I think the absolute black would look great. The chiseled edge will fit the rustic look of the beams and hearth. I think the Super White will look too, well, polished. I'm also not sure of how the super white will go with the color of the cabs. Most of the super white runs gray, and your cabs look creamy--are they glazed? I just can't quite picture them looking good together (but that's just my imaginary super white slab and the colors from the pic you posted--the resemblance of my imagination to reality may be slim). Can you haul a door (or door sample) to the stone yard and get a pic?

What cawaps said.... Loving the color combo though.

I agree with the others. I love Super White and it is what we are doing, but for your cabinets, at least from the pictures, it does not appear as though it would mesh as well. Especially with the brick. It seems almost more transitional and your kitchen gives off a more traditional vibe for sure.

Your kitchen looks great so far -- I love the beams! Leathered AB with look good with the rest of your choices. The AB will definitely look better than the SW with your creamy white cabinets, IMHO, but the SW might make a great show-stopper island counter, if you are comfortable mixing 2 counter materials.

Definitely AB. Your kitchen looks absolutely beautiful so far!

Agree with others, I love SW but AB will look best with your cabinets, beams, hardware, etc. Your kitchen is GORGEOUS and the AB is going to pull it all together beautifully!

How about AB on the perimeter and SW on the island? Something to think about.

I was just going to say the same thing as teachertile! AB on the perimeter and SW on the island! I'm not quite sure if it will clash with the cabinet color! If not, definately AB! Love the leathered idea too!

Thanks all. We are leaning towards sticking with the original plan of AB. Thinking about the SW island, though. The shop had some breathtaking SW slabs. They had some veiny Soapstone that was equally beautiful but was too green.

The AB really has a neat texture and feel to it. We have seen several different examples of "leathered" AB. This one has some dips/mini-craters that look and feel great but may be more challenging to clean.

I will post finished pics in a few weeks.

This post was edited by ccasanova on Thu, Jun 6, 13 at 22:40

I haven't spend enough time in stone yards yet to decide for myself, but have considered both honed black (to avoid the green-ness, prices and softness of soapstone) and white quartzite. The thing that has bothered me about honed and leathered AB, however, is the fingerprints - at two different places either I or the salesperson put a hand on that slab and it was still there when we walked back again. I vote for SW on the island.

Super White is a beautiful stone, but it is a delicate stone. It scratches easy and can etch from food and drink spills.

Absolute black can be a nightmare. Many AB's contain calcium and will etch like marble. Some AB's are doctored with dyes, If you're stone is either one of these you will hate it. Honed AB can do the same and also finger print badly. Buying AB can be a crap shoot.

We only sell AB and SW stones with disclaimers attached.

Please thoroughly test pieces of the actual slabs before you buy. Samples may pass your test, but your actual slabs may not.