Those slabs are stunning and will make a dramatic statement. As does your view which I am drooling over! Where are you? Vancouver? They might compete with each other. But at night with no view to distract, those slabs will look beautiful.

I think those slabs are not only gorgeous, but perfect for your spot! The most important thing you said was that these slabs stopped you in your tracks. You know when you see the right one. I wouldn't worry at all about what other people say, like your family saying it looks like coffee was spilled on it. My granite it pretty dramatic and I knew it was mine the second I saw it and never looked back. I think a lot of people get scared by dramatic stone but you love it, you have a vision and the colors are wonderful for your space. Not that it matters, but I really don't think it is that wild. I can totally picture counters in that stone and it will look incredible.

I love it. It stopped you so it's yours. Please tell me why so much light calls for honed or leathered.
thanks
laura

Thank you all. I'm not sure that my photos show the colours as true but the piece of stone I brought home really did match the grey-blue of the sea and the islands beyond - mind you, the sea changes colour depending on winds and weather.
Laura - we are facing east and in the summer the sun comes directly through those windows, there are also skylights above the windows. When I walk into the room, the reflection off the polished granites is so strong you can't see the colour of the granite. And my eyes are light sensitive.
finestra - We are in Victoria - that is San Juan Island, USA in the background.

Can I come and live in your house so I can look at that view every day? Please. I'm quiet and don't take up a lot of space!

Oh, and I like the quartzite too- I think it will look beautiful.

since you are having such a problem deciding, you should just pack up and leave - after signing it all over to me!
thank you...

after i finally got my mouth closed again at seeing your view, I scrolled on down to the granite pic - my first thought was it looked like some kind of a map. that did confuse me for about 1.5 seconds.

It's gorgeous! go for it or regret it FOREVER!

I still think you should move out so I can live there...

That slab is gorgeous. If you're satisfied that its dramatic colors and patterns (at least the sections you'll be taking from it) won't offer any competition or conflict with the view, it seems perfect.

Congrats.

I may be missing something, but you said two eight foot islands and I think only have 1 slab? Is this for just one of the islands? Now please forgive me... I think the colors of the slab are GORGEOUS but when I look at the slab, I see a deer. Not sure whether you love the slab for this...or whether this is something which is not at all apparent in real life... and of course, you may be only planning on using part of the deer :).

WOW

Be still, my heart! This slab is breathtaking, as is your view. I think you should go for it!!

My daughter is going to UVic, and absolutely loves Victoria (except for maybe the stretches of grey, rainy days). It is just so beautiful there! She's camping as I write.

It is truly divine. It does seem to go perfectly in your setting. Ocean, sky and earth colors. Stunning...

I also see the deer, but hadn't noticed it until oldbat pointed it out.

oldbat2be - I have to laugh as deer are the bane of my existence - they totally destroy my garden whenever they sneak in! I didn't see the deer until you pointed it out but you are right, it is there. I do have two slabs on hold and they are both 10' by 6', so I can lob off part of the deer if I want to be more blue than orange/brown. And I'm afraid I'll have to cut off his antlers, too.
To everyone else with view envy - yes, we are lucky and I wouldn't live anywhere else, but, have you any idea what our weather has been like lately? Yuck.

I don't know which is more breathtaking, the view or that slab!

I am behind this slab, full-tilt. It is part choppy sea, part doug fir, part driftwood, part sheer rock face, part interminable drizzly winter, and part deer ;-)--there are tons of deer in Victoria!!!. It exudes BC. It is exactly what you want: something inside that mirrors the outside. It will look fantastic with the fir windows.

So yeah. I really like this slab.

Maybe your parents are talking about the bottom-right-hand corner re: coffee stains? There is an element of truth to that, but I just can't see how you could find something better than this for your space.

I suppose you could do something uniformly grey - but that's a bit boring, and doesn't have any warmth to it. Also, a dramatic worktop in a modern house works well, IMO, because everything else is a bit minimalist.

Sorry- I couldn't get passed the view!!! : )

My first thought was that the slab looks like a map or navigational chart. Brown islands in a gray sea. Perfect!
But I'm not sure, so once you have them in, I'd be happy to visit for the weekend just to confirm my original idea....

fouramblues - you are right about the stretches of grey days. By the way, UVic is 5 minutes from here.
pawa, and everyone else - thank you for your opinions. I do think this quartizite will work and it is only when I get ho-hum opinions from others (DH included) that I begin to wonder.

When I could finally pull myself away from the picture of your view, I saw the deer right away. Beautiful slabs, but honestly if I had that gorgeous view plywood would do nicely too.

Umm. I don't think it's fair that you have both that view and that breathtaking stone. ;-)

I have fir cabinets and think that will be so amazing with the wood color. I happen to love the coffee-spill section...And the gray next to the deer. The deer, not so much.

Just looking at the view, I thought maybe the eye-catching stone was too much competition. But realizing there is a bigger picture, not just that doorway to the whole space, and also considering some days are not so bright and colorful (I live in the Puget Sound area of Washington, so share some of the gray weather), I think this will be amazing. With just as much as we see and your written description, I'd also consider going with something much simpler, like concrete or darker wood... maybe even stainless, to go with the feel, the wood, and the view, but that doesn't mean the quartzite isn't a great option, too.

I have looked at this slab from both sides - that is, I rotated the photos (the deer is upside down) and it gave me a different perspective. Since the slabs are 6 feet wide by 10' long and my counters 42" max, by 8' long, I will have some artistic license to include more or less of the orange tones. Though now that I've seen the deer, I'm starting to feel quite fond of him....

Another vote in favour of the slab - it is perfect for your view, perfect BC. As others have said, I see the douglas fir, the sea and the map of the islands in the stone. Perfect. I now see the deer too ... he is rather charming. I think (from my monitor at least) the colours are perfect, go for it. I have quartzite in my kitchen as well, I think you'll love it. Good luck!

