I know how to use the internet...Most of what comes up is either Lagoon or Lyra. I'm not sure if Helix is newer or just less popular, but I'm hoping someone can share more "real life" pics if they have it installed.

I'm in the same boat as you miableuiii. The pictures of Helix on the internet aren't that great and I would love to see some 'real life' pictures. I've called some showrooms and no one seems to have Silestone where I live.

I think it is their newest color so that may be why there's not much out there.

FWIW, I took my Silestone samples and placed them on top of my friend's Carrara marble table and Lyra matched the coloring of marble the closest. But when I look at pictures of full slab Lyra, I think it doesn't resemble marble very much in the patterns. I feel like Helix has more depth and is more interesting but it's hard to make a decision when you haven't seen a big slab.

Hey all, I am trying to see Helix installed. Any luck?

Great photo AvatarWalt, I'm so glad you shared it. What was your opinion of it when you saw the slab in real life?

It appears the helix has more of a creamy background? I have been leaning more towards a whiter background. I have to say that the overall pattern looks quite nice.

Hi all I had Silestone Helix installed in my new house only a few weeks ago if you would like some photos email me on s_mcc23@yahoo.ie I have white units and its a great contrast as I wanted something a bit more veined than lagoon which seems to look just like light grey from afar. I wanted something that would stand out.Visitors all think its marble and think it looks fab so pleased with choice.

Unfortunately, AineLane, I don't remember much about the background color, but I did think the slab was nice enough to photograph. I went to look at the large-scale porcelain, but the sample of Dekton marble-look didn't excite me. I liked Helix better than Lyra and Lagoon, as the pattern was bolder and appeared more random/natural. I too would love to see some photos of it installed!

New silestone colors:

BLANCO ORION
CALYPSO
PHOENIX
ARIEL

I am hoping to see them next week.

http://www.silestoneusa.com/colors/color/blanco-orion/

The above link has all the colors and full slab photos.
I am loving Blanco Orion.

Here is a link that might be useful: silestone

Ronniepuddle - If you do go see them in person, please post some pics for all of us who are in the marble alternative camp!

Aoife2014 - Great to hear you're happy with the Helix. Would you mind posting some pics here?

Hi there my camera is poor resolution so tried some but blurred so not so keen! Look at Birmingham Parade Roll of Homes 2014 Ideal Home as helix installed in kitchen and I took my inspiration from this as I think it looks stunning and if good enough for this home good enough for mine!

Here is the picture from the show home that Aoife was referring to above. As far as I can tell, this is Silestone Helix.
It seems as though Silestone has been coming out with some really interesting options and the Helix definitely looks like it's worth trying to find a slab in person. Although I still love the look of the Neolith so much! Wish it was a more feasible option for me.

{{gwi:2140136}}

Just ordered 70sq ft of the the new Blanco Orion this past Friday and should have it installed on our kitchen island and countertops by Christmas! I will definitely post pics - loved the slabs I saw at the Cosentino Center in Canton, MA this past week.

Scoyne999:

Can you describe the background color of the slab you saw? Did you see grays and beiges in the veining? Is one color of veining more prominent?

All the quartz marble look samples have been too white/light for my tile with grays, blue grays, beiges, and golds.

Hi Ranton, I saw lots of white in the background, not a lot of beige. I'll post some pics tomorrow.

Love the Helix! What type(s) of backsplash would one use?

I think a white backsplash is lovely with it or extend the helix as a backsplash

My Home depot referred me to the company they source the silestone from in our area. So I got to look at the full slab and I am so glad I did. I thought I had found the perfect quartz looking at the small samples 3 times, and once I saw the full slab I did not like them at all. It would be worth driving to wherever you can see a full slab. The Helix had a whitish background, but somehow seemed a little "grainy" to me, and the contrast between the background and the dark grey veining looked a little busy to my eye. After seeing the slabs I actually preferred the lagoon, which read a little more soft grey, but looked overall more natural in large slabs. What we ended up with (cream, with light grey, dark grey and a hint of taupe) is LG Hausys Rococo. To me it had the most depth, and natural appearance, Nothing will be as pretty as a natural stone, but stone would have lasted 1 day in my house before it was stained/etched. etc....It is a big purchase, make sure you can see a big piece of whatever you choose, before you make the final decision. I looked at tons of pics online, they are not even close to what things look like for real....

