Hi Tom,

We’re very grateful to be able to ask your advice. We have a small kitchen that is getting new shaker style cherry cabinets with a natural finish (some with glass panels). We have pine floors, nice and golden. We have stainless steel appliances & undermount sink, slide-in range with a smooth cooktop, euro style oven hood, and plenty of natural light. Wall color is completely undecided -ideas are welcome. Overall we’re going for a sleek contemporary look. We want to pick countertops that have enough contrast with the natural cherry cabinets to avoid looking blah but we don’t want to go too black either. The granite surface will be for the “L” shaped counter about 9′ by 6′ feet plus a breakfast bar about 18″ x 5.5′ long. Butcher block counter of about 5′ is going on opposite wall.

We’ve looked at Cafe Imperial – we thought it was dark yet warm, has tones that match the brick in our fireplace, and looked good with stainless steel. I also like Tropical Brown but that seems a little boring. We’d love other suggestions. Do we need a colder color to contrast the cabinets & floor?

Also, we’re planning on a simple eased edge. Seems like that is the choice for a contemporary, if not modern look. Not sure if corners should be radiused.

Thanks so much! Happy to donate to a good cause!

Marjorie

Hello Marjorie,

Thank you for the detailed information and what you are looking to accomplish as a décor. I must say that I struggle with the element of shaker cabinets and a contemporary intent. The lines are right but as long as you are not looking for truly disciplined contemporary design, then shaker cabinets can work.

You are in the right direction with Café Imperial as the countertops color needs to be black/brown. Tropical Brown is one of my favorite granites for many reasons, but it does not work well here because of the reddish elements.

A better color than Café Imperial would be Café Bahia which is similar to Café Imperial but darker. I also recommend Cold Spring Black Granite, which is basically a very classy black granite that works perfect with traditional/contemporary converging design.

Still, there is one other color that would look very nice if you are up for a little more flair. That color is Marron Cohiba. This is perfect with glass paneled cabinets as the large mineral accents in the stone are glassy as well. You will have to see this for yourself but there is a nice swatch on www.GraniteStock.com that you could refer to.

The edge detail must to be flat and straight but can have a 1/8″ pencil round on the top and bottom. The corners should not be radius unless you feel there is a safety issue with small children.

Best wishes and thank you for supporting the Rock Blog kids!

I am in the process of remodeling my kitchen and am having difficulty in choosing the granite. My kitchen is 13 X 19 and has 30 year old rustic hexagonal shaped saltillo tile with dark gray brown grout. I have chosen cabinets of rustic hickory with a cinnamon stain and chocolate glaze on the details. The appliances are stainless. At one end of the room is a large west facing bay window over the sink. At the other end of the room, over the eat in area, is a very large window facing south.

Needless to say there is a lot of light during the day. The kitchen is U shaped with a peninsula and I am having a desk put in place of the eat in area. I have been told there is 93 sq ft of countertop space including the desktop. This is quite an investment and I want to make sure I pick a granite that compliments the floor and cabinets. I have been considering Antique Brown or Crema Bordeaux, but I’m not sure. What is your advice? -Toni

Hello Toni,

Well, the floor is classic of an earlier era than when it was installed. Your selection of cabinets will fit in just right.

Traditionally, you are doing everything that point toward ceramic tile countertops. Yes, I said ceramic tile. However, I hate ceramic tile countertops so to me the goal would be to find a granite that keeps the charm of the floor and introduce granite countertops for functionality.

Out of the two you mentioned, Antique Brown granite is great choice. Crema Bordeaux would be a very bad choice. The later would be far too fancy and out of era.

Antique Brown is about the darkest choice you should make. It is perfectly simple but elegant and would draw from the color is the rustic floor tile and granite. That being said, this might create a little too much brown in the kitchen; therefore, take a look at Golden Leaf granite as well. It is lighter but still captures the same design intent. I think your will like this a lot.

The only other two colors that I can see fitting in well would be Autumn Leaf or Santa Barbara. I often refer to swatches at www.GraniteStock.com but their swatches of these two granite colors do not do them justice. Be sure to see them in person.

Stay simple with the edge detail… square or half bullnose!

