Beautiful! I love that marble!

Thanks michiganrachel - me too - if it was a man I'd marry it. The pics don't really do it justice - it has more depth and is less chalky than it seems. I can't stop touching it.

I think you could be my new best friend -- insanely gorgeous black marble, white cabs, farmhouse sink, and your wonderful cats! You are totally my kind of person to have your cats inspect the counter. Love it!

I'm in LOVE with your marble! I'm kicking myself for not considering a black honed marble, if that were mine, I'd be sleeping on top of it at night, lol. If I had seen your kitchen before I got so far on mine...........oh where were you when I was looking for inspiration kitchens!

Are you planning to paint your window trim? The reason I ask is that right now, with the black countertop (most beautiful counter ever), white cabs and wood toned trim all in the same area, I'm totally eating my heart out!!!!! The wood stained trim is warming up the white/black and the result is lovely. I LOVE it. I can't wait to see the finished kitchen.

Love the uniquenesss of your choice. All the marble counters I've been looking at are the more common carrara or calcutta which are very nice but yours is WOW!!

WOW beautiful. Your kitchen is going to be fantastic. I love your stove - what kind is it?

Gorgeous counters! There have been so many discussions on GW of etching and staining on white marbles. What are the concerns one should have about black marble? Just curious.

Awwwww rmkitchen! You've almost made me cry. Thankyou. This kitchen/reno planning has been an emotionally tumultuous 2 year struggle with no-one involved able to see my vision, including a builder we had to sack who tried to level our crooked little house and instead "broke its back". That added yet more $$$ to the final cost (giving my DH coniptions) There are still things not the way I'd planned but in the spririt of choosing your battles I have decided to let go. I don't know if it's an Australian thing but in the regional areas new ideas take a looooooong time to catch on. At one stoneyard I was almost literally heckled because I wanted a dark stone and I wanted it honed. Even this morning my builder asked me "Why didn't you polish it, you can always re-polish". I said "because according to my research (you guys on the kitchen forum)it is more practical - it's a lot more difficult to re-polish it in place than it is to re-hone it...and because I love it this way"! I am rapt that I found this forum while I was still in the planning stages. I haven't had that much to say in the forum but I have read all I could, and then some, and have come to feel like you're all my kitchen soulmates. I am so grateful for this font of combined knowledge I have no words.
two devs

Oh WOW WOW WOW! That is just stunning! Now, I love my granite but THAT could make me take a hammer to it one day... just gorgeous and so unique!! Thanks so much for giving us the peek! Can't wait to see it all done and you must be ecstatic!

Fabulous!!! And it looks like you have quite the range peaking out in one of the pics. From what I see, I too vote for keeping the window trim stained. But I'll reserve comment until I can see more of the kitchen. Simply gorgeous!!

prill - thankyou. The stove (in Australia) is a Falcon Classic 110. I believe in the U.S it's some kind of AGA.

francoise47 - From what I've read here and discussed with the owner of the quarry the etching and staining is going to be basically the same as with white marble....maybe not so much the staining.... but from my tests on the sample piece, definately the etching......that's why I opted for honed - it's fixable if someone has an accident - but I never, for example, cut a lemon on my old laminate counters without a cutting board, so why would I now? I'm prepared for a little extra maintenance and looking forward to the patina.

Rookie_2010 - The bifolds are staying natural. They will be given a light sand and then varnished but we really like the natural timber finish.....it kind of gells with the rainforest setting we live in. If you can see the scaffolding in the background - our deck is 4 metres above ground level. We're at eye level with the tree canopy and the butterflies.

minette99 - I am thrilled. You have noooo idea how alien I have felt while trying to put my own spin on things I have seen on this forum. I am blown away by the things you guys think of - I've just tonight seen P111ogs' corner drawers and am dead jealous that I hadn't seen that in my planning stages (not that my stoopid cabinet make would have understood anyway). It's brilliant! And thanks for pointing out the typo - peak! lol... pah! I know it's peek, sorry, I've been up on the scaffolding painting for most of the day. Time for this Antipodean to go to my "down under" bed :-) But I need to thank you all for your "up over" kitchen inspirations.

Oh, and Marley 'n' Maeve (grey and black respectively) thank you for the compliments and also say goodnight :-)I'll try to get Maggie (the boxer) in another post.

two devs

P.S rmkitchen - who else but a cat is going to be so thorough in their inspection? lol

P.P.S What kind of idiot decides to give up smoking during a reno?
Until now I have felt so alone - thankyou good people of the kitchen forum. :-)

good night all

Wowsers! This has to be my favoritest countertop...EVAH!!!! Your kitchen is looking terrific! What sink is that? Looks lovely.

What is the name of your marble? It is so great...I hope it starts a design trend. Makes me want to eat ice cream for some reason.

I love it! I love my white marble, and I love my Cambrian black, but I had been looking for a soapstone and would have considered something like that. It's the look I was going for, but I wound up with more subtle crystals and a different texture.

