Your cabs look gorgeous...from the photo
I would vote for #2. Can't wait to see more!

Definitely number two! Your cabinets are similar to mine.
Have you decided on pulls or knobs for them yet?
Tina

No contest...River Gold #2 hands down the best!!!!!!!!

For sure for sure #2 looks beautiful with your cabinets!

I'll help choose your granite if you'll help choose mine!!! I'm also going crazy with all the choices and decisions with starting my kitchen remodel. Your husband's comment made me laugh!

I definitely like #2 with your cabinets. The brown tones just seem to pop more with that granite and your cabinets. The combination of granite #2 and your cabinets has more life to it and is a beautiful combination. The first granite looks more gray, at least on my computer, and doesn't have the same warmth, at least that's just my two cents worth.

I love the movement in #2. "River of Gold" is a very apt name. The color goes better with the warm tone of your cabinets. #1 is a pretty stone but IMO it works better in a Christopher Peacock type kitchen (white cabs, etc).

BTW, I like your real cabinets much better than the sample door in the granite pix :)

#2 - Beautiful

#2!

Although, just to confuse the issue further, I think gold and silver would look great too!

{{!gwi}}

No competition here.. its #2 :)

Bianco Romano is one of my favorites, but I don't see it connecting well with the cabinet color, while the River of Gold does, and so beautifully. Another vote for that one.

My vote is definitely for #2! Wow, wish all my choices/decisions were this easy! Good luck.

Absolutely go with River of Gold. It ties everything together. Beautiful!

Well that was easy! I agree that the first one does nothing for the cabinets, and vice versa.
The second one really compliments them well. *as does the silver and gold shown above.

Definitely #2 also. Is your picture of #1 accurate? You describe the granites as "creamy with brown", but #1 looks totally gray on my monitor: that's why it doesn't seem to be a good choice from my view.

Bianco Romano for sure! If you want to see why - check out WhiteVenetino's. She has the dark stained cabinets like you do with Bianco Romano. Gorgeous gorgeous space. Here is the link to whitevenetino's kitchen in the FKB.

Not sure about your layout, but do you have an island? What about doing Bianco Romano on the perimeter, and a snazzier granite on the island - Gold and Silver or River of Gold! Then you wouldn't have to choose! And it breaks up the expanse of "chery cabinets everywhere", gives it a focal point. You'd need to make sure that the base colour of the two granites is the same, but from your photos, they both seem to have a white base.

River Gold has movement, Bianco Romano has little/no movement.
Some people prefer one over the other. Both of those granites are beautiful.
I've seen Bianco Romano
on other medium/dark wood cabinets and I like it alot. I vote for #1.

DH & I both say #2! The Gold & Silver was really pretty too!

#2 really compliments your cabinets! Good Luck!

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did i mention i like #2????

Get which one you like the best... I'd go for number 2.

At the risk of being repetitive - 2!2!2!2!

IMO, no decision to be made really - #2 hands down. It's much more eye appealing.

Immediate gut response for #2. I think your pic of #1 is not representative of the stone, at least the Bianco Romano I've seen. That being said, I still love and vote for #2. Your cabs are not as dark as the sample cabs shown with the granite (unless those pics are off). I would call your stain more medium. So I don't think you need to worry as much about contrast or lightening an otherwise dark kitchen with a very light granite. One caveat: I don't know what, if anything you were considering for a backsplash. Certainly #2 will limit your choices more than #1. I vote for a backsplash of the same granite, either partial, or be daring and go all the way up to the cabinets. Of course, it has to make you happy, and, based on your cabinet choice, I know whatever you do will be gorgeous.

Do let us know what you decide.

I don't like the River of Gold, at least not as it appears on my monitor. I prefer the Bianco Romano and the gold and silver.

I know I'm in the minority, but thought I'd chime in anyway. ;)

I'm also not a fan of the River of Gold. It doesn't read brown at all to me, just rusty and orangey. I like the gold and silver best followed by the Bianco Romano.

Ok, to be honest, I like the BR best, but since you said you were looking for "creamy with a bit of brown", I think the gold and silver is best for you.

definitely #2

Do you know what you're putting on the floor? I think that may help with your decision.

#1 has more of a marbley effect, and would leave you lots of options for a backsplash. I'm not loving it as much with the colour of your cabinets as with darker ones. #2 has more pizazz, and is gorgeous if you like lots of movement, wouldn't go as well with floors that also have pattern, movement, and restricts your choices for BS.

Your cabinets are beautiful, by the way, are they custom made?

# 2 for me.

Another vote for #2, but I also really like the silver and gold, would love to see a picture of both with your cabs and the floor that will be going in.

Yep of the 2 choices you have given us, #2 is the better fit. The Bianco just doesn't go at all with the cabinets. I don't see any cream with brown bits in it. NancyLouise

Thank you so much for all the response. I tell you, you guys are killing me!!!! I keep on going back and forth on my decisions. I should have mentioned the following:

1) I drool every time I see Alku's granite (Andromeda White). I love how clean it looks. I have been searching for that granite for so long. I have found only one yard that carries it, but they only had 1 slab and I need 3!

