Hi Tom,

Cabinets: maple with light cherry stain, sleek slab, frameless design. Floor: ceramic tile, creamy yellow with both brown and grey/black faux veining. Appliances: black sxs fridge; black smoothtop slide-in range; black DW. Penninsula houses range with a curved glass range hood whose hardware is stainless. Sink: stainless, as is faucet; faucet with black accent at spout. Walls: best described as pear-green; turns a bit bronzey in evening incadescent light. Kitchen tends to be a bit dark. Nearby dining area flooring is a natural red oak as is the the cener stairway and LR on the opposite side of stairs.

We took down the wall between the DR and kitchen, made a one-level counter where the wall was and basically killed the DR, making it little more than a dining “area.” So when you open the front door you see the oak floor to both your left (DR) and right (LR). You can immediatley see the kitchen so there is the transition to the the tile there and further back into a pantry/mudroom. Exterior: red brick turned terra-cotta in color. The rest of the downstairs is painted with goldne khakis, olive with a hint of bronze and a calming tan. Until or unless we change, white trim.

So then, we loved Emerald Pearl but fear it showing every little spot and it seems formal for our 60-year-old cozy home. I had a small block of NVG Light and loved it. It seemed to pick up the yellow, grey, black elements fo the kitchen and even the warm tones of the DR wood and the garnet is a bonus. Madura Gold entered the picture and while it is a nice pick up of the overall warm tones of the house I think it is too orange, although the cabinet stain leans in the orange/red direction rather than the maple/yellow direction

Since I last wrote, our fabricator broke ties with the original yard and wants us to pick another slab anyway. So, I have a second chance at happiness. I like a bit “homey/casual, husband wants classy and uncluttered.

I appreciate your time. - Anne

Hello Anne,

First of all, that was the best narrative description I’ve ever read. It was enjoyable to read and very helpful.

One of the most important parts of your description is that one can see so much from the front door. That is very important and I like the balance you have between the dining room and the living room. The kitchen is its own element but it needs to fit properly in between.

Also important are the kitchen door front style and the glass and stainless features you mentioned. Because of these elements, New Venetian Gold really does not go well. This granite was the most popular stone from 2002 to 2005 because of its generally appealing brown tones and accents of garnet. It is also inexpensive. While it still looks good with very deep cherry cabinets, it turns to ‘track home’ with light natural wood, even with the cherry stain. Bottom line, it is a track home granite and the fracture larger mineral matrix does not go well with the contemporary kitchen décor that you created.

Emerald Pearl is just too dark. I really don’t like this granite in a kitchen unless the cabinets are white and cathedral style doors.

I suggest the following colors because of the tight matrix and subtle movement that will be classy, contemporary and still a little playful.

Terra Brazilis Granite could be just perfect with a full height granite slab backsplash. It is what I call a ’smart stone’ because it can be formal or casual depending on what plates or dish towels are on it. It is look great with black and stainless.

Good slabs of Colonial Ivory Granite is lighter and would act the same as Terra Brazilis.

Lastly, Arandis Granite and Colonial Dream Granite are perfect choices that have tight matrix and subtle movements. These two stones glow in low lighting and would be beautiful with the paint colors you described.

I am sure that one of the options above would be best and give you long lasting enjoyment. Be sure to talk to the fabricator about the layout of the slabs and think about where each part of slabs will be placed. Read my Homeowner’s Checklist again to a review of things to consider.

My very best wishes!

Tom,

Your blog has been very helpful. I am totally renovating my kitchen and bathroom and am really struggling with granite choices for both the kitchen and bathroom. My house is a contemporary. The kitchen cabinets will be maple with a honey finish. The floors will also be maple, but stained a bit darker than the cabinets. The appliances will be stainless. I will have lots of light from windows. I’m thinking of a neutral (beige) tile backsplash. My island is three-tiered and rather large. It will have a bake center (36×25) with two wings to either side measuring 78×25 and then a straight 9 foot edge along the back for seating (a 39×42x39×108 section) that is the highest level. All together, I will have about 115 square feet of granite. I really liked the verde fire, but am afraid the cost is prohibitive (twice the price of some other colors I looked at). I also liked the green hawaii. I find myself gravitating to granites with green in them as green is my favorite color and I like the look of it with the maple cabinets. I liked the verdi fire because it picked up the color of the maple cabinets beautifully as well as having some green in it. What would you recommend I consider? I am open to other than green color choices too!

I am also concerned that I choose a color that will come in a 9-foot plus slab so that I won’t have a seam on the island. For the bathroom, I was thinking about going with a lighter color of granite. I’m probably going to go with a neutral tile - cream or beige maybe with a hint of green in a border. I thought I would pick the color of cabinet for the vanity depending on the granite I chose. I looked at some of the lighter recommendations you have made to others and the african ivory and colonial cream look very nice. I have two bathrooms that I will be redoing the vanities, so I’d like to do two different granites. I will probably stay in the neutral tiles for both. Thanks for your help!

Hello Brenna,

I love the contemporary style kitchen with maple cabinets. So often the contemporary attempt is done with black and white. As long as your lines are straight and panels flat, you will have a clean contemporary look while the primary yellow undertone of maple adds color. It is no surprise that you like green because greens go very well with maple. I want to suggest a couple colors that would look perfect and then you can search for ones similar if these are not available in your area.