My very best to you and thank you for supporting the Rock Blog kids!

Hi Tom,

I have a great appreciation for your website. We were happy to make our donation to World Vision.

We moved in to our new home six years ago. The house was spec’d out before we purchased it so we ended up with Corian countertops in the kitchen. We have wanted to upgrade to granite countertops for some time and are now ready to do it. I hope you can help us narrow down granite colors, offer backsplash ideas, and suggest an edging that would work best given our current decor. The kitchen opens up to a Florida room and our family room (sending photos separately) so choosing a color that works with all three rooms is our goal.

KITCHEN: The cabinets are light oak as is the hardwood floor in the kitchen area/Florida room. The appliances are white. Not much painting has been done. One wall which leads in to the family room has been painted “whale” which is a subtle gray with a hint of green.

FLORIDA ROOM: The walls in the Florida room are a melon orange color that we would like to keep. The Florida room is furnished with wicker with light fabric cushions, bamboo screens, etc. Eight windows with no window trimmings, allowing lots of sunlight in that extends well in to the kitchen.

FAMILY ROOM: The family room has a mixed decor but leans to a modern look with a red sofa, very contemporary chair, and black entertainment unit. We have light cream carpeting in the family room. The wall surrounding the fireplace has also been painted “whale”.

As you can see from the photos the kitchen needs something to break up all the oak. As a family (which includes myself, a husband and sons ages 22 and 20) we have discussed various granite colors. The boys like variations of black including black pearl. I have read your caution that black with light cabinets can make a kitchen appear dull. My husband likes a clean look and prefers white or something with white in it. I prefer something beautiful but lively. More snap than subtle.

Maintenance is also a consideration having lived with this light Corian for 6 years. It always appears dull and picks up all the newspaper print, etc. If you have any other questions please let me know. Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Mona
Woodbdrige, Virginia

Hello Mona,

Well, you have a tough one here. Basically, you want to keep everything except the countertops, which clearly go well as flat white that breaks up the different colorful paints and the light oak. That certainly was an easy, yet uncreative approach for the spec builder.

The major elements in your kitchen that are going to influence the right color choice for the countertops are the floor and the paints that you want to keep. The cabinets are important but they really just blend in with the floor. Small width light oak floors are very nice in a large kitchen like yours. When you switch to granite, these will be even more noticeable and beautiful.

Golds and greens don’t work for the countertop. Black is out to because it will be just too hot and dingy on a bright sunny day. Really dark granites are not the best with white appliances either.

I want to recommend two ways to go. One is more conservative and the other a little more snappy but not over the top at all. First the conservative choice would be Sapphire Blue or Sapphire Brown. Both have the right colors with just enough black to break up the oak, while not contrasting too far with the white appliances. They both work very well with your paint and carpet too.

The other way to go (my choice) would be Juparana Ipe or Giallo Caen. These would look stunning and they incorporate just the right colors that are needed to fancy up your kitchen. I would go with a Roman OG Edge. These are tight grain exotics that look very classy and rich, while still being a bit homey when mixed with light oak floors.

If you can not find these exact colors near you, keep in mind the shades of reds, browns and earth tones while looking at other colors. This will guide you in the right direction.

Also, run the granite up the splash to the upper cabinets. You don’t have much splash area so use it to add color to the kitchen.

Best wishes and thank you for supporting the Rock Blog kids!

Hi Tom

I have been reading your advice since my kitchen remodeling project began last fall and we are only now at the point that the cabinets are ready to be installed, and hopefully next week i will be visiting a granite yard- let me tell you a bit about my space, it is a u-shaped kitchen with a 16″ run along the exterior wall (has one 48″ window located 24″ from the corner) and the interior runs are 9′ and 6′ with a 54″ island in the middle, we chose light cherry cabinets-close to natural cherry, The wall color I am having some issues with it is Benjamin Moore yellow squash paint- I am not liking how it looks on bare kitchen walls hopefully it will be better once the cabinets are in-if not it is only paint and can be changed a lot easier than granite- As part of the kitchen project we took the wall down that separated our living room and kitchen so this open floor plan will serves as the kitchen/family room space. Of course we looked at the santa cecilia and giallo ornamental because the price point (we have over 70 sq ft of granite) is where we need to be given the cost of this project, but I also understand that ubatuba and oro brazil and possibly baltic brown could also be possibilities.