I completely understand about contractors who don't have any vision. My experience was mostly with guys who'd slap in the cheapest Home Depot appliances any ol' where and say you don't need anything more -- a DW doesn't' wash dishes anyway or he and the DW don't use theirs for the two of them, eat out, etc. Family of 4, we all cook, we host all the family events of 12-20 -- I do use it all, I do need it, I want it, I have paid for it and I am paying you to make it right for me so shut up or leave! Rrrrrrr. The 2 DWs and prep sink seemed to really get them.

I love what I see coming together -- stay true to your dream.

Oh WOW!!!!!!!! So unusual and so striking. I love it!

Love the kitties, too (but I'm sure you'd know that from my user name!)!

two devs, I've been wondering about your cabinets and counters. I almost gave you a 'shout-out', but thought you were probably busy ((hugging)) your marble :). It's beautiful, and I'm so happy that you're pleased with it. The cabinets and farm sink are lovely, too. Looking forward to the finished kitchen!

That is unique and beautiful..Love the cats too!

Wow guys, I am overwhelmed. It's mothers day here and all your so kind comments have made it for me

Sabjimata - the sink is a shaws classic 24" and the marble is Australian called Black Ice. I believe the place we bought it (Cairns Marble) owns the quarry and they also installed it. lol....you can come visit and I'll make you ice-cream, my maple-pecan is not too shabby - if I may say so myself.

mama_goose - I have had you in the back of my mind all week coz I know I said the counters were to be installed last week but then the stoneyard rang and said they'd had a machine break down so it would have to be honed by hand. That made it take longer - somthing my cantankerous (but very good) builder was NOT happy about.

Now, being mothers day and having no running water in the kitchen yet, we're off out for breakfast....yay!

have a great day/night lovely kitchen people

two devs

I have never seen anything like this; the counters are just so beautiful! Wow.

I also like the look of the natural wood on the windows.

Love the kitties, too. :)

i really wish the rest of you would STOP posting pics of your kitchens. mine is practically loaded on the truck and i CANNOT make any changes ...not to the cabs or the counters!

I LOVE YOUR MARBLE ...darn it!

Stunning, lovely, wow. Can't wait to see the whole kitchen!

Happy mother's day, hope you enjoyed your breakfast.

Beautiful! I am a total sucker for all things marble but THAT is particularly gorgeous. Can't wait to see the finished kitchen.

Wow! I just want to lay down on that marble and roll a little... :))

WOWZERS! I've been MIA from this forum for awhile but, alas, need to do another kitchen due to another move...I've presently got 2" thick calacutta gold marble and was intent to use it again but, now, thanks to you, I think I might be headed in a different direction. THAT IS STUNNING - Congrats!!

akchicago - that's exactly how I've felt about it since I first saw it as a dusty "raw" slab sitting in the stoneyard.

lascatx - thankyou for the encouragement. At times I've come close to going insane over this reno (not just kitchen).

sochi - thanks for the mothers day wishes - breakfast was great then it was back home and back up on the roof. This reno busines is exhausting! Every weekend the builder finds a job for us to do. My DH keeps asking me isn't this why we're paying HIM? But we dont' mind really because we know we'd be paying him a lot more if we didn't do these things.

Honestly, I have to thank all of you. I shudder to think how my kitchen would have turned out if I hadn't found this forum. It and you all are a gem of a resource. I didn't know I had a "style" until you helped me find it.

Although in hindsight maybe part of the reason our tradesmen think I'm nuts is that I am now saying drywall instead of gyprock and countertops instead of benchtops and faucets instead of taps.....lolol

Well, it's Monday morning. Time to load the cats and the dog into the car, head to work and deal with todays challenges.

Have a great day everyone :-)

two devs

Stunning! Congratulations on your beautiful countertops.

Oh, that is so elegant. And it suits the elegant and inquisitive cats. I really, really like that honed black marble.

Maybe when my granite wears out.......

Wow, I think I've just changed my mind for the last time... I want those counters!

Sorry circus peanut, the copper is beautiful too, but these sing to my heart and would coordinate in my kitchen better.

Thanks for posting two devs!

Oooooohhh, those counters are absolutely STUNNING...wowwee!!! I consider myself lucky to have stumbled upon this thread at this early planning stage of a new build. Was thinking soapstone for our "benchtops", but I'm now thinking - honed black marble! :)

WoW! I'm as impressed as the rest, and absolutely keen to see MORE MORE MORE pictures.

Happy Belated Mother's Day! Those countertops are out of this world.

Hang in there. Know you have a world of fans.

Semi:

so fine!

Awww you guys make me feel like the little girl in the bee suit from the Blind Melon filmclip (showing my age here) who is dancing through life in her own way and people think she's strange. Then she finds some gates and looks through and there's a whole field of people in bee suits dancing and they all "get" her. Thankyou for the kind comments, they really mean a lot to me. I will absolutely post more pics when we're done. Stay tuned.

two devs :-)