Good luck finding a nicer choice than that! I love it! It looks like baby deer's body and legs on the other side of the stone! Perfect!

I adore, adore your view and that stone!!!! Remember it will look totally different chopped up and laying flat rather than upright. Our stone reminded me of a map too:) on the counters, not so much. Now it just looks like rivers. Go for it!!!!!

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I have left a piece with the fabricator to "leather" and hope to see it tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Wow.
I don't even like granite (hate specks). This stopped me in MY tracks.

There's an AH HA! moment you have to trust. Don't second guess yourself on those moments. You knew immediately how perfect this was, but then the what-ifs started.

Not only is this stone stunning, it is amazing with the view you've shown. If you go with anything else, I know you'll be talking about this slab for the rest of your life.

On another note. I'd check into the "gotta be" finishes. I was at my stone place the other day. I was looking through these slabs in full sunlight. I was amazed at the beauty in the stone. The sparkles like sunlight reflecting off waves. The glitter of fairy dust.

None of that usually shows in people's kitchens, because there just isn't enough direct light. If you have it, flaunt it. Stones I didn't, ever like were breathtaking.

Why dull it when it's the star of your kitchen? Because that stone could be nothing else.

I have a prehnite necklace that I describe a pale green with algae and egg white inclusions. The description is apt, but doesn't sound at all pretty. Yet it's gorgeous. So yes, I do the resemblance to coffee stains, but these "coffee stains" are clearly gorgeous, so I totally think you should use it.

GO FOR IT!!!!
Absolutely stunning, as is your view!!!!

Show pictures when you are done!

Gorgeous, and perfect for your space!!

I may be missing something, but you said two eight foot islands and I think only have 1 slab? Is this for just one of the islands? Now please forgive me... I think the colors of the slab are GORGEOUS but when I look at the slab, I see a deer. Not sure whether you love the slab for this...or whether this is something which is not at all apparent in real life... and of course, you may be only planning on using part of the deer :).

YES!
The stone compliments the natural beauty outside the window. Watery movement, echoes the Islands. I would think the stone will "ground" your kitchen - keep some energy in the house instead of having it all zoom eagerly outside all the time.
Will keep my eyes open for more photos; such beauty, show us more!!

Sorry - hit submit to what I thought was a different post.... Please ignore the duplication.

Glad you have two slabs, echo the requests for photos (2 islands that size, would love to see the kitchen!) and a quick plug for Deer-Off sprayed about once a month.

The slabs are gorgeous. BUT, the most important thing is that it stopped you in your tracks. That, my dear, is the sign that we speak of here. We always tell people you will know it when you see it. You know you found "the one".

And the view.....well, that's not too shabby either.

Bee

Thanks again everyone. It is nice to have my opinion validated. These are the colours I've dreamed of but have been side tracked along the way with other, also beautiful slabs. I'm glad I held out.
There are no pictures at present, just the old kitchen. I will probably post again for your advise on cabinet stain colour when I get to that point. The cabinets are scheduled for July. Now I'm back to finalizing appliances.
Have a lovely Sunday - the sun is shining here (at last!)

Interesting shapes ... but I see a uterus and fallopian tubes!! Too many anatomy classes! Not sure I'd want that visual when I looked at my counters.

Is Freud out there anywhere?! I'll try not to think about that one when I stare at my granite.

Gorgeous slabs--absolutely go for it! I'm in Vancouver neighbour. Where did you find your slabs? I haven't started looking for quartzite yet but will be doing so in several months. Tami

Uh oh. If you look to the right of the uterus, there's a related shape. That would bother me.

My first thought was also coffee spill.

I'm sure that once the slabs are cut to the right size and shape, we'll see all new pictures in them. And if not, my kids and guests will have fun grossing each other out.
Tami - I went to all the big granite yards in Surrey (Westcoast, Hari, Margranite and also Margranite in Burnaby and Royal Stone in Richmond. There are a lot of wonderful slabs out there - I could have chosen many others and been happy (though maybe not quite so happy!) Have you a colour scheme in mind? I probably have pictures of half the slabs available!!
The fabricator dropped off my sample today. They put an "antiqued" finish on it. It looks fantastic! No perceptible colour change but a wonderful 'soft' feel to the stone. I am thrilled.

Thanks Carol. I'm wanting more greys and whites. I haven't looked yet but was a bit worried that I wouldn't find anything that appeals to me. I would be very curious to see what you had found. Where did you end buying your quartzite? Tami

I love it and the view also!!
When we started our design, the KD asked what we wanted in our kitchen - I started with a Kitchen mag and said I wanted this view....
Well, we have a kitchen sans view...
But chispa said something that I could not get out of my brain. So love the colors but maybe a different slab...

Carolml-any progress pix? A current thread about granite reminded me of your slab. Every now and then I wonder if you went with the 'deer' slab and how your kitchen has turned out.

Wow, what a gorgeous slab. I love the deer!

Wow, it looks really pretty with your patio and view! Reminds me of sand and sea. Sorry, I can't come live with you until July :(

I didn't see the deer etc until it was pointed out. When I went back to see what everyone was seeing I saw a hartebeest. First picture, left hand side, I see the horns, the eye, the dual colored face. Sold!

I love it. Deer, hartebeest and all.

picture came from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coke%27s_Hartebeest,_running.jpg

Wow what a view. I know this is an old thread, but I'd also like to know if the OP is still out there. Would love to see the kitchen.

Oh, that is *unfair* to have such views inside and out! LOL.

You kitchen is stunning beyond words!

Congratulations!

P.S. And I am moving to your neighborhood...