What color granite would you suggest keeping in mind our concern for price? Oh one more thing my husband insisted on white appliances (but i got my counter depth refrigerator)

I appreciate any help you can give me – and what a great charity

Thanks Again
Erin

Hello Erin,

Thank you for the many details. That really helps. First of all, white oak floor are a great choice. If it is Baltic Brown would look horrible with this combination and the white appliances would make it even worse. The brown/green color is all wrong. So goes the same for Giallo Ornamental (too light yellow/silver) and Giallo Santa Cecelia (too orange and motley).

Green Butterfly is the best out of the ones you mentioned but I don’t like the white spots mixed in the color pallet of your kitchen. I strongly recommend Green Peacock instead. It is in the same price range and the deep green colors mixed with the subtle flashes of opal ‘wings’ makes it a great choice. That being said, these two colors are often confused but Butterfly has white spots and Peacock does not. Keep that in mind when you look at slabs. White appliance will look nice but stainless would be better.

I am familiar with the Benjamin Moore Yellow Squash; it will look perfect once the granite is in!

Best wishes and thank you for supporting the Rock Blog kids!

Hi Tom,

We’re in need of some granite suggestions! Kitchen is L-shaped, approximately 16 x 12 and totally open to breakfast nook/banquette with huge windows and a living area with walls of sliding glass doors.

Perimeter cabinets will be maple painted antique white with brown accent finish. Raised panel on uppers, recessed panel on lowers.

Island (7′ x 5′) is knotty alder raised panel with nutmeg finish and has a white farmhouse sink.

The only appliances not covered by panels are the stainless double ovens & microwave and the black cooktop on the perimeter.

Floor is a creamy beige stone look porcelain tile 20″ x 20″. Colors in the living room lean toward warm/neutral with accents of dark green and eggplant.

Trying to come up with a granite that we can use on both the perimeter and the island and serve as a good focal point, but not having much luck.

I love crema bordeaux and granite with lots of movement but am not sure that would work in this situation.

Any advice/suggestions very much appreciated!

Thanks, Sue
PS Love your World Vision donation idea! We also have 2 children we’ve been helping.

Hello Sue,

This is a challenging one. The raised upper white cabinets with the lower recessed panels do work together sometimes but I can’t say that I have ever seen a knotted alder island with that traditional white look. The stainless and black appliances also add complexity to the whole kitchen presentation. My first thought is to suggest that you paint that island black or nutmeg, but I am going to assume that is out of the question.

So, you really need bridge granite color that ties this all together. You need earthy but elegant. You need color but a soft primary tone.

You mentioned Crema Bordeaux but it is far too colorful and strong. I would strongly recommend a color like classic Bordeaux in its natural classic deep red tones. This would be perfect. It has the traditional formality but also the natural earthy and sunset tones that would tie in the perimeter with the island. It also goes very well with stainless and black.

Another ‘different’ color would be Juparana Bronze. It has the right mix of primary colors in the stronger but still earthy variety. This granite color will go well with all your components, including the knotted alder.

Lastly, you need to only choose one granite color and not mix it up between the countertops and the island. You’ve really got enough going on in this room.

You do have options for the backsplash but don’t introduce another color. You could go with the same granite or even a cream or white tile, just stay in the tone or half tones of the granite and you will be fine.

I wish you the best and thank you for supporting the Rock Blog kids!

Tom,

We are replacing counter tops with granite and after looking at many slabs think we like granite in the green family, the two frontrunners right now being Rainforest Green and Verde Tropical (also sometimes referred to as Verde Hawaii). Costa Esmeralda also a possibility if we can find a dark enough shade. The kitchen gets a lot of light, has dark cherry cabinets, lighter oak floor, Biscuit tile backsplash. Range top is stainless but looks mostly black with the grates. Another question is what sink to use. We don’t really like stainless (the new avocado) and would use either a biscuit or anthracite color. The anthracite would probably be more edgy but more risky. What do you think on granite and sink color?

