That's a gorgeous piece of stone! Will the 2" make a difference in your cabinetry? Does it mean you won't have any overhang and the counter will end right at the cabinet fronts (or backs or sides)?

I think it will be fine with the backsplash. The counter will be horizontal and the bs will be vertical, so even if they matched they would probably look different when in place.

Losing 2" makes the overhang 13" instead of 15" on the short side of the seating. I have two seating sides- one along the long side, and one along the short side. Personally I am fine with a 13" overhang.

It also reduces my prep space on the left side of my sink (sink in island) from 58.5" to 56.5".

My backup option is a very quiet quartz called Fiji White- very very similar to Ceasarstone Organic White for those of you familiar with that brand.

Both are pretty but I think the counter looks dingy next to the bs. The bs has a much cleaner crisper look. Pairing it with the black counter will accentuate that. Keep the feel you're going after in mind as you select things.

I think it's a beautiful slab & would make quite a statement on your island. I agree that it would look better if your island stone is a different hue than your backsplash, but still blends. You don't want it to look like you tried to match & missed. Your cabinets are white & your backsplash is predominantly white.
Does this stone read more gray or white?
One of the prettiest slabs of Calacatta Quartzite I've seen.

Romy,
Thanks. This stone is definitely NOT reading white, although there are truer white markings in the stone itself, almost a checking pattern that runs along with the diagonal-ish grey veins.

The background of the stone reads rather greige to me, at least in the fluorescent lighting of the stone yard. The granite guy said it would brighten up in better light (for example another stone that reads taupe to me in their light he said would read more true grey in natural light).

My take on it is that it contrasts too much with both the white cabinets and the BS to look like it was supposed to match exactly.

here's another photo of a different section next to one of the darker pieces of BS:
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you can see the whiter streaks in the photo towards the top

The overhang going to 13" is fine. We have 12". I'm 5'8". It's fine. Do I occasionally brush a knee on the peninsula, yes. Is it a horrific bother? No. (Though we don't eat most meals there - it's a hang out/homework/coffee spot)

Prep space is very ample and I doubt you'll miss 2" there.

I don't have a comment on the color vs BS as I'm not good in that department! :)

I have to say I'm just not loving the mix and match trend. I really prefer *one* patterned stone in a kitchen. Your chosen materials are lovely though.

Thanks Feisty,
So you are saying that basically the only countertop that will work with a calacatta marble backsplash is calacatta marble itself?

Do you think the quiet white quartz is a better look on the island?

Illinigirl, I know I'm in the minority but I prefer it when either the backsplash or the counters take center stage. I would probably pick *either* a patterned stone backsplash or a patterned stone island top. Sorry, I know that may not be helpful...JMHO.

edited to add: In my kitchen I am planning River White granite counters which have lots of movement. I am planning a painted backsplash (scrubbable paint) which can easily be refreshed. Again, I know I'm in the minority but I really like painted backsplashes and I usually prefer the ABB (all but backsplash kitchens) before they get their tile. I also like backpainted glass and subtle tiles.

This post was edited by feisty68 on Thu, Apr 3, 14 at 13:00

What you're doing will look fine. You have to remember the slab 'will' look different once it's on a horizontal plane so just holding the bs against it isn't giving you a true read on color.
10' is a large island and having such a gorgeous slab will look stunning.
DS has a huge island and her counters are an off white while the island is a dark green. It's been there for years and I still enjoy seeing it when I enter the room.

That slab will be absolutely gorgeous on a 10 ft island. Do your marble tiles have a lot of movement/pattern?I can't remember the GWer's name & I'm running out the door or I'd find it.....remember the GWer that removed her busy marble backsplash to a quiet marble tile? Her counters(right next to the marble BS) had alot of movement & the marble with the subtle pattern was perfect.
Your backsplash will not be next to the island.

Romy,
I only have a handful of the bs tiles as samples to get an idea from, but overall pretty quiet. My designer also has said she thinks my BS is "quiet". The overall effect with the marble tiles is of course small bits of broken up pattern. I don't know if this makes it look more busy or less busy than a solid slab of the same would be. All of the 6 tiles I have are predominantly white, and each one has either small streaks or veins of grey-ish, carmel-ish, or brown-grey. The tile I photographed up close with the slab is the only one that is not predominantly white.

There is enough different colors in both the slab and the tiles that at least some of the colors match somewhere in each. But the overall background of the backsplash is white, where the overall background of the quartzite slab is sort of warm grey-greige or perhaps someone may call it a deep off-greige-white

Illini, I went back & read thru some of your posts because I do remember that you are set on using the Calacatta gold backsplash but could not remember if you had already purchased it. I came across your post where you said that you were choosing the marble backsplash because you don't want the upkeep of a marble countertop & you had not found a nonmarble countertop that "sings to you." Does this Calacatta Quartzite slab sing to you? If it does & it passes the etching tests, why not wait to purchase your backsplash until your cabinets & counters are installed? Then you'll know for sure if it works.

I'm going to post some pics of slabs & then installed quartzite counters to help you envision what this slab might look like installed.
This is Michelle16's slab.

Michelle16's island.

One of lcskaisgir's slabs. It may not be the slab that was used for her island.

Lcskaisgir's island.

Buckrogers slab. I don't think it is Calacatta quartzite but he has a stained island & black perimeters so I thought it might help.

Buckrogers kitchen. I hope this helps & Michelle16, lcskaisgir & buckrogers don't mind I posted their pics.

Thank you so much Romy,
I think the slabs are even prettier installed than they are 'raw' so to speak. And, to my eye, they look a lot less busy on the actual counter than in slab form as well. it gives me hope that this may work out after all.

As far as the BS, no I have not purchased anything...but since this is new construction I do not know the order things are going to be installed. I will ask. Personally I am willing to be flexible on the BS. But once I showed it to my husband he was kind of set on it too. And he gets a little upset about changing things (that he sees as willy nilly- of course I put way more thought into this than he does).

My designer thinks she has an opening tomorrow to view the slab with me. We'll see what she says.

My GC had an order that things occurred also. I was supposed to have my backsplash ordered before my counters were installed. Because of my education on GW, I declared that I wasn't making my choice until the counters were in. I was their 1st client to do this. What I had chosen (not purchased) would not have worked. Some people are able to envision how different elements will look together. i need to see it.
Edit:spelling

This post was edited by romy718 on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 1:17

I think they would be great together and work really well. I've also been one to really stress about having the perfect matching backsplash. In the end, after stressing months each time in our builds, I don't think they have to match perfectly to work and look really good. Sorry about the small pics, Photobucket on the iPad makes them smaller and I can't figure out how to fix them.

We matched Alaska White (white, brown)

To travertine split faced (peachy beige)

Never would I think it would of worked out, the tones were so different, but it worked out perfect.

That's a beautiful slab of quartzite! If it were my kitchen and I had to choose between the backsplash and the quartzite, I'd choose the quartzite and then pick a backsplash to go with it.

I have a 12" overhang on our peninsula and it's where we almost always eat and I've never felt it was too shallow.

well, so much for that. DH didn't like the background color of the Calacatta Quartzite. We both fell in love with a slab of Calacatta Gold Marble though. And it's big enough.

I keep saying NEVER. But it sure does make my heart sing. I'm insane for even thinking this.

I don't want to encourage you to buy something that will make you crazy but maybe get a piece, seal it appropriately and try to destroy it. It would at least help you let go of the idea if it is too delicate. Or visit some counters with patina and see if you can live with that.

If you love it enough you probably won't regret it :) .

Well, you are going to have perimeter counters in a durable stone. I was accused in another thread of promoting the Silver Wave Counter Mats (made by Range Kleen), but they are kedping me etch free. Is the marble honed?

I think you have a lot going on between the stained island, the BS, the perimeter counters and the island counter. You mentioned "playing well together", and just like IRL, the more players there are, the harder it is to keep everything calm and connected. I love that Romy was able to show a number of instances that are similar to yours.

I don't think that the 13" overhang would necessarily be a gating item for me (does this include lamination for the waterfall edges?). But, it would be the number of design elements that you are attempting to mix that would need careful looking at. I agree with Romy that I might wait on ordering the backsplash until everything is in, just to make sure that it all works together.

Must admit, and I swear I am not trying to be a devil's advocate here, but I feel like I will be happiest if I buy the marble no matter the conqences of the etching. I have had two friends who had always coveted marble and they both ended up pulling the trigger to go with marble. After 6 months, they both say that the etching doesn't matter. They LOVE their counters. While I can't yet say that I am in the same camp (my counters were just installed and we don't move in for 90 days), I am thrilled with how they look and am looking forward to actually living with them.

Hi,

I think that slab is stunning! I know you have already decided against it, but I had to let you know I see why you were considering it and I think it would be worth shortening the island. I think it looks like it would play nicely with the marble backsplash, especially with the dark perimeter counters in between.

My kitchen is not quite finished, but I have a polished Crystalize Quartzite slab for my island and honed Danby marble on the perimeter. BS is matte white subway tile. I haven't been using my kitchen yet - it's just been subject to the abuse of the contractors. But even though I love the marble and after it was in, my husband and I both wondered why we didn't just do the whole kitchen with it, I am finding that I worry less about the treatment of the quartzite and am glad we chose it too.

I will say that so far I have been able to clean water circles and grease marks from the Danby using the Comet + Scotchbrite pad method that they advertise, which makes me feel good about long term upkeep. And it does make my heart sing too - last weekend I stared at the sunlight shining through the marble where it overhangs the countertop :-)

Love, love, love the island slab. Gorgeous. Definitely use it even if it means losing a couple of inches. Love the warm tones in the stone.

What are you using on the perimeter? I couldn't find the info.

Can't wait to see your kitchen. I would wait on the backsplash until the kitchen is complete.