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pamdavis7

Granite Countertop to go with Maple Cabinet?

pamdavis7
12 years ago

I'm remodeling a galley kitchen and plan to have Kraftmaid Honey Spice Maple cabinets (or possibly Natural Maple) and am looking for a good granite or other countertop to go with the cabinets. The floor is a bamboo laminate (yellow-ish color).

Any ideas would be most welcome. Thanks! :)Pam

Comments (13)

  • ellendi
    12 years ago

    Any of the green granites? You can do almost anything with this type of cabinet.
    Give more info. Can you post pictures of the space and the surrounding space?
    Do you want solid or movemnet. With a galley i would not go too bold with the granite as it might over whelm the space.

  • joaniepoanie
    12 years ago

    My galley remodel began last week. We are getting natural maple cabs with slab doors. The counter/backsplash was the hardest decision and took me a long time, to the consternation of our contractor. We liked both granite and Caesarstone, Silestone, etc....we finally decided on Persa Avorio granite for counters and BS. The tile we liked for BS was almost as much as granite and we felt it would be LESS busy not having so many different patterns. We also thought that since cabs and floor were plain we could pull off a pattern in the granite. The only thing I was sure of when we started was the natural maple cabs and SS appliances. I ended up going in a different direction than I thought I would once I saw how fabulous gray looks with with maple cabs. Our granite has a lot of gray but also the gold/tan of the cabs. We picked a muted gray tile for the floor, since all grout ends up gray anyway! We'll do the walls a deeper tan/gold so the cabs stand out. The green granites would also look nice with natural maple, but I' m just not partial to green. I would visit as many stone yards as you can and take a cabinet door with you. Good luck!

  • pamdavis7
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you so much for your ideas!
    I will keep in mind the not going too bold and also the lovely Persa Avorio granite and visiting stone yards and all!
    Here's a photo of the current kitchen. cabinets and counters.

    Here is a link that might be useful: The Language Lady Kitchen

  • wkate640
    12 years ago

    Our builder just installed Shaker-style maple cabinets in our new home--light stain on the perimeter and sable (dark) on the island. We chose juparana colombo granite. Haven't been to see it yet, but the installer called to say even he (who chose the layout of the granite so it would flow properly) couldn't believe how beautiful it turned out. Can't post pictures yet because we won't get there for another week or so. Some of the slabs we saw had pinkish areas, but on ours those areas are definitely tan. Some also had yellow spots all over, but ours does not.

  • joaniepoanie
    12 years ago

    Functionfirst--that juparana colombo granite is gorgeous...just looked it up on the internet. Never saw that in the yards I visited or it would have been a contender!

  • joaniepoanie
    12 years ago

    Pam---I think you CAN go bold if other finishes (cabs, knobs, floor, window treatments, etc) are simple....and vice versa...if you have ornate cabinets, a bold patterned floor, etc..then you would want a plain counter and BS. I have always had plain counters (laminate) and a patterned floor so now I am doing the opposite. Not sure if I will like it, but wanted a change after 30 years!

  • colorfast
    12 years ago

    My kneejerk reaction is that with both colors of cabinets, you are looking at a wood with yellow undertones, so I would avoid a granite with deep orange or red undertones.

    However, your question is really broad in scope. What is your vision for your kitchen? Have you taken the Sweeby test?

    There are so many directions you can go with your countertop choice that would work well with your cabinets, which is why you need to develop a vision. I speak from experience on this one. And it didn't help that I fell in love some very different granites. Part of my problem was that my kitchen was SOO bad, they all looked good by comparison.

    Besides going to stone yards, it might help to look at more kitchens to have a better idea of what you like. Pretend you're a home buyer and go to open houses this weekend. Visit the fancier remodeling companies in your town that have demo kitchens, even if you know it's not your budget. Invest in some magazines and books from Home Depot or Barnes & Noble. Your library may have a few but most of my library's were too dated to be helpful.

    I used sticky notes and then went over my faves with DH... Ultimately, I found two or three inspiration pictures--one of them was a kitchen here on GW.

    Oh, and when shopping at the stoneyards, take a door sample with you; Home Depot checked one out to me. It's hard to remember color precisely.

    HTH

  • boxerpups
    12 years ago

    I agree with JoaniePoanie,
    you can go exotic with the granite.
    Here are some ideas.
    ~boxer

    Golden Noir

    Crema Bordeaux

    Persa Gold

    Rainforest Brown

    Juparana

    Sapphire

    Dessert Storm

  • pamdavis7
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Wow! Thanks for all the ideas! Beautiful photos!
    I went to see a bunch of granite slabs and have decided on the Natural Maple Kraftmaid Cabinets. I was super-wowed by a Delicatis granite and also found a similar look in a less expensive granite. The big pieces of quarts in some pieces are really beautiful.
    Now my question is, would this type of granite work well with the Natural Maple (yellow-ish) cabinets and my Sherwin Williams Cooled Blue paint on the walls? I know I could repaint but I really love the color.
    I don't know how to post photos yet but here is a link with photos of the blue paint color in case you did not see it in my 2nd post.

    Here is a link that might be useful: The Language Lady Kitchen

  • boxerpups
    12 years ago

    Can you take a sample of the paint with you when you
    shop for your granit? I am sure you will find something
    with a bit of blue or gray flecs in the granite that
    will bring the color of your walls out.
    Have fun and do something you love.

  • pamdavis7
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you so much for all of this wonderful support and advice you have all given me!
    Today I ordered the cabinets and decided on a granite that is gorgeous and very close in price to the lowest priced granites. It's called Salinas Golden...has sparkle, movement and some chunks of quartz. It's neutral colors and I understand it will go fine with the Cooled Blue paint.
    I took a little card with the paint color and a cabinet door to check and really like it all! :)
    I'll post photos when it's all installed in 3-6 weeks. :)!
    Thank you so much!!!

  • a2gemini
    12 years ago

    Loved looking at the countertops and backsplash ideas.
    Good luck and can't wait to see pics

  • pamdavis7
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    It's finally finished!!!....well until I can finish it some more. :) Thank you so much for all the wonderful advice!!!
    The before and after pictures are on the linked page here

    Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen