in use. It could be when the fridge is out of here I won't feel that way, it really closes the area in right now. I'd probably have to see the low back chairs in person to get a feel for if they'd tuck away enough. I doubt there is anywhere in town that would have any. Maybe I should stick with a couple of really inexpensive stools until we're further along.

"Looks like" is not a scientific diagnosis as to whether or not something is quartzite. Test please. In person.