I have Rainforest Green on my dressing area sink tops so I'm very familiar with it...and can't figure out why it won't go with your range. Have you actually committed to anything else?

If you go for it, you should throw out all the inspiration pictures, and just do what works. MCM is not going to work with the RFG (nor the Cluny!) and neither is Edwardian going to work with RFG. Steampunk might, with the emphasis more on the steam than the punk.

What you have with Lacanche and RFG is DRAMA. Everything you put with them has to be strong, but it shouldn't compete. I'd do slab doors, little to no grain like a maple, and stain it with some burgundy in the stain to pick up the accent color in the RFG. Alternatively, white painted to match the white spots in the RFG. Then use bar pulls and brass accents to tie in with the range.

It can be done.

I've heard that RFG works okay in a kitchen because it's serpentine rather than a real marble, and a few of our members have it, but I do like your plan for using it in the master. It's a lovely thing to wake up and brush your teeth to. A bit busy for the kitchen (so says the queen of busy counters).

Just don't feel boxed in! Also, live with it awhile. It might just be infatuation. In a few weeks you might find something that makes for a harmonious family with your Cluny.

I think you have a couple of options....kitchen counter counseling or the alternative, sneak the RFG up the back stairs when the Cluny isn't looking, after all...what happens in the bath can stay in the bath.

If you do decide to mix the 2....go slowly, like bringing home a new pup to an old dog. Gradually let them get close to one another, and make sure you treat them equally.

>>>I'd do slab doors, little to no grain like a maple, and stain it with some burgundy in the stain to pick up the accent color in the RFG. Alternatively, white painted to match the white spots in the RFG. Then use bar pulls and brass accents to tie in with the range.

That's pretty close to what I was thinking. Another reason that the RFG and wood tones might work well is that we're bumping out 3' and the back wall will have French doors, French door sidelights (for lack of a better descriptor and then 24" windows over the perpendicular counters, all overlooking the deck. We have tall trees in the backyard, so the overall light effect in the kitchen is quite woodsy/greensy.

Camarogranny, haha! I definitely need a counselor, I think.

I think you can do them both as long as your cabinets are lighter. In fact it sounds like it could be stunning, so I don't see the problem. Am I missing something?

I like the steampunk description -- every kitchen needs it's inspiration and any stone that isn't special to you might as well be laminate. ;-) Have fun tweaking a new plan.

Oops...meant to add that the only other things I'm committed to right now are my existing fridge and DW, both black. I have to get another DW as well and will go with black for that one too, since the two DWs will be flanking the Lacanche symmetrically.

I wonder if Rainforest Green is related or the same stone as Jungle Green. I have a picture of Jungle Green in my photo file. Absolutely yummilicious!

I don't see why you couldn't do the Lacanche with the RGM. I agree with using a pale, quiet wood or pale painted surface. I think it would look amazing.

By the way, love your phrase "vintage-style...with a dash of steampunk." I might have to...ahem...borrow that. My kitchen started out as vintage (black Aga, soapstone, marble, painted cabinets), but has slowly edged more toward industrial. My possible addition of a Kohler Karbon faucet may have just pushed it over into steampunk territory.

'' 'Cause I've seen some hot hot blazes
Come down to smoke and ash
We love our lovin'
But not like we love our freedom''

Will you get tired of such a wild, exotic compagnion?

What will the rest of the house think?

''Who is the gaucho amigo
Why is he standing
In your spangled leather poncho
And your elevator shoes
Bodacious cowboys
Such as your friend
Will never be welcome here''

The kitchen should be in harmony with the other rooms. Will you be stepping from an exotic rainforest kitchen to a white-paint-and-beading dining room?

Will it feel as improbable as Tarzan transforming to Lord Greystoke?

Borrow away! I think some industrial touches thrown into a vintage kitchen makes a very charming look and keeps it from being too much of a period piece (for my tastes anyway). I like this kind of thing, for instance:

but of course that won't go with the RFG at all! But the Lacanche--one of the steampunkiest ranges ever--would fit right in.

John, I cross-posted with you. In answer to your question, my decorating style is fairly eclectic. This house isn't even MCM; it's just a plain split-level from the '50s, and thus I've felt free to do whatever I pleased in transforming it. My LR and DR are deep jewel-tone colors (gold and aubergine) and the RFG would actually be stunning next to the color in the DR. And a kitchen that's predominantly green and wood-toned would tie into the deck and outdoor view that will stretch across the back of the entire kitchen.

I love the metaphor of that marble as a bodacious cowboy--that's it exactly! I worry that the stone and the Lacanche would be in continuous tension as fighting focal points. I like some visual tension in design; I just have to figure out a) if this is a forever love and b) if so, how to create a pleasant tension between them instead of friction and disharmony.

I fell in love with RFG too! I had no idea I was being two-timed! Alas, I will need to keep RFG as my "little thing" on the side....on the wetbar with kraftmaid cherry cabinets in autumn blush...right next to the ledgestone fireplace.

Whoa...I love that quirky kitchen you posted above, industrial meets vintage.

I have no opinions on the marble...sorry, but just wanted to say...let your house speak to you. Your idea of going with your original plan and using the green marble in your bath sounds like it would work well. However, if your kitchen wants the green then that will also match up with your stove and pull in a creamy color for the cabinets...your hardware can steampunk it up. Sounds like you have other ideas too, so lay them out on paper and see which speaks to you the most. I look forward to seeing what you go with. :-)

Hahaha! Well, you know, the handsome ones always get around. Do you have a picture or is your project still in the planning stages? Would love to see it; it sounds gorgeous. Pickle2, I'm dying to see your kitchen as well!

I have RFG in master bath and I love it beyond reason. Natural hickory cabinets, multi-color slate floors, antiqued copper sinks and ORB fixtures, white claw-foot tub. Lots of colors and materials would look great with it and I can totally see steampunk *something* with it (brass, copper, ceramic something or the other.) To me it looks like a richly-detailed relief map, or the earth from an airplane...forests and rivers and deltas, etc. It makes me happy every time I brush my teeth, wash my face, sit down to put on mascara or just walk through the bathroom. I'm always touching it and just looking at the "rivers" and floodplains, etc. Do it do it do it!

Vampiressrn, I am ALL ABOUT the quirky. :-) Thanks for the good words...the more I think about it, the more the house wants something in the kitchen other than my Edwardian fantasy. It really isn't that kind of house, sadly. I haven't ruled it out completely, but the wood and green kitchen feels more right.

Briosafarm, okay, after that description, you HAVE to post a pic for me!!! Pleeeeease??? And yes, I realized during my 4,296th google search on it since Friday that I love the "mappiness" of it, with the veins wandering everywhere like crazy rivers and the various colors looking like topographical features. I look at it and think, man, God just knocked it out of the park on that one.

zOMG, SO IN LOVE I feel like a teenager with a crush.

Since the Cluny is an appliance, its appearance does not have to dictate the rest of the kitchen stylistically. As for the marble, its very organic looking and would look good with a relatively minimal cabinet door like a slab. If you keep most of the scheme subdued, a few strong elements can work together.

Chana_g, where did you get that picture? I love it. I've been trying to talk SWMBO into a surgical lamp, with no success. Maybe some pictures will help my case. Holding my breath and turning blue isn't working.

Briosafarm, I'll tell you what I think of your bathroom as soon as I'm finished writhing on the floor in an agony of jealousy.

Okay, all done now.

Seriously, that is one of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BATHROOMS I have ever seen. And hearing you rave about it and say that you still love it five years later makes me feel better about my crush and not worry so much that I'll be tired of it in a few years. You did an amazing job putting everything together--the copper sinks, the slate floors (which I was thinking of doing in the master bathroom anyway and thought they'd be stunning with the RFG), the beautiful wood and that bathtub. Lord have mercy, I don't think I would ever leave that bathroom if I owned it. And oh, yes, you mostly definitely need a steampunk laptop to adorn that beautiful surface. Right next to the hand. I really can't thank you enough for posting those pictures for me! Even if I don't use the RFG in the kitchen I am 100% using it in my bathroom.

John: Okay, first of all, you must tell me what SWMBO stands for; it's been driving me crazy since your very funny Maginot line post. I found the picture by googling images of "vintage industrial kitchen"; the website it's from is Design Crisis via a post on Desire to Inspire featuring some stunningly beautiful photos by Louis Albuquerque; remember I mentioned my DR is purple, not white paint and beading? The last photo on the page shows a color very close to it. I think a steel surgical lamp would be amazing in the right kitchen; let's see if we can talk her into it. I'll look for some more pictures later today while pretending to be working.

"SWMBO" She Who Must Be Obeyed.

My husband is the one who fell in love with RFG. We went to the stone place to look at marble. I was all set for a nice calm white with miniumal movement.

I made the mistake of telling him to rate the samples. His #1 was RFG, and the one he liked the least was the good old plain white that I wanted . . .

