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.

Thanks for the response. The color Autumn is just a shade darker then natural/clear, but doesn't have the tint of yellow like fruitwood stain.

Fun2, GREAT advice!

Hi Krismaria,
I thought I would post some ideas via images And now a few
more questions to think about...

1. How much light do you have in your kitchen?
2. North facing kitchen or Bright Sunny?
3. Do you want a honed or a glossy finish to your counter?
Glossy tend to reflect light and sometimes make a space
look bigger but honed can be softer on the eyes.
4.What other colors do you have in your kitchen?
the rest of the house?
5. What other colors do you like?
6. Do you like a light counter top or do you prefer a dark?
7. Do you like a plain solid simple patter of color or
movement with streaks, stripes, lines,..?
Check out FKB (Finished kitchens blog) there are other
kitchens as you describe and you can see what they did in
their space. You might love it too.
~boxer

Your space: maple floors stained in a medium mocha color
and cabinets in a light autumn color.

Verniz Tropical

Bianco Antico

Kashmir Gold
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Crema Valencia Granite
from Dimenstional Stone.

Azul Aran Granite by Heritage Stone

Mahogany Blue Granite

Shiva Kashmir granite

I am a huge fan of marble. There is a misconception about
white marble being more difficult to care for then granite.
WRONG. Marble is amazingly easy to care for. Does it etch?
yes, but so does granite. Does it stain? Yes, but you can
use bleach to clean a marble and you might not want to on
a black granite. If you love marble do not rule it out.
Search on GW and you will find many who love their marble
and have no regrets.

Rainforest Green (This can be a pricey granite)

New Venetian Gold

Juparana Sunrise

Richmond Maple with bronze accents Granite color unknown

Ok not maple floors but a light stain. notice how this
dark granite really pulls the room together.
Image from Baranowski 1

A lighter granite can work beautifully too.
Image from Oakland Magazine

Auburn stain can have an almost orange gold hue and with
a complimentary granite hue with a soft blue base it
creates a striking space.
Image from Sudbury Kitchens MA (Wolford)

(Not maple cabs but a light color cab with a green base
color of granite maybe Ubatuba, Verde Butterfly or Verde
Peacock)
Image from Progressive Builders

Do you love blue? Here is a striking blue granite with
a medium stained cab. Image from Yarmouth MA

Hi all. I have been quietly reading and re-reading threads in the kitchen forum for so long I feel I know you all personally.

I am in the throws of a kitchen redo that was supposed to have been a simple oven replacement! For the past 4 years I have been asked by my husband to begin. Long story- short...nothing is ever simple and we are now replacing the cabinets, installing new flooring, appliances...the whole bit.

I did not expect to be doing an entire remodel, so I put it off. I ordered my new range in October and knew I was committed to finish. (can't back out now)

Thanks to all the wonderful advise and pics on the forum, I think I have it pretty well nailed...except for the choice of granite.

This part is so hard. We are having custom cabinets made in natural maple. The floor is natural red oak. The kitchen is part of an open area to our dining/living room.
There is lots of light looking out from the kitchen. I have an island that will measure 3' by almost 10' and a counter top 12' by 2'. The island faces south to the dining area and large windows across the south wall and sliding doors on the east and western walls. There are four skylights. I tell you this so you know there is a lot of light..(which I love...secluded with views of my gardens)

Most granite people urge me to the dark granites. I actually had thought I wanted ubatuba. After looking endlessly online and at granite dealers, I keep coming back to light colors. I really like the look of the creamy with some soft veining for movement.

On my last trip to the granite yard, I was shown a slab of Cosmic Black. Wow. Gorgeous. My gut tells me I won't want to live with it forever. Maybe it's the way it seems to say 'contemporary'. My cabinets are shaker style. They already seem a bit European, but I'm afraid the black will seal the deal.

I am told the light colors will be too much the same and blend too much with my blond looking maple. I keep looking a colonial cream, harvest cream, yellow river. If I could find something with the beautiful movement of the cosmic black but light , that would be perfect.

Btw. appliances are Stainless steel. cup pulls on drawers and knobs on doors in brushed nickel.

Can you help?

It is so hard to help someone choose a granite through words alone. You really really have to go to the yards with your samples and trust your instincts. All along I swore I wanted light stone till I saw the kind of soapstone I got. I still adore lighter colored flowing stones... the more movement the better. But what also plays into the decision is the "feel" of your entire home and how the kitchen relates to the rest of the space. Wish I be more definitive for you guys.

Mwisernow,

Do you have any pictures of your cabinet?
If you do a search on FKB (Finished Kitchen Blog)
you can see what others have done with their natural
wood cabinets.

And you can always ask? Post a question that says do
you love your granite? Would you have changed it?
Get some feed back from others on what they love or don't.
I also think you won't get bored with Black. Black is
a neutral that works with everything. At the same time
if you love the Light granites they can look fantastic too.
Don't let any sales person talk you out of what you want.
~boxer

Hi Boxerpups.

Thanks for the advice. I don't have pictures of the cabinets. The best I can say is they are natural maple with shaker style doors.

I have been looking at the finished kitchens blog...many times. It helps so much to get a sense of what you like or don't like.

I will post a question. That's a great idea.

I am going back to look again at the cosmic black slab the granite yard is holding for me. My husband has not had a chance to see it. I am still on the fence about it. Love the piece, just apprehensive about how it will look in my kitchen. Ugh. I am, however, feeling better about black or dark granites in general. I think it is a striking combination. The pictures you posted helped so much there.