I think slab choice in natural stone is often driven by the layout needed for the counter , by that I mean if you have right angled counters then the less you want a slb with many patterns in it so in this case the bottom one would be a better choice . If all the counters are just straight lines then either would work.

Thank you Patricia. I updated the post to have a layout/kitchen pic.

We have a U shaped kitchen, which has two angled counters in the corners, as well as a center island. Given that, which would you choose from the above?

Thanks.

We have Taj M going on 3 years now and love it. It looks so good. Our finish is leathered, and I love love the feel and even sound of dishes sliding across the surface. When we picked our slabs at a stone yard, we had the fabricator come out and take a look to make sure there were no fissures or cracks that could be a problem. She pointed out one but then we were able to have the piece be part of the sink cut out. So very happy with our kitchen

The botttom one with more overal pattern that will not be a big issue when templating , there always is some issues when making turns so have a really goot talk with the fabricator and templater and always ask for the templte drawing too.

Did you look at the slabs outside? I've never had a slab yard refuse to do that once I was down to my final choices.

Are you keeping the cabinets? I would want more drawers and upper cabinets to the ceiling.

@chispa, i don't know about that....neither the stone yard nor fabricator would move the stone outside. I will say both places had a lot of natural light. We were told and I understand, they want to move the stone as little as possible due to risk of an accidental bump, crack etc.

Our Taj Mahal was installed two weeks ago. We chose slabs through a retailer (Bedrosian), but paid through our fabricator thus receiving their discount. Our invoice had separate line items for the material, fabrication, and installation. Fabricator had us choose a slab back in the spring since prices were increasing and they wanted us to capture a lower price. Both slabs you shared are beautiful. Personally I like the one with the diagonal movement. Enjoy your project!

@typeandrun, I wouldn't buy a slab without seeing it in natural light. No issues having the slabs moved outside with slab yards in CA and FL. Of course, I only asked to move a slab when I was 99% sure I wanted it and the final decision was based on seeing it outside. They shift the slabs around all the time with changing inventory, so your slab yard was just being lazy! I've been in slab warehouses with the worst lighting, so I would never make a decision without that final look outside in natural light.

I agree with chispa, seeing them outside in natural light is always a good thing; and see them side by side. Our tile gal was experienced and wouldn’t let us consider certain slabs because of potential issues she saw and I was very grateful for her being with us on our trips to stone yards as I wouldn’t have noticed much of what she did. Our Taj Mahal has more diagonal movement like your second photo and I love it, especially on our wide peninsula where it really can be seen. You’ll love it when it’s done!

Another vote for the 2nd with its diagonal movement. Gorgeous!

Second slab

@kchamousis are you able to post a photo of your kitchen?

bwithers17, of course. I don't think you will be unhappy with either of your choices! Taj Mahal is a beautiful stone. Maybe one goes better with your cabinets and you can use that to be the deciding factor! I did have help from a great gal who knows stone and tile and she was very good at the stone yards. The people working there knew her well and had no problem moving slabs for her. Our fabricator was awesome too. We were with him for what seemed like forever while he played with the templates to get everything flowing in the right directions, right down to the little piece in the windowsill. In the end, when it was installed, I really saw why he was so particular in his template. He did a beautiful job. Also, we've had no issues with staining, etc. Everything seems to clean up really easily. We've been using our kitchen for about 10 months and had no issues with the stone. I'd pick it again without hesitation.

I like the second one better too. We just had honed Taj installed, and I love it so much. One thing I learned while shopping--some slabs have more filler than others, so get close up to the slab and look for that. @kchamousis yours looks beautiful! Is that a honed finish?

Yes, they are better in person. Taj Mahal rarely photographs well. Mine always look gray/cold in photos when they are actually creamy/warm.

stiley, Thanks! Ours is a leathered finish. I would have been happy with honed or leathered. I loved them both! When we were doing our "in search of" trips, it was so difficult to find slabs that weren't already sold, or that only had one slab available, or that the color didn't work with our cabinets as well. You are so right about having to watch for the filler too!

typeandrun- your kitchen is beautiful! We are doing a similar layout without island and considering Taj Mahal too. I’m curious what kind of support your contractor used under that “open” part of the island. We’re in the process of figuring that out now. Thanks!

he used 1 by 6 wood aupport on the perimeters and 1 in the middle

Thank you!