I don't think there is any way I can incorporate RFG into my "old farmhouse" look kitchen. The only stone was going to be on the big workstationg/island. The base cabinets are in with temporary laminate countertops - who knows if we'll ever be able to agree on a final countertop

oh my Lord...I find a lot of stones really beautiful, but that Rainforest Green takes my breath away. I can't see working it into this house, but I MUST have some of it somewhere before I die.

channag, you are so funny and so sweet. And remember the RFG really is more green than my pics show, which just makes it better. Those blinds that show in counter photo are between the window panes and we never have them down IRL (I was trying to block late afternoon sunlight to take a photo) so the windows are just open all the time; the RFG is just amazing when you can see trees and sky outside! I truly am not tired of it after 5 years, and still feel the same crush on its map/earth from the air quality as when I first saw it. Thanks for your words; it is a very restful and pleasing room to be in! I got the sinks online from Mexico for about 1/5 the price they were in the local bathroom fixture stores, and the bathtub was from a place where a guy buys them up from everywhere and refinishes them...but mine wasn't an antique, just a replica from some Home Depot on the east coast where they let them sit outside and "acid rain" supposedly made a couple of dull places in the finish. (SWTH?) Looks fine to me, and again it was a fraction of the price (for some reason that makes me happy whenever I look at my tub.) ;~)

I *must* have a surgery lamp, or maybe an old ship's lantern...steampunk laptop in the bathroom for sure (nobody would think that was weird, would they?) LOL Now my brain is thinking about how to make it work in a vintage kitchen...I know it works in a more contemporary style, as I originally saw it with bamboo floors, very clean asian style cabinetry, kind of a contemporary spa-like thing going on. Some of the other posts have me imagining it with a cream farmhouse sink, ORB or antique brass pot filler, some type of industrial/surgery/ship's lantern type of light fixtures, butcher block countertops go with, copper countertops go with, cream marble goes with, those now-out-of-favor vintage tile countertops somewhere would go with, painted cabinets would also be good. (Just having fun imagining my beloved marble in a different room!)

Macybaby, sounds like my husband and me--our tastes are such polar opposites!

Melissastar, if you saw it in person, you'd FIND a way to use it in your current house!

Briosafarm: Huh...I never knew our NJ acid rain could be used for good instead of evil!

I went to my contractor's stone place today to look at the rainforest slabs in person. They only had one in rainforest brown but OH MY...I had that same buckling knees reaction that I did in the kitchen place. (Plus the lady I dealt with was so nice and totally got my granite-hate/marble-love and DIDN'T TRY TO TALK ME OUT OF IT. I really appreciated that.)

Here's the slab I saw. I couldn't get a shot of the whole thing, so this is just a small piece of it:

As Briosafarm already said...photos just can't do this stone justice. The golden part near the bottom has this amazing warm opalescent glow to it that's just indescribable till you see it in person.

I also got a small sample to take home which I've already abused. So far the only thing that left a stain was a smushed cherry--and the stone's so busy you can't really see the stain. Other than that, zip...no etching, even on the puddle of lime juice that I poured sour salt into and left for over two hours.

Didn't get to see any Danby Imperial to compare, but did see a sample of Sugar marble in a brushed finish that I quite liked, and one of polished Aurora Pink that I just loved. It reminded me of old dirt roads in Sylacauga, AL, where I spent my summers; the roads were lined with chunks of marble from the quarries that abounded there. My favorites were always the pink ones with the gray veining and that's exactly what the Aurora Pink looked like. But as generous and hands-off as my darling husband is, I don't think I can get him to agree to a GIANT PINK ISLAND.

GAH...so many beautiful choices. No idea which to pick. And I'm meeting with the cabinetmaker Wednesday night! Yeesh!

Oh Chana_goanna - what a gorgeous slab, wow. The colours are amazing, but I just LOVE how much it looks like a topographic map. Very Jules Verne. It is just so lush! I can understand why you've fallen. Just fall, go with it. I see a spectacular kitchen in the making. I love that vintage kitchen you posted too. Go steampunk! Time for me to start planning a new kitchen!

I forgot to tell you I have rainforest brown in guest bath and on my back entry phone/purse/mail counter. I'm serious! (laughing here) It is also so amazingly beautiful, I can't believe I forgot to say anything before. And oh, my goodness....I never even though of the rainforest BROWN in a vintage kitchen with industrial accents but now that you posted about it....I simply can't stop. The brown would be to die for in a kitchen!

I have been here a long time and done 2 kitchens so I have seen a lot. But the RFG is the most stunning stone I have seen as well as the RFB. They remind me of an Onyx I love.

I was just reviewing the "light kitchen" thread that I'd bookmarked and lo and behold, look what boxerpups had posted there:

I KNEW she would find a photo for me (although in this case she didn't even know she came through for me!).

