What a beautiful kitchen, Nino! If those are samples I see sitting on your island, what about the dark on your perimeter cabs and the white on the island?

Tan Brown or Black Pearl

Hi Nino -- lovely kitchen! We are doing a two toned kitchen as well, white on perimeter and stained islands. Linelle's suggestion is a good one!
The typical installation you see is dark granite over white and light granite on stained perimeter. We are doing the opposite, river white granite on the white perimeter and misty black on the stained islands.

Good luck! Can't wait to see the finished kitchen!!!

Cheers!

altho you have very dark with white coloration here, the actual style is much softer/french with the details. I'd pick a more buttery/warm tan or copper-some type of shading like that-don't care for more light/dark in your pretty space.

How about Azul Aran?

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen - Azul Aran Granite

@linelle
Thanks for the compliment. Those were marble samples, but marble is not durable enough for the high traffic kitchen. We have decided on using granite instead.

@clarygrace
Thanks for the suggestions. Do you think the light on the island and dark on the cabinets will fall out of style?

It's hard to see the samples in your photos (what a lovely kitchen!). I am sorry, but I respectfully disagree with the option of getting two granites; I think it would be too busy with the style and colors of your cabinetry. You have two colors of cabinetry, plus your door style is not simple, plus it is glazed. That's enough for the eye to look at. I would go for the plainest granite, and also the lightest granite (is that a light gray I see there - I am not sure). But it would help if you took another photo just of the granite samples you are interested in, so that we can see them better.

@boxerpups
Thanks for posting the pictures. Those are really nice. I do like the warmer feeling with the buttery tones. Do you think a dark countertop like antique brown will be too much of a contrast?

@boxerpups
What backsplash are you going with?
Tumbled marble, very close to the floor color (light beige)

Is there a specific wall color you are using?
Not sure, going to wait until th granite is in so I can match it accordingly.

What colors do you like?
I like the grays and the wife likes the warmer tones. Our fabricator likes the dark chocolates tones because of the elegance it offers.

Will you have undercab lighting?
Yes

@akchicago
I couldn't get a lot of samples from the importers. I am going to try in the next day or two to get a whole bunch of them in.

Delicatus could be show stopper!

@joaniepoanie

Thanks joaniepoanie, my wife loves it as well.

I love your kitchen, I actually wanted to ask a question about the cabinets, are they omega dynasty? Is so, what color is your island and what door style is it? It looks beautiful!

@timcar

Thanks for the compliment. They are not Omega Dynasty, but made by a local kitchen company and designed by myself. The white cabinets are Benjamin Moore Cloud White with a light chocolate glaze and the stain is Mocha. The doors are mitre cut raised panel.

What a pretty kitchen at this stage. Hope you post when you finish.

Hi Again NinoJ,

Here is an antique brown granite in a somewhat white
kitchen. This floor is wood. But I am certain brown
would look lovely in your space. Keep in mind that if you
like gray a brown granite would lean you towards browns
creams, beiges and greiges rather than a cool gray.
But honestly there are 1000s of wall colors than can
lend itself to a gray based brown.

Another option (scroll down further) might be a delicatus
or Bianco antico. These have a grays and brown colors in
the right slab that might bring both colors to your
space. Or at least allow you some flexibility.

~boxer

Antique brown Labrador

Antique Brown Granite

Antique Brown granite

Bianco

Bianco Antico

Bianco

Bianco Notice the shades of gray brown ( I do think
this particular stone Biaco Anticos tend to be cool )

@boxerpups, do you have any more pictures of the kitchen that had the butterfly gold granite? That seems like the layout of my kitchen and I wanted to look at theirs.
Thanks

Hello, I have a very similar kitchen. I don't recommend a white at all or two colors either! I went with Golden cosmos. have you looked at the Juparana columbo, or Jup creme or even jup dream? I don't recall the exact one but it was a brownish rust. It would look pretty.
My kitchen for you to see the near like colors and the dark granite.

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

We have colonial cream which is grey and golden brown but subtle. That would gorgeous with your colors. I wish I could figure out how to post pics from my iPhone! My camera is in the shop- anyone know how?

Silver Blue Eyes granite looks very nice with the white/off white cabinetry. One of the local showrooms had that combination and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Our kitchen was already done, but I'm seriously considering it for when we finish the bonus room with the mini-kitchen in it. Unfortunately, the showroom has sold the display so I can't go back and take a pic for you. I wish I could find one for you with the combination, but I'm not having any luck online. Maybe boxers could help?

Our kitchen has San Gabriel Black on our white cabinet perimeter and River White on our dark stained island. The San Gabriel is very uniform and doesn't stand out so much yet is nicely elegant. The River White on the other hand has nice flow to it and just enough character without overdoing it(IMO). I'll see if I can get a pic for you at a good angle to see them together.

Hope this helps!

I recommend going to a granite yard and looking at slabs. The little 4" squares don't give you the true story unless you are going for a very uniform homogeneous type. Some of the "movement" in granite can only be seen on the slabs and one of them will "speak" to you.

I've built many kitchens cabinets for people in my 16 years of being a carpenter. Counter tops are the hardest thing to decide on. You have a gorgeous kitchen. There are so many colors you can choose from and it can be hard. With a bright room like yours I would aim for a black white marks and if you could find its with gold marks it would go great. The dark counters tops would really make the cabinets pop out and vice versa without taken anything away from the other

notice many of the pretty pictures also have higher ceiling heights in bigger rooms. It's a factor because a strong contrasting dark counter can leave the visual experience right there. Keeping a somewhat lighter feel would be better.

I have noticed that I don't really like working over dark counters as much as the lighter ones. Just a personal preference and not scientific but I am a person who is light sensitive in that I need lots of light to feel content : ) I recently had black pearl put in my laundry room with the white cabinets and at first I was all WOW! that is so gorgeous, such contrast, such a statement just wow! Then after a few days the high contrast was sort of getting on my nerves. I'm a case study on how color imposes on my well being...oy vey... I guess there are those that feel better when things blend rather than contrast even though they appreciate the look of both, living with one or the other is a whole different story. Just one more thing to consider!!!

P.S. I love your island and the stain, gorgeous! The kitchen is beautiful.

@boxerpups
Thanks for posting those photos they are really nice. I do see the different feelings that the color evokes. The antique brown is very elegant and the Bianco Antico gives a cool feeling.

@peytonroad
I do love cosmos. Once I saw the glitter I was in love. The fabricator said it is a nightmare to work with due to the mica flaking off in production. Have you had any chips break off that needed to be repaired? Very lovely kitchen.

@CKGM
If you want to post a photo, use you phone and upload it on http://imageshack.us/. Then simply copy the "sites" link under info (the "i" button).

@mydreamhome
if you can post a picture, that would be amazing. I don't think I can go silver or blue, the wife would not go for it.

@mdispensa
I went to the granite yard, but with so many options, making a choice became daunting.

@jag77426
Thanks jag77426 for the advice. I'm scared of the dark color counter and afraid if I go light I am short changing myself. I think that is where the dilemma lies.

@herbflavor
You do make a valid point, the room is relatively small compared to some of those pictures and the ceiling is only 8 feet in height. Ultimately the lighter counters are my first choice and the dark is my second. I think I will be doing one counter across the cabinets and island. I don't want to be kicking myself in the future for making the wrong choice.

@SaraKat
Thanks for the feedback and compliment, I never heard anyone's opinion about actually working on the counters, so it is very insightful.

I was looking at a local kitchen company and under their gallery they had this photo. Would anyone know what color this is?

timcar,
sorry not more pictures of the bg.
~boxer

That's gorgeous and a nice compromise. Arandis might be close or juperano tier, persa avorio. You can type them into google for pix. That looks great!

I'd do a honed black granite like Absolute Black on the white cabinets...and a polished white granite like Bianco Antico on the island.

Here is our colonial cream

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

NinoJ:

Your cabinets are very pretty and I'm sure whatever you pick, you will end up with a lovely kitchen.

Whatever the name of the granite, there is a lot of variation in individual slabs. Take one of each color of your cabinet doors, and a floor tile if you have one, and go to the stoneyard and look at how the cabinets look against the slabs in person. That should help you narrow down your selection.

@boxer,

Lovely pics as always. I think that White Spring looks gorgeous, as well as the Colonial Cream. But then I'm someone who would generally like a warm creamy color over something cool and gray.

Love the colonial cream and also the white spring is one of my favorites. What did you decide OP?

Hi,
I wish I had come across this website, and your particular question, while in the midst of redoing our kitchen at this moment...I too am agonizing over what granite color! My cabinets are your exact color and similar layout with an "elegant" feel, and black island. Just this weekend, we decided to do "golden supreme" for perimeter cabinets, and a walnut wood top for island. I too wanted a light look, and fell in love with "la dolce vita" but out of our budget, and my husband wanted a more dramatic feel, but we didn't want solid black look. The "golden" has both gold and black swirls, with some quartz in it. You may consider that color. Good luck!

Hi, you have a beautiful kitchen! I have buttery painted cabinets and chose Namibian Gold granite, with a honed almond beige marble backsplash.
I think it would go well with both of your cabinet colors.

{{!gwi}}{{!gwi}}

marcy96 that granite looks beautiful with your cabinets! Love your kitchen.

Nina, no matter what granite you choose, that kitchen is going to be gorgeous! I like the cream or gold granite . .

Marcy, your kitchen is so pretty. I love that farm sink and those wood floors . . no room in my tiny kitchen for that!

You don't say if you like color - but I am big on color. If you enjoy a lot of color try azul imperale. It is a gorgeous granite with some quartz. Sorry I am not good at linking pictures but you can google it or find it on ohmintl.com's website. Another beautiful granite is azul macuba. You can choose a spectular granite and really show off the kitchen. Look also at black marinache. These are very different and unusal granites. Not for conservative people - but they will make a statement.