Hi Avignon,
thank you! It is Ocean Green Honed granite from India. I purchased it at Gerrity Stone in Woburn, MA. I had wanted soapstone but the options I had at the time weren't great so this was a soapstone substitute. Have you looked at Vermont Slate (another countertop alternative to granite and soapstone that is gorgeous). Below is a link to pics of my kitchen.

Happy Holidays!

Here is a link that might be useful: slideshow of my kitchen

Hi
Thanks for responding. Once I went to your slideshow, I realized I actually viewed your kitchen before. My drywall will be going up in a week and then the cabinets will be measured. I am favoring a granite named green peacock. But also really like the look of soapstone and your honed granite it looks so beautiful! The problem is that all the stone people I have talked to have said not to do honed. How do you care for it and are there any real issues that are concerning to you? Thanks so much, Avignon

Hi,
I haven't had any issues caring for it. I just wash it with windex and water. I sealed the counters in the perimeter area and left the counters in the bar unsealed (as I was looking for some ring marks / patina over there), and I can say there is no difference and I am not developing the patina as everything cleans right up off the counters despite the fact that I didn't seal them.

I don't think I have etching but honestly am not totally sure what etching is. If I work with citrus juice I usually clean the counters right after to avoid any potential etching issues.

I am very pleased with the counters.

I wonder why they are advising you against honing... have they said why?

I think etching happens when you have polished stone countertops, not honed.I talked to a marble dealer once who told me I could do marble in the kitchen as long as I got honed marble. Etching is when the shiny stone becomes, well, un-shiny.

Thanks to you both. Mamadadapaige, you might be in NYC today! If you see this, do you think the honed granite would work well on the island. I noticed you went with wood.. How do you maintain?

hi Avignon,
Yes, I am in NYC... kids and DH are asleep and I am roving around the internet planning tomorrow's activities (enjoying a glass of wine while doing so!).

About the island. Yes, I think Honed granite on the island would work great. You'd have absolutely nothing to worry about. In my kitchen, I find the granite to be more durable and easier to clean and work on than the wood. That is not to say that I don't love the wood... I do, very much, BUT I think the granite is easier to clean. For instance, I would not prep meat on the wood. I am a bit of a germaphobe and would feel that I'd have to scour the wood too much to get it clean whereas the granite being such a hard surface, not a problem. I am happy I chose the wood and I would choose it again. I think it adds a lot of warmth to my kitchen and I like how it ties in other elements in my eating and living areas. I thought I would be chopping on it all the time, but as it turns out I am too smitten to mar the surface and have only used it for light prep, saving the heavier stuff for the granite.

In terms of maintenance, I clean the wood with a damp wash cloth fairly often... this gets it looking really good. Every so often (maybe once every three weeks) I oil it - this is a quick and easy process and nothing to fear or avoid. I use food grade mineral oil for oiling. After oiling the wood looks amazing - it really comes back to life with the oiling.

When choosing the wood top for the island, I had debated going with a contrasting color/wood for the cabinetry and keeping the counters the same as the perimeter OR keeping all the cabinets the same and changing out the counter OR same for cabinets and same for counters. Since my kitchen is small, keeping the cabinetry the same throughout seemed the right decision, but adding some warmth with the wood island top makes a nice difference (IMHO).

HTH