I recently ordered Silestone Helix for my kitchen renovation and disagree with ssnewbie about it being less natural than Lagoon. Helix is beautiful as it has deep veins and looks very natural to me. It was chosen by Matthew Quinn for the 2014 Kips Bay Designer Show House. The kitchen installer that I have instructed says that the Helix is very similar to Statuary Marble. Apparently it is becoming a very popular choice for designer kitchens as people now want more pronounced marble alternatives. I also saw a large slab of Lagoon but to me it was quite boring and to me would not stand out with a white kitchen and I agree with Aoife2014 that from afar it just looks like light grey. When I am spending so much money I want something to be right. See the recent image from Pin Interest with Helix as fireplace.

I recently ordered Silestone Helix for my kitchen renovation and disagree with ssnewbie about it being less natural than Lagoon. Helix is beautiful as it has deep veins and looks very natural to me. It was chosen by Matthew Quinn for the 2014 Kips Bay Designer Show House. The kitchen installer that I have instructed says that the Helix is very similar to Statuary Marble. Apparently it is becoming a very popular choice for designer kitchens as people now want more pronounced marble alternatives. I also saw a large slab of Lagoon but to me it was quite boring and to me would not stand out with a white kitchen and I agree with Aoife2014 that from afar it just looks like light grey. When I am spending so much money I want something to be right. See the recent image from Pin Interest with Helix as fireplace.

Scoyne999:

Hi there! I just wanted to follow up to see if you might be able to post some pics of your Blanco Orion. I've been researching marble alternatives like crazy and haven't been able to see any real pictures of silestone's new color and I'm dying to see yours! I need to make a decision in the next couple weeks so hopefully you'll be able to share by then. Thanks so much!!

My comments were in no way meant to offend anyone who likes helix. My main point is that you can get 100 opinions and look at 1 million pics online. There is NO substitute for looking at a large slab yourself. Because what one person loves may not be what you love, and I found the small showroom samples misleading.

Mial11 could you post pics of your helix suede please?

I just saw the helix suede in a store's kitchen display counter in Wantage NJ and I was shocked at how beautiful it was. I had seen the slab and I wasn't interested in it because it seemed too busy, dense and unnatural. But, when I saw it on display it really looked amazing and much more natural than I would have expected. I think the slab is overwhelming and when you take a 24 inch section on a horizontal plane, it changes the feel significantly. The suede finish has a softer and more natural feel to it that makes it seem like a honed stone. I had been drawn to Neolith Estaturio initially because the slab I saw looked similar to honed marble, but I am afraid that the build out along my farm sink edges may chip and quite honestly, I don't want to be the guinea pig for this at such a high price point. If more people had a good experience with it next to a sink, rather than just a flat counter surface, I would feel safer using it. Although I love my Vermont Danby marble sample, I think the etching would drive me up a wall...no way to know how much will show in my lighting and thats another quite expensive risk to take. When I move my etch sample around the room and I see how the light sometimes reflects the dull spots/etching, I am wary about seeing that all over my counter space when I walk in.

So, now I am seriously considering silestone helix or pulsar suede. I am going to see the pulsar next week on a display counter and I suspect it will look much nicer than the slab I just viewed earlier this week.

I also saw the Silestone Lagoon suede on display in North Jersey and it was quite pretty. Again, much, much nicer than the slab. It is amazing how the lighting and installation change the look. I really liked it better than expected.

I went to see the LG Hausys Rococo slabs in Long Island and I wasn't crazy about them but I never saw them horizontally - that might have made a difference in my opinion. Stoneyards in NY area are getting the Pental Onixaa honed slabs this month - looks very interesting from the pics on this post:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2690276/i-think-my-quartz-sample-is-trying-to-drive-me-crazy

I saw CeasarStone London Grey this weekend both in a slab and on a counter and, so far, I think its my favorite. I thought it was going to be too grey because of how the samples I have been shown in pics online, but in person, although it is certainly more grey than Frosty Carina, when set on a counter in a kitchen display, it wasn't overly dark or grey. In fact, it really was much lighter than I would have expected. It had beautiful soft veining but not as subtle as Frosty Carina. I liked it better. The FC also would compete with my white backsplash too much because it had an ivory tone. And, from a few feet away, the FC looks just white, you can barely see the veining till you are right on top of it. The LG doesn't come in a honed/suede finish which I thought would be a deal breaker for me, but I like it so much I might give up on honed. I am going to try to see it again in a Jersey display later this week to see if I still love it the second time. I am so tired of trying to pick out a quartz...

