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Found My Granite Slab What do you Think??

Hammer136
9 years ago

Hello all i think i have found my granite slab its called Fire Bourdeaux just arrived at stone shop. Would like your opinion. Its matched up with a cherry stain cabinet by Decora Arlington.. Cabinet pic included. Second Trip to stone yard pics added give me your suggestions for my kitchen..

This post was edited by Hammer136 on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 22:12

Comments (132)

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Number 6

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    No 7 Any thought will be helpful

    This post was edited by Hammer136 on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 22:10

  • gr8daygw
    9 years ago

    No. 2 : )

    No. 6 looks nice as well

  • greenhaven
    9 years ago

    Oh, I LOVE number 1! Although I might also love number 2 if I were to see the whole slab.

    My second choice is number 4.

  • greenhaven
    9 years ago

    I take it back, both mine are out for me, after putting them up next to your tile pic.

    I vote for the last one, the un-numbered one.

  • BirchPoint
    9 years ago

    I concur with gr8day on number 2 & 6.

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    What is 6 called? The color tones are a soft gold and gray, which is in your floor, but it could be the blurry pic. I'd like to look at it on the website.

    I think deep gold granite with red-stained cherry pushes you into a Tuscan style, and your floor tiles are more casual and country, so I'd eliminate 1, 3, and 7.

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Yhttp://stoneparkusa.My choices are
    1- Berllini
    2-Juparana Vyara
    3- Hawaiian Bordeaux
    4- Revelation
    5- Yellow River / Below is the web link any suggestions are appreciated.

    http://stoneparkusa.smugmug.com/Granite-Marble-Quartzite-Slabs#!/

  • lascatx
    9 years ago

    I think the last one (Speratus) is the only I'd consider. It is inthe golds that some folks will see as a dated "Tuscan" look. I've never been partial to the golds, so that is why I was looking to the greens.

    Number 6 is a good idea, but not a good color -- too much pink. It's close, so if you really like it, it would be worth looking at the two together. If you don't have tiles you can take, it is going to be tricky. You may have to go search for some tile in the same colors to try to match them.

    When you take photos of slabs, try to get them all at the same angles -- full slab (for pattern, movement etc.) and close ups (for color) of each.

    This post was edited by lascatx on Wed, Jul 30, 14 at 23:11

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    At least with 7 it's almost a solid gold. There's so many colors in the tile that you might be better off picking the most solid color granite as long as one of those colors is in the tile. What lascatx refers to as dated is what I think of as strongly identified with theTuscan style of gold/cherry, which was popular a decade or so ago. Usually the floor is also predominantly gold. Everything is ornate in those kitchens. Your tile pattern and color mix isn't that Old World style, it's more of what I think of as Americana, and your kitchen is more modest than the excesses of Tuscan. So it could look like a weird mismatch of styles. So there's more to consider than just color.

  • mdln
    9 years ago

    Go with the FB, and just change your floors.

    IMHO

  • Vertise
    9 years ago

    I think you're ending up where you began, with busy patterns. It seems you really want an exotic looking stone counter (don't blame you, they are beautiful and mesmerizing), so I would make the hard decision of choosing between the floor or the counter. As it stands now, the pattern is on the floor.

    Soapstone would be handsome but maybe that material wouldn't work for you. Someone posted a granite substitite, Virginia Mist I think it was. It was a quiet medium gray. There was a leathered finish Steel Gray posted today too.

    The slate floor is very nice. You just have to decide if that is the look you want to stay with. I'd also google kitchen slate floors to view lots of examples and combinations.

    This post was edited by snookums2 on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 0:03

  • romy718
    9 years ago

    I agree with Lascatz that a green would look pretty. Also, soapstone. Virginia Mist granite would be a good choice if you aren't interested in soapstone. I found a couple of pics with Costa Esmeralda granite.
    This one is a bathroom but cabinet colors are similar & a slate floor.

  • romy718
    9 years ago

    You seem to like color so here's one that has more personality.

    This post was edited by romy718 on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 9:36

  • romy718
    9 years ago

    A little greener in this one & cabinet color is close to yours.

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    The slate floor is very nice! Not everyone has several thousand dollars to throw into a new tile floor, especially when you've just paid for a new kitchen. It's easier to temper ones love of a lot of vibrant color and find something that works. A lot of granites will work. I'm not madly in love with my countertop, but I chose it because it works with my floor tile and cherry cabinets. I wouldn't put a black counter with the dark cabs though.