Acacia Granite is perfect. It is relatively new in the market but getting very popular. It is light blue/green with beautiful movement and cream and Bordeaux veining. You can see a swatch on www.GraniteStock.com but seeing the whole slab reveals more beauty.

Acacia is one of the few light green that goes really well with stainless. It is from Brazil and is very reasonably priced. I actually think this granite is currently way under priced based on it’s similarity to the very expensive Costa Esmeralda Granite. Look for Ayers Granite as well which is the right color tone but doesn’t have as much Bordeaux veining.

By using Acacia, you will have captured the three primary colors in very subdued tones. I am sure that is not your goal, but I think it is interesting that it works out that way. A similar granite in this same tone would be Wild Sea Granite.

Another way to go would be to select a darker more monochromatic green like Dark Tunas Green or Ubatuba. Both of these granite are gorgeous with stainless but have to be carefully selected because they vary in color so much. Some slabs are washed out and horrible, while others bold and beautiful. With a contemporary style, dark granites present a more handsome than homey ambiance. The lighter granites mentioned above definitely lighten the mood and are less formal.

For your bathrooms, consider reversing the colors a bit. Creama Bordeaux is a pretty but sophisticated granite color and because it varies so much, you could use the same color in both bathrooms. When searching for slabs, ask the supplier if they have a rack of singles or orphans that are discounted. These are good slabs that are just left over from a bundle and therefore don’t match anything else. This is the way to get expensive granite for the bathroom for a great price.

Let me know if you need any following up help! Thank you for donating to the Rock Blog’s World Vision kids!

Hi, Tom,

I am looking for help regarding a new kitchen I am installing as part of a large-scale home renovation and am struggling with granite choices. The kitchen is fairly large (18×14) with a working island with a sink (about 3x 6) and a peninsula/breakfast bar that opens up to an eating area and family room with lots of east-facing windows. We have ordered simple style (recessed panel) cherry cabinets with a russet stain (no glaze) for the perimeter of the room including the peninsula and cream-colored cabinets with a glaze called suede (reddish brown color) for the island. All of our appliances and sinks in the island and counter are stainless. The floors will be a light (natural) oak. I like the idea of darker granite on the perimeter and something different on the island, but I’m not sure if that would be too busy. Would I be better off with the same granite throughout since I already have two different cabinet colors? I like the more sophisticated look of dark granite with the cherry perimeter cabinets but don’t know if it would work equally well on the cream painted cabinets. Colors I am interested in are Ubatuba for the perimeter and maybe Giallo San Cecelia for the island. I also really like the Tan Brown or English Brown and am thinking of that for the whole room. I think the reddish tone in the tan brown looks good with both cabinets and it keeps the dark look I’m looking for. I know that granites with lots of movement and swirling patterns are popular, but I prefer smaller “patterns” and do not actually want much movement. Also, do you have any suggestions for the tiled backsplash? Finally, I have friends who find the darker granites in the kitchen very difficult to keep looking nice with kids, crumbs, etc. and are trying to talk me out of it. I just think tan or gold granite throughout the whole kitchen might be blah-looking. What is your opinion on this?

Thanks for your help. This is an awesome site! - Amy

Hello Amy,

That sounds like a truly gorgeous kitchen you are putting together. I love the overall kitchen size, the cabinet colors and the russet stain. That is a talented décor that requires careful completion with the perfect granite countertop combination. I do have a recommendation.

First of all, Tan Brown throughout is a good choice to tie everything together is a simple casual way but it would be better to set the island off as its own piece of furniture. The lighter island cabinet already separates itself from the rest of the perimeter and I strongly feel the theme should be continued to the surface.

Dark Ubatuba is the way to go for the perimeter if your russet stain has a dash of purple or dark rose undertone. This will be absolutely stunning with the stainless and contrary to your friend’s comment; it will be low maintenance after sealer with a penetrating granite sealer. If the russet stain is browner, then Café Bahia or Imperial Coffee would be a better choice.

The next important choice is the lighter granite color for the island. Choosing Santa Cecelia or similar will downgrade your kitchen. It is way to boring and cheap. Take a look at Kashmir White and Colonial Cream which have nice understated style. These are totally different from each other but work well with the cream cabinets and reddish brown glaze. Think cooler or warmer. If you want a cooler feeling, choose Kashmir White. It you want a warm (not hot) décor, choose Colonial Cream or Colonial Dream (a little darker). These granite colors have movement but the mineral matrix is tight and the movement is long and smooth. You can see swatches at www.GraniteStock.com but when you see full slabs, I am sure you will see what I mean.

If you don’t like the slabs of Ubatuba, Kashmir White, or Colonial Cream that you see, just keep looking and keep the following principal in mind; dark semi-monochromatic around the perimeter, with an accent island that has more movement and compliments the cabinet base. You could even go with an island granite color like Red Dragon Granite, but I don’t think this is your taste. Stay away from pinks and blues.

For the backsplash you really have a lot of choices. I really like the ceramic running brick pattern in a 3×6 size with a décor like this. The color should try to match the lightest color that is in the island granite. Anything from off-white to brownish/red goes with Ubatuba. Even glass tile would look great.

My best wishes and thank you for donation to The Rock Blog’s World Vision kids!