Hi. I'm getting a new granite countertop myself--it will be installed on Tuesday! So I have been doing lots and lots of looking at granite-- both in person (went to lots of warehouses) and in magazines. The trend is definitely toward lighter stone countertops, judging by what I see in the the magazines. (Carrera marble is also getting more popular in those designer kitchens, for some inexplicable reason. Marble is not practical in a kitchen, so many people are trying to imitate that look with certain granites, like white river. ) This trend toward lighter granite was verified by several granite sales people at the warehouses and fabricators I spoke with. Of course, this may be a regional thing. I live in Maryland, near D.C. , where everyone and his brother, it seems, is getting granite! Have you thought about checking out a lighter stone, like a cream or white? (such as Bianco romano, white shivakashi, Colonial Cream, white river, among others.)I am getting Harvest Cream, which is similiar to Colonial cream. It has a white or off-white background with lots of golden accents that pick up the color of my cabinets, and grey/black and taupe accents and a light sprinkling of garnet(burgandy) in there too. My cabinets are honey-spice maple (installed 10 years ago with a formica countertop). We did some minor remodeling that called for a new countertop--so I was so glad I didn't spend the big bucks for the corian that was so popular back then, and that I had an excuse to now get granite! I'm not sure how dark your "autumn" cabinets are, but you should try to have some contrast. If your cabinets are dark or medium dark, I think that a very light granite would provide a great contrast with your cabinets and darker floor, but that is just my personal opinion. Are you going for a traditional or contemporary look? Black tends to look "modern". If you do want a very dark countertop, I would think that a very dark brown would look better than black with your mocha floors(which I assume is a very dark brown.) You probably already have thought of this, but when you go to the granite warehouses to select your slab, bring a cabinet door and piece of your flooring to see how it all looks together. Another thing to consider is what you want on your backsplash. If you want a very "busy" stone or tile, then you should select a granite that would not look too busy, so the darker colors would work well for that, usually. I am going to go with a tumbled white travertine backsplash. If I went with anything busier, it would "fight" with my granite. Hope this helps. Hope this helps.

It is confusing to set up a new kitchen because of all the choices and all the different but equally beautiful outcomes. Take the time-it may be many months-to get a vision that feels right. Start by looking at lots of pictures of different kitchen-there's a bunch at houzz.com and http://finishedkitchens.blogspot.com/. Save the ones you both like and would coordinate with the rest of your house's style (modern, traditional, etc.) I wouldn't worry about coordinating with colors in the living room-at least not yet. Set those saved kitchen pics aside for a couple of weeks and look at them again. Don't be surprised if some of the pics no longer thrill you. Take a better look at the kitchens that made the cut. What do they have in common? Are they all bright and cheery? Or maybe dark and rich in deep tones? Do you find yourself drawn to the graining of wood or to the uniform surface of paint? Uniform counter surface or lots of movement? At this point, you'll probably have narrowed it to a handful of choices. Not too bad. So, layout is next. The room will dictate most of that. Your budget will also influence the layout-changing plumbing and electric locations cost more money. The folks here are very good at pinpointing pitfalls of designs and reworking them into something more functional. With layout completed, time to pick the cabinets and granite. I think most folks pick out the cabinet color first since it occupies the vertical surfaces and dominates the room. Then take a sample of the cabinet color with you to select the granite. Note: there will be stunning graintes that you just love but won't look great with your cabinet. Keep looking-you'll know it when you find "the stone". Do keep an open mind-don't shop with a list of names since they vary from yard to yard. Take pictures to help remember, but realize that colors may not photograph "true." A few caveats. Do determine a budget ahead of time and try to stick to it. It's real easy for a more modest remodel to snowball into a total gut job. Don't be persuaded into buying gadgets/appliances you don't need. Do consider the impact of your choices on resale value. Are you willing to decrease resale potential to go with unpopular choices (like black counters with black cabinets)? Even if you have no plans to sell, life throws curveballs. There have been many posts here of "forever" homes being sold within 5 yrs of remodeling. However, it is your kitchen; in the end, it's your preferences that count.

I don't think it's necessary to match the cooktop to the granite. We have a black cooktop in a light granite, and I think it looks fine but you can be the judge by looking at the photos below. I prefer black for cooktops as black just makes me think of a range top, and the speckled black tops are easier to clean. Here's ours in our unfinished kitchen:

commenting b/c I just found this thread and I really want to know too! Would love to see pics of the hickory cabinets as well, if they're done. Hickory is one of my husband's choices for the kitchen.