Hello Svan - I’m not a designer and I’m sure designers and others will chime in here. I just want to address the quartz counters and marble backsplash. In my opinion, and probably many here too, it’s an absolute no go for mixing marble with quartz, especially in a marble pattern. I doubt any combo like this could work. Though I personally don’t like quartz, wouldn’t use it, and therefore would not mix fake with real… my son did a decent job: solid white quartz countertops with small herringbone Carrara marble backsplash. As far as your feeling that white kitchens are falling out of favor, I’d say no. They are always in style. It’s what you do with the design and how you style your kitchen that makes a white kitchen look outdated. Hoping you will get some good advice here!

Connecticut, thanks for sharing. What would you use instead of quartz? I adore marble but think it's impractical for the countertops because of etching and staining. I would prefer a light countertop color. I don't love most of the granite patterns I've seen, but I'm open to any thoughts. Glad to know that you think white kitchens can stand the test of time. Any inspiration photos would be wonderful. Thanks!

svan- I’d go with a quartzite, probably Taj Mahal. Check on Houzz for examples. It’s a very durable stone and very pretty. Taj Mahal has several variations where different colors and patterns are prominent. Sometimes it’s more taupe, sometimes grey, sometimes more “crackly” looking. I love it! If not quartzite, then I’d do a Danby marble - Google it. I’m concerned about etching with marble because I have dark emperador (previous owners) in my bathroom- it etched and chipped like crazy. (You can read on many, many posts here how marble isn’t that bad to care for and I’m getting swayed, I tell ya.). Danby is supposedly harder than Carrara or Calacatta, but I’ve no personal experience with it. It’s gorgeous. I’d still consider granite, even though I agree that it doesn’t offer many light colored options, if that’s what you’re looking for. So, to sum it up I’d choose: 1) a quartzite; 2) Danby marble; 3) granite. Honestly, I’d rather have any natural stone rather than Quartz. I just really hate the look and feel. I’d rather deal with natural imperfections and problems than manmade ones. You can also read here at Houzz about many problems with Quartz. Good luck!

PS: I’m sorry, I don’t know how to post inspiration pix from Houzz. You can enter “Taj Mahal” or other words into the search box and you’ll bring up posts. There are several other quartzites that are amazing too, so try just “quartzite”.

Connecticut, thanks for sharing. Are you saying that the same natural stone must be used for the countertops and backsplash? We've had quartz on our island for 16 years, raised two boys, two cats, and a dog, and it still looks brand new. Wondering if a quiet, white quartz countertop could work with a marble backsplash. I'll keep an open mind and run some searches as you suggested.

First, it’s really a personal preference. I agree with you that plain white quartz countertops could work with a marble backsplash. My son and DIL had plain white quartz countertops with a small herringbone marble backsplash which looked very nice. It sounds like you love quartz and it’s worked well for you, so there’s no reason you should change that. But trying to coordinate real marble with an imitation marble probably won’t look great. Alternatively, you can do a marble look quartz on countertops with a plain backsplash. Competing patterns is what’s gonna be the issue, not necessarily natural vs manmade stone — although some here are against mixing real stone with quartz no matter what. It can work with the right pattern choices. Me, I just prefer all natural everywhere.

Right, thanks! That's a good point about man-made surfaced that imitate marble versus the real thing. I too love the look of natural stone best. I'm just hesitant because natural stone can more easily stain and etch than quartz. There are many negative experiences with quartzite posted here. I'm going to investigate it though as a good sealant could mitigate the risk. Do you think quartzite and marble can be mixed for a countertop and backsplash?

Chispa, that's really beautiful! I love BM CL for cabinets with the elements you selected. How is the TM holding up in terms of stains etc?

svan - Every material has downsides - installation, adhesives, templating, etching, staining, heat, and so on. It seems like you really love quartz, so you should stick with it. You can mix real stone with quartz. Or tile with quartz. Just be cautious about mixing patterns.

Chispa- that’s a gorgeous combination. Very nicely done.

@svanflicka, this is my second kitchen with Taj Mahal and no issues with either of them. If you look on these forums, I think we have only had 1 or 2 people who had a problem with TM in the 20 years I have been reading here. I think in that case there was staining due to the epoxy used by the fabricator. TM has a very good track record as a durable quartzite.

The coloring of TM has changed though. The slabs used to be swirly, very creamy off-white and beige, with dark brown veins. Most of the slabs today are more beige-gray with a stripped pattern, some can even lean a bit more green. I bought my last ones during covid with limited supply, so I went to 10 slab yards before I found 3 slabs in the lighter color and swirly pattern I wanted. They only had those 3.

Chispa, that's great to hear! I picked up a sample of TM, and it's beautiful for sure, though the slab, as you mentioned, is reading beige/grey. I had my heart set on something's but lighter, but I'm keeping this in mind because it is really beautiful.

Is there a reason you're intent on a marble backsplash? If so, two thoughts. White cabinets, black counter, and marble backsplash is about as classic as it gets. See first photo below. You can get bulletproof honed black granite or quartz. Or, if you want a white counter, why not do a beautiful colored tile backsplash, like the second photo (it has a black counter, bu ignore that)? Also a total classic combination. I just think it's going to be very, very hard to find complimentary and no clashing white quartz counters and marble backsplash. I'm less hung up on mixing natural and synthetic and more focused on the fact tha visually, I think the materials are very similar but not matching which can end up looking like you tried to match and failed. So I would decide which element you feel more strongly about - counters or backsplash - and let that lead the way.

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HU, yes, yes! This is the place I arrived at today. I do really love both options. I'm leaning toward option #2 most because I'm loving the pretty colored tile with a lighter countertop. I love the color of the tiles in the photo. I've had dark countertops a long time, and I'm looking forward to a change, but option 1 is very nice and still on my radar. I really appreciate your post, as it's the type of guidance I needed. I love the look of marble but if I'm honest about my life, it's just not the right surface for a countertop in my home. If I use marble, it will be limited to the backsplash area. Even the stone dealer and fabricator websites are advising against using marble for kitchen countertops. Still, it's the most gorgeous material in my opinion. Thanks again!