  • function_first
    9 years ago

    Get the granite that you absolutely love and that looks great with your cabinets-- it's a much more critical to love the granite you choose than to find a granite that plays nice with your floor. If you get it in and it looks great with the cabinets and backsplash then you are 90% there- if the granite/floor interaction doesn't thrill u at that point then there are inexpensive ways to tone it down (e.g. Throw rugs, runners, etc), your floor doesn't have all that much noise in my opinion, as long as you pay attention to the undertones you will be fine. You keep going to the granites that have a lot of movement, which seems to say that you are not going to be happy with a granite that reads as a solid- there's nothing wrong with choosing a high movement stone --they're beautiful and will look lovely with your cabinets. Granite is too pricey to choose one that leaves you lukewarm. I'd add to be sure to use a Google images search to see finished kitchens with your final choice to be sure you know what the installed look is, in some cases it's strikingly different from viewing the slab as a whole. Good luck!!

    This post was edited by kris_ma on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 7:02

  • Vertise
    9 years ago

    I agree. There's nothing like being in your own skin. If it's a possibility, go for the counter that will make you smile and feel good every day. You look at it much more than the floor and color is the first thing we see and relate to in a space. It affects how we feel. Moreso, if you do something that clashes, you will not enjoy being In the space. Just figure out floor replacement first, if that's the path you choose. A complicated rip out and prep could make it cost prohibitive, as the tiling or wood Install is not cheap either.

    This post was edited by snookums2 on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 11:34

  • lascatx
    9 years ago

    The advise you get here is free. It's value is in what you make of it. Keep in mind than no one here is going to be standing behind that choice when it's in your kitchen, you hate it and are looking at paying to rip it out. Or have cabinets that get damaged in the process, etc. Slabs of stone are not within the do-over budget of most folks.

    You have a lovely slate floor laid in a pattern that shows it off well. You really don't need to be ripping it out or covering it up with rugs that will add more patterns (even a solid rectangle is another pattern).

    Keep in mind that you go to the stone yard and are looking at slabs -- as slabs. Nothing else -- just "what jumps out and grabs my attention here?" Obviously, you are drawn to patterns and movement. But that stone yard isn't your kitchen and a rack of slabs is not the way it is going to live or work in your kitchen.

    Every kitchen requires us to make choices and leave some of what we love on the editing floor. Picking the most fabulous in every element is how you wind up with a room full of clowns and wanting to cry into your coffee. Editing is an important part of the process -- maybe one of the most important parts, but there is something out there you will love. You might not pick it on its own, but you will love it as part of the whole room. Look at them as parts of a whole -- not as wholes themselves.

  • mdln
    9 years ago

    On a scale of 0 (dislike) to 10 (love it) - how much do you like the slate floor?

    On that same scale, how much do you like the FB?

    If the slate floor is a 2 and the FB is a 10, I would hate to see you pass on something you love. Even if you did not replace the floor right now, it could be the next thing you plan to do.

    I see MANY combinations on GW and Houzz that I don't think look good together. That doesn't matter; what matters is if the person living with them likes the combination.

    Maybe wait, live with plywood countertops for a while and come back to the decision later. I have done that several times and found decisions to be so much easier after some time has passed.

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    I remember you asked about quartz, which may mean you're not wedded to movement, but obviously you like color. I looked at both of the granite sites you posted for blue or green granites, though I think the blue gray dominates in the tile. But I thought Surf Green might work and saw some nice photos of counters on Houzz. This is the 115" x 75" slab at Earthstone.

  • romy718
    9 years ago

    May_flowers, that is a gorgeous slab!

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    Is it kind of like Sea Pearl? The blues and greens look blended and grayed down enough so it doesn't really read strongly one way or the other. There's a little creamy gold. I like the softer colors with the floor instead of the bright teal in Fire Bordeaux. Then the cabinets carry the strong color for the room.

  • vdinli
    9 years ago

    may_flowers, great find! I was going to also suggest African Rainbow which is a cool green and gray granite with a little bit more movement than the Surf green. I think the picture romy poste at 0:14 above is great. The green granite/soapstone options seem to be a good fit for your floor and cabinets. Love both those choices. Hang in there-you will find a slab that has your name written on it.

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ok getting closer Crema Bordeaux possibly

  • lascatx
    9 years ago

    May/Flowers, that is really pretty and would go very well. Calm like the sea pearl but with more color. When you take slices off the slab, there would still be plenty of movement.

    Hammer136, the images of Cream Bourdeaux I get when I google it are not any better. I', sorry I can't seem to explain myself or help you any better. Good luck.

  • Vertise
    9 years ago

    This says CB, with a moderately varied tile pattern:

    {{!gwi}}


    This also says CB, shows less active stone with a slate floor but stronger than yours:

    Combining the two is not a look for everyone and often doesn't work, so be sure to google lots of examples. Notice in these two that they've layered lots of pattern throughout, not just an active floor and counter. Something else to consider.

