Since it is a new build, I would encourage you to solve your lighting problems with a good lighting design and not by lighter or darker finishes. It's amazing how many people feel that they can't have what they want in a complete kitchen renovation because of natural lighting conditions when they could just add more lighting and it's not a problem anymore. That said, stained finishes are definitely more durable and hold up better as well as being easier to touch up. i wonder if your take on the the painted finish is because it is sprayed rather than brushed. A sprayed finish with topcoat will not look or feel like a hand brushed finish and will definitely feel more "factory" and "perfect" and less "natural" especially to someone who is accustomed to a brushed finish (I don't mean a hacked brushed finish either, but a nice one done by someone who knows what they are doing). It is definitely a different look/feel but also a lot more expensive to do a nice brushed finish.

Two things jumped out. One, you love the Raspberry Truffle and two you mention your cherry woods. I would direct you to greens. Green would do the most in helping to further enhance the Raspberry and will help feature the cherry items. If you select the right green, it won't look or feel Christmas-y. Raspberry Truffle is a versatile red, cherry wood tones are usually easy to mesh with wall color. Braided rug could be a different story. You do not HAVE to PULL a color directly from the rug for a wall color. Actually it's best if wall colors do not have a specific, in-your-face obvious point of origination. But, having the rug before you choose the green for the wall color could make things a lot easier for you to put together a cohesive, harmonizing palette. Good luck to you and your boys. :-)

Hi abddeb--it's actually the eased, laminated edge that is shown in gpraceman's pic. There was no additional charge for that edge, and I wanted the more contemporary look of the eased edge. I realized there was a mitered option before I had the countertops fabricated, and was tempted, because I too was worried about the seam showing, but I talked to a few people and decided to go with the laminated edge. I think, as others have pointed out, that the laminated edge would likely be more visible in a stone or product with a lot more variation/movement. Glad I did the laminated edge--saved money and I think the end result is great. Funny, when I talked to fabricators in the area where this house is (CA), the assumption was 2cm--of course I could pay more to have 3cm, but that wasn't the norm! The sink is a 30" stainless steel Krauss (a GW favorite--I sent back the first sink I ordered after seeing the reviews here). It's a deep single bowl sink. It is fascinating to see the differences in regional preferences!

I agree that it's the orangy-gold-yellowy paint that seems to be throwing everything off. I wonder what a warm blue might do for the room? It may be a bit tricky to get the right shade - you need enough warmth for the cabinets, but your counter reads slightly cooler. With the garnets that are in your counter, you could pick up the reddish-wine color and use that as an accent...that can work well with a blue. Usually with colors it seems like it's more about getting the right undertones rather than the right color family. You've got oak cabinets - I'm assuming they aren't going anywhere for a while, so you need to make peace with them. I think that with the right paint color, you can make the cabinets and the granite work. There is always the gel-stain option and if changing them I'd probably look that route. I don't think that painting the oak is a good idea since it tends to look like...painted oak. And that's a look that I really don't care for. You mentioned that the ceiling is changing - does that mean that you're putting in some can lighting as well as the pendants? I like the linear tiles...but not with your cabinets. Their style is more contemporary/transitional than what I think your cabinets can muster...the cabinets have a much more traditional look so you might do better with something a bit more classic in the tile line.