Clay

Hello Clay,

Sticking with green is a great plan. The darker the better for dark cherry cabinets. I highly recommend staying away from Verde Tropical if it is the one from India. This stone is very deceiving and loves to fracture upon impact from fabrication or bending stress. I have studied this granite in detail because it really is quite beautiful but problematic. I found that the crystal structure, although quite opalescent and refined, is also very weakly bonded. Surface tension will cause stress fractures and be unappealing.

Rainforest Green is another story in itself. This stone is not true granite and is quite softer than the .6 on the Mohs Scale as required to be classified as a granite. Because it is in higher in Orthoclase and softer minerals, you need to use a cutting board or else you will scratch it with a knife. It is also more porous than most granites, so be sure to have it professionally sealer. If you can handle those two maintenance issues, then I would say this is a great choice for cherry cabinets. I attached a nice photo of this stone.

A dark or medium Costa Esmeralda granite would be the best choice. This is gorgeous granite which is high in quartz minerals and very low maintenance.
As you may already know, it is quite expensive, but it is worth it. Don’t be worried about the white veins, they are great accents to brighten the room and match the towels.

Regarding the sink, certainly stainless works very well but the deep dark anthracite sink, like the one sold at Home Depot, would look amazing with any of these colors. If you like that look, go for it. It would be very classy for sure. You could match the same color for the faucet or even use a gun metal color.

Best wishes on your kitchen, Clay. Thank you for supporting the kids!

We are remodeling our kitchen with white cabinets
and stainless appliances. The kitchen will be about 16X14 not including the breakfast area. We will have an island that is 8X3. There will be windows all around the breakfast area so I think we will get a lot of light. Our kitchen will look into the family room with a counter that is bar height separating the two. We haven’t picked out tile for the floor or the backsplash because we thought it would be easier to pick out the granite first. We generally prefer a transitional look. We are currently considering tan brown and sapphire brown granite. Any help or suggestions you have would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Kathy

Hello Kathy,

One of the problems is that stainless appliances with white cabinets can look very sterile. I always suggest white cast iron sinks with pure white cabinets; however, if you break up the room with a good transitional color that works well with stainless but also compliments the brightness of the white cabinets, you can have a nice result.

Tan Brown granite is too dark and warm to pull this off. It looks great with stainless, but with white cabinets, you will pin-stripe the room. Sapphire Brown granite is a much better choice because the mineral colors are cooler with nice blue/green accents. This is a very good choice and you could use the same granite on the splash or select a white subway 3×6 tile to bring it all together.

Staying with the soft blues and green, while introducing darker colors, is the theme to carry. Other good colors would be Azul Mahogany, Butterfly Blue, Ascas Blue, and Waterfall Green. Watch out for the color gray! Gray or gray/blue would not be good, but silver or metallic is a nice accent. For example, Ruby Blue granite is a bad choice even though it seems to be blue.

Best wishes to you and thank you for supporting the Rock Blog Kids!

Hi Tom,
We are installing maple cabinets with a creamy, off-white paint and latte glaze. The doors are relatively simple shaker style, flat panel with a beaded trim that catches the glaze nicely.

My husband and I like a warm, rustic look, as such the backsplash is Napolina tumbled limestone (golden and brown tones) and we are installing an apron-front copper sink. All of my decisions to date have come naturally but I am stumped with the granite. Initially we had selected New Venetian Gold but we thought it was utterly boring when we saw the slabs. There were two others we each liked – Hurricane (my husband’s favorite) and Golden Eclipse (my personal favorite). They each have a lot of movement in them which we like. I’m worried that Hurricane will over power our space — our main kitchen is 14 x 25 with 2 adjacent, open rooms at 13 x 13 each. All 3 areas will have some cabinetry and there is moderate light throughout the day.

Bottomline – like Hurricane, worried it will be too crazy. Love Golden Eclipse and the dark, contrast it will provide. But it has metallic specks that I’m afraid won’t work with the other components.

Any insight gladly appreciated!

Mary

Hello Mary,

Thank you for the nice description of your kitchen. Certainly the New Venetian gold would have been a bad choice as it does not compliment the sink style or the cabinets. Normally I would say that wild exotics like Hurricane and Golden Eclipse would not work with Shaker style cabinets but you have fancied them up with the bead trim and the latte glaze – good job!