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks all this is helping a great deal. I did look at the Surf green slab it is different but nice. Also liked the Sea Pearl. Im going to slow it down a bit and take all your advice. I like my floor dont need another expense at this time. Once it gets a profrssional cleaning we think it will be even better. Im feeling better all ready. When I took this project on we flew thru our choices and all has gone well just the stone makes me think a little more because we want to get it right. Im taking this all in along with all your help. But gonna have to decide soon templet just got done today...

  • lascatx
    9 years ago

    Snookums, the floors in these photos are warmer and that helps them work better with the warmer tones in the granite. The OPs floor favors the cooler tones. Also notice that in each of those photos, at least one element is even toned and calm. The first one has more variation and movement in the counter while the floor reads overall a single tone. The second one has stronger pattern in the floor with a calmer granite.

    It's really going to vary from slab to slab. Most of the slabs I was finding images of had more red in them, and when you put that with the red in the cabinets, those accentuate the gold in the tile which makes the pattern seem bolder. I'm also a bit concerned about getting too many red tones together and becoming overpowering -- that red kitchen where in my house it was the grand brown hall concern (I went with white cabinets and cherry for the island only).

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    Agree about the reds. The reds seem to be calling to him, but I'm not a fan of overly warm spaces, so I like to go opposite on the color wheel with cherry--blue, green and even gray.

    To me, the Bordeauxs and other dramatic granites say "Look at this pretty rock I found! I just had to have it!" You want to have the kitchen be beautiful, not just the countertop. While at the granite yards, I would ask myself WWLT? (What would Linelle think?), because I think her analogy of wearing a paisley shirt with plaid pants is exactly what's going on with some choices. The cherry cabinets are a big wide leather belt separating them, but you still see that something's off.

    Houzz shows Surf Green granite with a slate backsplash and cherry colored chairs. Looks very classy and serene. I like classy and balanced more than showy, so I guess that sums up my aesthetic.

    [Eclectic Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by Shallotte Home Builders Blue Sky Building Company

    Here is a link that might be useful: more pics here

  • Vertise
    9 years ago

    Lascatx, the point of my post was pattern, not color. I was trying to show the OP some Crema Bordeaux slabs (which generally appeared on the bolder side like the original slabs), with a subtly patterned floor similar to his ( first photo); and the juxtaposition of a stronger pattern with the other component quieter ( second photo showing a calmer, more neutral CB). To see how patterns relate, good or bad - and most importantly, whether he likes the effect overall of a mix of patterned materials like this. The CB slabs vary quite a bit in color and grain. I could not find his floor.

    But you are right, he might not have been able to discern from the images alone the effects I was trying to show simply from what I wrote since this is all new ground for him. I thought the discussion on patterns was covering that, though it all does seem to be slipping by altogether, as you noted above.

    To the OP, I think getting your stone through a good artsy tile store with a designer, or hiring a designer for the counter and backsplash to help you narrow down some selections would be a wise investment. Even if you get the patterns working with a granite, between distorted photographs and individual monitor variances, the colors and undertones in cyberspace can be grossly inaccurate. It is too costly an error to not get right and your preferences take some skill to pull off successfully. Like eclectic style interiors.

    Hope the images are more useful now. Sorry the point was so unclear.

    This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Aug 1, 14 at 13:18

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Any thoughts

    This post was edited by Hammer136 on Sun, Aug 3, 14 at 9:02

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Any thoughts

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Any thoughts

  • gr8daygw
    9 years ago

    Love the last one : ) The ones that I like the most are all similar. This one would be very pretty with your flooring. I feel your pain. I must have looked at thousands of slabs over a period of months and months even looked in different states when I had to travel. I remember one place I went to so much to see their new slabs when they came in and I asked if it was ok if I just looked at the slabs by myself and she said "oh sure you're family". How embarrassing.. : /

    This post was edited by gr8day on Sat, Aug 2, 14 at 11:06

  • function_first
    9 years ago

    The third one is my preference- it seems to read overall cool toned and the two primary colors in it are close enough in value that it reads as a solid (or close to it anyway). I think it's lovely.

  • greenhaven
    9 years ago

    Absolutely that last one! It is not only gorgeous I think it absolutely goes the best with your floors.

    How do YOU feel about it?

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I like has a nice contrast lite granite to the dark cabinets. Or this one im very close.