2) My kitchen is U-shaped (dimensions are 17x11) with a large island (6x5)in the middle.

3) My KD tells me that I will need 3 slabs since I will have approx. 101 sq of granite. Would having a granite with a lot of movement be too much?

4) Our floor is white oak (I think that is what it is called - it is not stained, just varnished). Here are a picture of the floor taken during the demo phase.

Here picture of the unfinished floor right after installation.

Given the information above (plus the color of the floors), would you change your mind about which slab you think would go better with my cabinets?

I usually prefer granite with a lot of movement and drama, but I don't care for the #2 slab as it appears on my monitor because the gold appears to be an odd shade. So, I vote for #1 or, even better, the third option suggested above.

Just for grins, here's some pics of Gold and Silver with cabinets similar in color to yours:

I love #1-clean, elegant simplicity. It works beautifully with your cabs. For me, the others are too busy.

Its not just the granite with the cabinets, but also what the preference for backsplash is. It would be great to pick them all together. I know, that's difficult. You have to decide if the granite is the focal point or the backsplash.

Isandler- I love the way yours came together.

Without a doubt, #2 -- although I like the Gold and Silver posted above even better.

To me # 1&2 look very grey....my voter is for #3 the Gold and Silver...good luck!!

The picture you have posted of the Bianco Romano seems very grey to me. Thankfully, I've seen this stone many times at yards and installed. I think it would be beautiful in your kitchen. So while I'm in the minority, I vote for #1.

Is it the picture here that is turning everyone off towards the bianco romano? Ni_2006, is it that gray looking in person? Usually BR has a bit of taupe in it as well:

Ni_2006 commented that she liked my andromeda white counters. They are very similar to BR, but with less movement, and the colored inclusions are bit on the purpler side of burgundy compared to BR's redder-burgundy inclusions. But they are very similar. Indeed the slabs of BR posted in the original post look a lot like my andromeda.

Below is a picture of my counters with my dark cherry cabinets:

This is sort of like asking what everyone's favorite ice cream is...but I really like the first one best. I think it has a quiet elegance about it with your cabinets and you could have more fun with the backsplash and accessories. To my eye, the second one is too mustardy, but then I did everything I could to keep from getting a lot of yellow in my granite, while I am sure there are others here who strove for that as a goal. So I guess I'm not much help...

P.S. I laughed when I read your comment about your husband getting tired of all the indecisiveness and losing the will to live. My husband and I were in Lowes and I was stressing over picking out door hardware...Paul kept telling me to "hurry up and pick something out and let's go!" Finally I snapped back at him and said something like "Just because YOU don't care if the kitchen looks like it was thrown together without any thought... well I do!" Then he said "It only took me fifteen seconds to pick out the garbage disposal!" At which point, I almost pushed him down in the hardware aisle and I spat "Dear God, no one SEES the #@*# garbage disposal!"

That was the closest we have come to actual remodeling violence, but I just had to share...

Good luck on the counters and have fun! :)

Cathy

I agree, the Bianco Romano in the original picture looks more grayish than taupe in person. I am going to make another trip to the granite yard tomorrow to check it out again.

Here is another Bianco Romano I saw at a different yard. It's a lot more taupe. Do you think it works better with my cabinets?

Gold and Silver is definitely beautiful. I haven't seen anything like it in the billion yards I have been to. Sigh...

cathyinbothell - funny about your DH. Non-TKO DHs never seem to understand, do they?

raehelen - the cabinets are from a company called Hanssem. This is the Eureka style with carmel glaze. The wood is cherry.

I am planning to use simple bar pulls similar to the ones in the picture below.

#1 - The Bianco Romano is fabulous! A little more understated but will leave you with many more choices in paint and backspash colors.

Alku05's kitchen is so beautiful - imagine it with a busier granite and you'd have a whole different feel.

I came this close to getting Bianco Romano for my black cabiets, but ended up with Blanco Maple Silestone since I think it coordinates better with the Indian Summer slate subway tiles i'm planning on getting.

Just get whatever makes YOU happy :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Blanco Maple Silestone

Thank you all for giving me your feedback. After a lot of thinking, I decided on the granite for our kitchen. It finally got installed yesterday!

AND THE WINNER IS:

Now it is time to start worrying about the backsplash.....any thoughts???

Looking beautiful! The pulls are great with the granite and the cabs are lovely.

Oh, that's gorgeous. I'm so glad you went with that choice - also my preference, since to my eye it looks so much more modern and dignified than the almost '70's caramel tones of the yellower one. I think it will wear a lot better over time. Congrats!

I didn't see your original post, but I would have definitely voted for what you went with. I don't like "busy" granite; and not wild about brown.

I'm having my granite counter installed as we speak. I think we have similar cabinets. Mine are Medallian Sonoma (shaker style with wide rails) Cherry wood, Pecan finish. I'm going with Impala Black granite.

I always appreciate when the original posters post the "conclusions"...I think you made the right choice, congrats!

I looks great and let me know how you like the hood because we ordered the same one!

Thanks to all of you for your feedback!

lacuisine, the vent hood is quite nice. It's not so loud and seems to work nicely. Definitely better than the crap I had before!!! Looks very slick as well!