Assuming the Hurricane that you are referring to is the gold version, the colors do work well. However, the veining is typically very linear and that is why it is on my “top 10 worse granites – and the surprising reasons why” list. Meaning, the color is beautiful in the showroom, but once you get it in the kitchen, it is incredibly distracting to the eye. Stay away from this one in the kitchen but it is great for fireplaces and bar tops.

The Golden Eclipse is beautiful and the bold cluster of mica will be really complimentary to your design. Even though they are not copper, the metal presence connects the uncommon sink style you selected. If you select the right slabs, you will find colors that are almost exactly the color of your sink and still some latte highlights as well. I really like this choice! Look for big swirl movements when you see select the slabs and ask you fabrication how the seams will come together so that you don’t end up with a clear break in the pattern at seams.

I recommend a straight or a half-bullnose edge detail with this décor.

Thank you for supporting the Rock Blog kids and best wishes!

We are in the process of remodeling our kitchen. All has gone well until we got down to the granite. It has to be the hardest of all. Let me tell you a bit of what we have done. The walls are Terracotta with honey spice cabinets and stainless appl. We first looked at doing butterfly granite but it has to much gray, now we are looking a Jup Crema Bordeaux Granite. Please give input to help us out.

Thank you,
Ginger

Hello Ginger,

Certainly the Butterfly Green would not work so great job recognizing that it is too cold for terracotta walls. Crema Bordeaux Granite is beautiful but I believe that you will find it to be too busy and too dark to breakup the walls and the spice cabinets. I love this granite but I really don’t like this choice fro your arrangement. Here is the situation you are in and perhaps the reason why you are having trouble making a decision.

The Terracotta wall color wants to formalizing your kitchen. Mix that in with dark warm colored granite and you now create the cozy ‘bar’ atmosphere, which is not the best for an everyday kitchen feeling. The spice colored cabinets are the right choice but now you just need the perfect granite color that is warm but not so dark and formal.

You need a deep semi-opalescent dark gold with a little variety of black and silver and even clear quartz bundles. Perfect colors would be Juparana Persa, Delicattus Dark, or Juparana Natalia Dark.

Remember! Bright yellows don’t work but deep golds do, so look for colors like this and you will find the perfect granite that pulls it all together. It will brighten the room but still draw in the simple formality to compliment the terracotta. You can see some swatches on www.GraniteStock.com.

Best wishes and thank you for supporting the Rock Blog’s World Vision kids!

Tom,

I have honey maple raised panel cabinets in my southern exposure kitchen, white appliances and honey colored wood floors. My condo is a vintage rehab.
I want to change my formica countertops to granite but am confused on what color to choose. I love a totally urban look, but that is not what I have.
So I am trying to make this work in an updated contemporary way. Someone recommended blue ice, but I afraid this looks dated. Will you please let me know what are your top choices?

Thank you very much,
Jeannie

Hello Jeannie,

Yes, you have a problem going urban because of those raised panels. Even though you have the honey colored cabinets and floors, you could get to the urban feel if you changed those cabinets to flat panels with square steel knobs. Then you good bring it together with a color like Polychome.

However, sticking with the raised panels and still crossing over to semi-contemporary, there are two colors that work with the maple honey. Those are Café Bahia and Café Imperial granite. The edge detail would have to be a half-round and the back splash should be a wide or light cream tile.
A half-round detail is not really urban, but those raised panels have to be complimented a little.

Keep in mind that you need to stay away from gray. You could go with a red
like Red Dragon granite. This is gutsy buy it is totally a vintage look on the edge of contemporary. Look at a swatch on www.GraniteStock.com but definitely get a nice chunk of it and bring it home.

With Red Dragon you could run up the splash with the same granite slab and it would be bold and intelligently stunning. I would do it.

If the urban appeal makes you want to be less stunning, then you need to go toward the browns as I mentioned above.

There are a ton of other colors that go with maple honey but I can see that your desire is to really not be traditional and track-home style. Take a look at Café Imperial, Café Bahia and Red Dragon. One will move you.

Best wishes and thank you for supporting the Rock Blog kids!