  • kksmama
    9 years ago

    I'm hesitant to post, because I may not be as kind or constructive as I'd like. But when I asked for help here, I got it, and on at least one subject I needed a bit of a firm tone in order to get the message. I'm still so grateful for that!
    You've received excellent, patient advice and assistance. You've been given photoshopped pictures and directed to inspiration pictures and slab alternatives. The post from lascatx on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 11:27 is so brilliant I've re-read it several times and clipped it for future reference.
    For your own sake please review some rooms you really like and notice the way individual elements form a whole. And review some rooms you don't like, and notice the reasons for that. Be clear about the kind of space you want to create (energetic and bold versus soothing and airy, rustic vs elegant, earthy vs chic, etc) and then find pictures which match your vision. Share those, and then these generous and talented people might be able to help you achieve it.
    Keep working at your vision until you can "edit" as Lascatx suggests. I admire *all* the fabulous things I see on GW - the copper sinks, the mixed hardware, the walls of tile, behind the range accents, waterfalls, dynamic granite, greys, aquas, creams and white, statement range hoods, corbels, marble slabs, light fixtures, etc etc...but they can't all fit in one kitchen. Just like the pages of a book need margins and line breaks, our kitchens need places where the eye can rest.

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks everyone that comented everyone helped me alot. Thanks again.

  • lascatx
    9 years ago

    You changed the photo at 10:13 and that changed everything that follows. Be careful or you and we aren't going to be able to keep things straight.

    My favorite is still the one Mayflowers posted because it has such a lovely color. The green will compliment the red in the cabinets while accentuating the softer tones in your floor. It has movement without being busy or loud. Stunning. The soapstone and costa esmeralda would do well too, but they are darker and you have clearly not entertained that idea.

    I'm going to try to ignore this thread now. I've said all I can say. Thank you kksmama for finding something to remember in it. It isn't original. I think any good designer, the pros and the experienced amateurs here, will all tell you the same thing. I'm sure I've read it all here before.

    And now I'm going to vent a little and try not to lose the playing nice factor altogether.

    My frustration here is that I don't feel the OP is paying attention. Maybe they just don't get it and I can't explain it any better. The suggestion to get a pro involved and looking at these in person has been made more than once. I think its time to heed that advise. It takes time and effort for us to open up multiple screens and look at them and then comment on them thoughtfully. When the comments appear to be ignored, or at least not beneficial, and followed only by another set of photos that show we aren't making any progress in the process, I have to stop. I suspect others already have.

    Good luck.

  • Vertise
    9 years ago

    I was just going to say the same thing, again. Ya needa designa. You need on-site help to narrow down some appropriate choices for you. Pattern aside, no one can see the true colors and undertones anyway. You can't solve this problem yourself online. You are fighting your own taste on this. You are headed for a clashing disaster, whether you are ever able to see it now or after the fact. It is painful to watch and a waste of everyone's time.

  • desertsteph
    9 years ago

    " It's like a paisley top and plaid pants. It doesn't even matter if the colors jive a little"

    my X would wear a paisley shirt with plaid pants. He reasoned that they had the same color in them. Having the same color doesn't matter. It was still an assault on eyesight.

    while I really like the Fire granite as a slab, I don't like it that much horizontally on the cabs. It could be one of those things where it'd be a good accent on an island with a plain perimeter counter.

  • Hammer136
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for all your help again choices have been narrowed down to 2 granites. I did pay attention Thanks , I am fine just got a little off point. I got it thanks again to you all.

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    I see that you changed the first one, so is that in the running?

    I still like the Surf Green too but maybe it's too green in person. You seem to be embracing the blues now.

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    Lascatx, don't be discouraged. I don't think you or anyone has been ignored, it's just a certain posting style of not being very expressive. Some people don't like to write, and many are on mobile devices now where it's a chore to make a long post. More than once I've spent a lot of time thinking about someone's kitchen and writing a post to explain my thoughts, only to get absolutely no acknowledgement. I have seen posters pick and chose which posters to respond to and ignore the rest. Every time it happens, I tell myself that's the last post I'll make, but I love the process and challenge of design. Also, even if an OP isn't responsive, many other people read these threads and maybe they will find something of value. There is a greater audience who does appreciate it, rest assured! I've learned a lot from reading your posts!

  • mdln
    9 years ago

    Lastacx et al., please do not be discouraged, you tried and others have learned from your generous wisdom, even if OP has not. I teach medical professionals and see a couple things in common with OP. Sometimes, despite the very best professors students fail a course. Also, sometimes, a student will "shop" for the answer they want to hear, even if it is wrong.

    May_flowers - you are absolutely correct, the greater audience does appreciate it.

    Snookums - YES, OP desperately needs a designer. Using my teaching analogy, some students need a private tutor to succeed. OP needs a private tutor to shop with.

    This post was edited by mdln on Sun, Aug 3, 14 at 16:11

  • romy718
    9 years ago

    Yes, don't stop posting. While there are certain things we call Linelle for, when it involves color & undertones I always think, "I hope May_flowers sees this post."

  • Gracie
    9 years ago

    Ha romy, I think you and I see the same things since I always agree with your comments! We learned our undertones on Peke's thread! Or I should say on one of Peke's three threads! Wonder what she ever chose.