I personally prefer Silestone Helix as it is more natural looking than LG and the veining looks very like statuary marble. I prefer a bit more of a contrast than LG or Lagoon offers.

Oops my last edit it a bit confusing, by LG at the end I meant Ceaserstone London Grey, not LG Viatra slabs. I don't like the LG Viatra, I thought they looked too plastic.

When I last edited I was leaning towards CeaserStone London Grey so I found another store that had it on display and went to see it. Well, that store also had Lagoon suede and now I am back to square one. The Lagoon display was awesome, but the slab at the stoneyard looked so different (slab looked washed out and you could barely see the veining). However, on display, the veining did show up quite nicely and balanced and much lighter looking than the sample would have me think. I loved the Helix suede counter I saw as well, but this Lagoon counter display was so natural looking and nice that I am now leaning towards Lagoon. Mind you, this store had both Lagoon Suede and Ceaserstone London Grey (polish) and they were both beautiful and I could compare them almost side by side. I don't think you can go wrong with either and neither looked too grey. I think the suede had a more farmhouse, down to earth feel to it that I am trying to move towards with my farm sink and open shelving. But, again, they were both winners. And I remember that when I saw the Helix suede I loved that as well. Now I just have to find a place that has my top three side by side lol!

I am finding it so surprising how the counters in person look so different from the slabs or the tiny samples you get. And if I try to take a picture, it just doesn't show how it looks in person....I can't wait to end this indecisiveness...

I think it really depends what look you are after. The Lagoon is quite grey from a distance although nice up close. My favourite is helix as it just provides more of a contrast and to me it looks more like the 'real thing'. It is very natural looking and I like the fact as above it has been used in such prominent show houses. I have read veined marble is all the rage in 2015 and there appears to be a shift from the more monotones such as Lagoon. I do like the polished surface also. I know it is such a hard decision. Good luck!

Silestone Helix Counter top

Helix polished...Ignore white Powderly substance on it, just needs to be cleaned off

Helix suede counter

Helix suede slab at stone yard

Vanity with Silestone Helix isn't it stunning?

Silestone helix

Blanco Orion silestone.

I got a large sample today of LG Viatera Minuet, just to throw another one in to the mix. Sorry about the flash; I'm not the best photo taker.

Another.

Here are pics of the Silestone orion on our island and one including our backsplash. I'm very happy with it.

We are about to decide on a color for our counter. Was planning on caesarstone but might switch to silestone. How did you all find out where to go look at them installed? In am in Brooklyn. Thank you for any info!

I called SIlestone and go the name of their sales rep and called him directly to ask where some of these counters were installed in showrooms. For Ceasarstone, their website tell you where they are installed. For Neolith, I never saw the one I liked installed, just others.

Thank you for this information!

Also, for the LG and other brands, I called main customer service # to find out where the full slabs are warehoused. There are a lot in Long Island granite places as well as Brooklyn and NJ. Then I went to those warehouses to see the full slabs which look very different to me than the samples. I often loved the sample and disliked the slab. But, the problem with the slabs is that the lighting in the warehouses and the veritical display (vs counter horizontal) also makes a difference in perception. So, seeing anything on an actual display is much better.

Sue Coyne: thank you for the pics.....Orion pics are hard to find (other than Silestone site). Would love to see more pics in your kitchen. Color wise, would you say the overall look is white with gray? Also wondering if you are still happy with the orion. btw your backsplash is beautiful! Anyone else have Blanco Orion?

You're welcome @joanh123. We adore our countertops and will post pics of the full kitchen later this week. The countertops are super easy to keep clean and shiny and show no signs of wear after six months.

very exciting! Thank you

Undecided for counters to go with my five white cabinets. Here's a pic of Lyra Helix and blanco Orion. I am trying to avoid a sterile feel but want to keep it classic and light. Thoughts?

I went with the Blanco Orion..love it. Background is lighter/whiter than Helix. Wish I could post a picture but dont have one yet.

Do you have a pic yet? would love to see it?

Silestone.

Would anyone care to share the cost per square foot? We are currently looking at Silestone Helix for our countertops and are trying to get a ballpark estimate on the cost. Thanks in advance.

Ilanamom.. this is pic of Silestone Blanco Orion...Wish photo

showed the veining better. The veining is a soft gray (and not too busy) and background is a nice soft white. Background does not go yellow or beige or gray like many quartz counter tops I looked at. All in all this is a very natural marble look quartz. Very pleased!