Okay, so it's Rainforest Brown for your kitchen (I looked at mine and it has some black! so you're covered there for the Lacanche and the fridge.) We already know it will go great with any metal color so you can do any steampunk lighting fixtures and etc. that make your heart beat faster (stainless, brass either antiqued or shiny, bronze, copper) and either farmhouse sink, stainless or copper sink...basically they'd all work. Then the Rainforest Green for your bathroom. What other rooms do I need to decide for you? I already have *my* house and I'm all excited about yours. ;~)))))))))))

Hah! Briosafarm, you're such a good pal. :-)

We have a small family room that's still got the original knotty pine paneling and a fireplace tiled in something that looks like soapstone but isn't (I don't think, anyway). There's a small powder room in it that we have to redo because of a leak that ruined it. I was thinking of painting the paneling but now am fantasizing that I could restain the paneling to a red mahogany color, take a slab of RFG and have it cut to fit around the fireplace, and then take the leftover piece and use it for a vanity counter in the powder room. And THEN I could mount the plasma TV above the wall above the fireplace...after decking it out in a wood and brass case like that laptop in the steampunk thread. All sheer fantasy, but so enjoyable to imagine.

OMG, I'm laughing so hard over here, chana. We are sister kitchen souls.

Not two months ago my husband and I were not only completely decided on a gray/white/cream vintage kitchen with carrera marble island and backsplash and soapstone countertops, but we were at the warehouse choosing our slab. When it happened. We walked by a single lonely piece of the most amazing marble I have ever seen in my life. Rainforest Green in a relatively pale/calm pattern with this incredibly rich brownish-red vein running diagonally through it like its lifeline. We both stopped, gaped, and completely changed our kitchen design.

We now have the RFG going in on the island and a new shallow parallel buffet area. Cream cabinets, wood floors, oil-rubbed bronze hardware. We even changed our range from a Blue-gray colored Bluestar to the new AGA Pro+ in Ivory (cream) and the rangehood from built-in undermount to a chimney in ivory so it would pick up the creams in the RFG. Our kitchen person just chuckled and said that when you fall in love with a particular stone, *everything* changes.

The entire back and one side of our kitchen is almost all glass - the back looking out over a deck and tons of trees, the side glass opening all the way up to a vintage screened porch. So the RFG just made so much sense to us - it melts the line between inside and outside, mimics the leaves and the wood outside. I can't wait until we are done.

In your case, with the stronger patterned RFG (or RFB even!), I think you could still do the Lacanche, as long as you kept cream cabinets to keep it light. I'll be following your progress to see what other decisions you make. Have fun with the re-designing!

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread with pic of my RFG island slab

Jen!!! I'm so glad you showed up. When I found the RFG originally, I logged right in to GW and did a search on it, and your threads popped up. I looked at the blog you linked on your home page, and when you say we are soul sisters, you have NO IDEA. I sent you an email through GWeb--did you not get it? Check your spambox and let me know!

I met with my cabinetmaker this week and right now I just don't know what I'm doing! I'm having a hard time narrowing down ideas. But if I do the RFB or RFG, I will have to throw out my original vision and I'm not sure I'm really willing to do that. So...I'm turning over ideas in my head endlessly and having more trouble committing than a 25-year-old bachelor. Right now we're in the process on choosing between two contractors, so I have some more time to mull it over. But at some point I'll have to *gulp* make a decision.

Choana, i'm sorry to post to this thread, but no, I didn't get your email and i tried sending you an email through the forum but don't think it worked since i never got a text box go type into. You can definitely email me directly using my username snoozingpug *at* yahoo *dot* com...

I told my tile guy: I don't like 'boring' granite that everyone has in their kitchen / bathroom... I like movement. He went to the marble & granite place to look for me because I love his taste and he's helped me design the majority of my third bathroom. Next thing I know, he walks in with the most beautiful rainforest green sample and I FELL IN LOVE.

The terrible thing is, I was planning on purchasing from a remnant only to find out the supplier was an inch and a half short for everything I planned on using it for. Took the leap and ordered another slab of rainforest green and I don't just 'love it'. It is still rainforest green but not nearly as beautiful as the slab I originally fell in love with -- not as much veining, the color is different, etc.

Long story short, I gave up. My heart wanted what it wanted. I am installing two different variations of rainforest... one for my shower seat and shelving; and the remnant I fell in love with for my sink vanity counter and makeup vanity counter. *Sigh* Oh well... it is for me. No one else! When and if I ever sell my house, they can fix and change whatever they see fit.

*Swoon*

Excuse my mess... but this is the sample that messed EVERYTHING up for me and I just couldn't settle for anything else.

Terrible lighting but... In LOVE WITH my rainforest marble!

More pics will be likely whenever all my lighting is installed...

Another "rainforest green" that is in my shower... THIS is what happens when you fall in love with a stone. You settle and don't even care that they don't match very well, even though they're both called the same thing. Oh well! I love it and it's MY bathroom (that is... until we should ever sell this house). Rainforest marble is SOOO pretty. I like to admire mine, but I prefer the first one I posted that's not in the shower.

I fell hard for the rainforest stones. We put a slab in our master bath renovation, even after the tragedy of our first slab shattering as it was delivered to the fabricator. Choice #2 wasn't too shabby, either... I get lost staring into the veins.