If you have a Williams Sonoma near you they use Carrara over their cooking demo surfaces as well as all their counters there. It looks fine, but you can see etches, fine scratches, and little chips on the edges if you look close.

I like that look in a period kitchen or in an older house, but not in a modern kitchen where everything else is gleaming.

One thing to remember though, is that it's not permanent. Stone is organic and can be restored. It might make you feel better to know if you can't live with it after a while, it's only a phone call to a stone restoration company to come repolish or rehone your counters. It's not cheap, but it is doable. There are also do it yourself kits sold to remove etch marks, and restore some polish.

I'm a carerra-lover and have had the same internal arguement you are currently having. If you are a neatnik, you are probably the type of person whose marble will stay mostly pristine. Carerra is used all over Europe and has been used in our old cities for everything. I was recently in San Francisco and had the opportunity to see many applications--from floors to bathroom stalls, which were at least 100 years old. It's not nearly as delicate as some would have you believe. If you like the look and want to add a timelessly classic touch to your kitchen, you should go for it.
Incidentally, I've had two carrera tables and a large piece next to my stove for 10+ years. I am on the opposite end of the spectrum from "neatnik", but I do like things to look clean and new. Even the way I keep house, the imperfections they've acquired haven't spoiled their beauty. My only reservation is the sometime dingy (yellowed) discoloration that sometimes occurs on edges etc. . . Good luck to you.

I'll play the devil's advocate a bit based on some comments from a friend. I mentioned Carerra to her and she said her in-laws have it and it looked bad right after they got it. She just may not like patina, but that was her comment. I also went through a beautiful kitchen recently that had Carerra. It looked very nice, but the nanny, who was also the cook (I know, can you imagine??), said that it is very difficult to have marble for a family that is "anal." She said the family really likes things neat and clean and the upkeep was very tough. Again, both examples are not from my life, so I can't really attest, but both comments have added to my thinking on marble. For what it is worth...

Here is a blog link to a Kitchen that has "aged carrera marble" from Paris Ceramics. It was new marble that was tea stained and aged to match the homeowners existing old marble. Really neat pictures. I wanted to do this in my pantry but my DH did not want that aged of a look!

Here is a link that might be useful: Aged Carrera Marble

Another thing about any figured countertop material (I have Calacatta Extra) is that it is harder to see crumbs, etc. Just this past weekend my son and I were baking and I'd thought I'd thoroughly wiped down the counter, but then I placed my hand on the countertop and realized I'd missed some flour.

On the one hand the fact that it hides crud better is great for life with a family who actually uses the kitchen! On the other, you just have to be really diligent when you're wiping down the countertops.

I looked at the above link (to the tea-stained marble) and I couldn't see it, either that or my entire counter / backsplash is also tea-stained! It looked the same as mine.

I love our counters. I adore them, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. The joy my heart gets every single time I use the kitchen makes any potential aggravation totally worth it.

I will only have marble vicariously through some of you here, but I love it. We do have stainless and wood counters, and expected them to show wear immediately. Expect it and you won't be disappointed. Look forward to it as 'texture' and 'variation' rather than a problem. It still can be clean, just not perfectly shiny and unused looking. Everything shows some wear after awhile, but some materials, like wood and marble, wear it well and beautifully, while on other materials it just looks marred. I think it's smart to get something that takes on a new and wonderful look with age, rather than something that has to look new to look 'right.'

I have Calcatta Oro and can only say that mine is probably considered somewhat "patina'ed" by now (almost 10 mos in a very busy kitchen) but yet for me it is as beautiful now (maybe more so?) as it was on the first day it was installed (when it was still considered "pristine"). I have zero stains but plenty of etching and yet noone notices it anymore. In fact, I just *found* a 6 inch square-shaped design/mark that, per my DH, was from a leaky OJ container he left on the counter 3 weeks ago - I wipe my counters down often and yet it took me until now to discover it.

I'm definitely a jeans over linen slacks-type-of-girl BUT I'm also the mom who flips out when an errant hockey stick that suspiciously made it's way up from the basement makes a big scuff on the baseboard or walls (I've been known to yell, "What have you done to MY walls???") so I guess I could be called slightly anal when it comes to the house. Nevertheless, the honed marble is acceptable to me in any condition because it reminds me regularly that it is a natural and timeless element in my home - having lived overseas for a while, I think of all the marble that graces kitchens all over Europe and that pre-dates most structures here in our country, and I am reminded that it can only get better with age. If that doesn't sound good to you, then don't go with marble.

marta9919 - I'm sorry to be frank but I have to ask why is it that you keep posting to the willowdecor blog on so many threads? I've seen this from you so many times that I'm starting to wonder if you're the blogger with a new screen name. No biggie if you are but it just seems odd.