I don't think that natural materials will ever go out of style. If you like a homogenous appearance, then man made materials are an option. However, if you like movement and variations, then go with a natural material.

I will second that. If you want a material that is hard and performs like granite essentially, but has a monolithic color, go with quartz. If you wants something organic with variation, go with granite or some kind of stone.

If she wants a very plain creamy beige she may be better off going with quartz.

A coordinated look is never out of fashion. Both granite and quartz are good durable products. IMO, one should choose which ever particular one looks best with the other elements of the kitchen - cabinets, flooring, tiling, etc. Look carefully at the undertone colours. If you screw up on the colours in your kitchen, something will always look "off", even if most folks can't identify exactly what. And it can be very expensive to rectify bad colour choices in permanently installed items.

I am at the tail end of our remodel and everything is covered for the painters or I would send pictures. I used granite on my island and quartz on the perimeter counters. Since my island has a lot of movement, I wanted the perimeters to be a pretty solid color without a lot of pattern. Ceasarstone quartz offered a color that was exactly was I was looking for, so I mixed both in my kitchen.
1pandora

We went with Cambria. It has movement and I like it.

Granite continues to be a very popular countertop choice, but quartz is gaining in popularity. There are styles of quartz that have variation and movement as well as the uniform designs. They are comparable in cost, though quartz is supposed to be lower maintenance because it does not need to be resealed over time.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen countertops comparison

Cambria fades? That's news to me. We've had Cambria in our kitchen for about 10 years when we did a minor remodel. It's Welshpool Black, so very dark. It hasn't faded at all. We'll be going with Cambria again when we do a full remodel this summer. I love quartz counters.

However, in our neck of the woods, granite is used far more often despite being in the home state of Cambria.

I am a fabricator with experience in thousands of jobs in granite, quartz, marble, soapstone, travertine, schist, and others.

the "countertop comparison" is inaccurate.

Granite or any other natural stone never fades.

quartz countertops, in practice, are not "harder than granite". While quartz is the hardest component in granite quartz countertops are an amalgam of quartz chips, other inclusions, coloring agents, and resin. In practice most natural stones used for countertops are more scratch resistant than quartz tops. The consumer cares about scratch resistance.

Additionally, the comparison rates quartz countetops as "heat resistant" when the biggest negative of quartz countertops material is their susceptibility to heat damage. EVERY manufacturer of quartz tops specifically excludes heat damage from their warranty. The consumer cares about susceptibility to damage, not some esoteric engineering material property.

Finally, the comparison notes that granite requires resealing "regularly". Many stones requires no sealing at all. Most granite countertops materials need, at most, sealing once a year. The process is also no more work than a good cleaning.

I know this post is old, but granite is old-fashioned in the sense that it usually comes in a darker color range with very heavy veining which can overpower a white modern minimalist type kitchen. Granite reminds me of courtrooms and hotels. It was particularly popular for kitchens in the 90's so many have that association with it. Nonetheless, It continues to be popular as it is reasonably priced and very durable, while giving off a sense of luxury as it is a solid natural material. Personally, I'd go for a uniform material such as quartz or marble if you have a lot of worktop as the patterns are often very 'busy', becoming a very dominant feature in a kitchen. Unfortunately quartz has a higher price tag. In terms of durability and maintenance, both granite and quartz are good for this, unless you have a commercial kitchen or are obsessive about these things.