granite-what color would you want/do you have?

[shortbun]

We're considering granite in our kitchen remodel. The thing that has me the most confused is if I should go dark or light. I'm leaning toward light but so many people like the dark. My kitchen is small, I only have one counter and no island. We have stainless appliances and DH wants to go with two colors-yellow and grey blue or grey blue and green. The grey blue is dark so I was thinking light counter tops with a little grey in them. My girlfriend thinks dark counter tops with lighter paint colors. What is most popular? The HGTV shows always show people saying, "I'm not wild about the color."
What's considered neutral in granite? Thanks for your opinions!!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I prefer more natural colors in granite. Neutral is better because it goes with anything.
Blue, grey, and green are colors I would avoid. Hard to match or blend, esp. grey.

I had a mix of browns, with some other colors in it. Went with everything.

 

[Sinderelli]

We already have the granite for our kitchen remodel, which we are not even starting for a few months! I want dark cabinets and I think the lighter colors go better with it. The granite we have has a tan undertone, with some black and white flecks. The overall color you see when you look at it is tan/beige. I it!

I know most people say not to put dark cabinets in a small space, but I think it looks fine. Dark cabinets look so rich to me- JMO.

I wouldn't base your granite so much on your paint color as I would on your cabinet color.

 

[BunsenH]

We have "Green Hawaii" and love it.

It looks more like water than stone. Very organic vs. mineral.

 

[NMAmy]

I'm fairly sure I'm the only person on the face of the planet who doesn't go gaga over granite. I particularly dislike the dark colors. I like a kitchen to be light and airy.

So, I'd say go with the light. Unless you're moving soon, then get what YOU like since you're the one who has to live with it.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Forget what's popular and go with what you like. Just keep in mind that it's a lot cheaper to change a paint color that you don't like than it is to change the countertops.

I chose a darker granite with spicey undertones. I must have gone back to the place at least half a dozen times before I committed to my choice. My cabinets have a toffee finish and the red in the granite draws out the pinkish cast in the cabinets. I loved the look from the first time that I saw it and kept gravitating back to the combination.

But my kitchen is pretty large and open to the family room. It gets a lot of natural light and we installed recessed ceiling lights, pendant lights and under-counter lights to brighten the room at night. So, choosing a dark granite doesn't have the space-reducing impact on the room like it would on a smaller or dimly-lit room.

I suggest taking a door off of one of your cabinets and bringing it with you to the granite store. If you can purchase a sample of the color you like, bring it home and look at it in your kitchen's light during different times of the day. You'd be surprised at how the stone changes its look in different light (morning sunlight, bright afternoon sun and evening artificial light).

Good luck choosing. I took longer to choose the granite than any other decision for the kitchen.

 

[TeresaNJ]

It is a tough decision. We're hoping to be able to remodel our kitchen in a year or so, and have been checking out granite also. I seem to like the Silestone color choices better though. Have you considered Silestone? Here's a link to their website. They have a whole range of colors from very light to very dark.http://www.silestoneusa.com/index/index.cfm?CFID=5622498&CFTOKEN=98920456

 

[MAKmom]

A safe neutral granite is Giallo Ornamental I sell a ton of it....no pun intended.

 

[EMom]

We have Yellow River. It is neither yellow, nor does it come from China. It's Brazilian and not that common. We liked it because of the variety not only from one slab to the other, but WITHIN the slab. I can look at one section of my countertop, and then look 12 inches past that and it's like looking at two different granites. Go another foot and you see yet another granite. And so on and so on. It has a lot of flow and is very erratic. So I have a little bit of everything in there, with many different colors. I wanted something that I didn't see in many other homes and that's what we got.

If you try and look it up, you'll never get a good idea of what it looks like. Only a trip to a granite yard will help. And when that shipment is gone, the next may look VERY different.

I LOVE IT!!!!

Some slabs:
http://www.marble.com/stone/Yellow,River,473.html

An aerial of a kitchen remodel:
http://www.idahograniteworks.com/countertops.html#

 

[3kidsfordisney]

I really don't have an opinion as I like them all, but I have to agree with Sinderelli, we just remodeled our very small kitchen and went dark with the cabinets and granite, and it looks great. so I just wanted to add a little more confusion in there. lol good luck, what ever you choose it will be great

 

[lsyorke]

Some slabs:
http://www.marble.com/stone/Yellow,River,473.html

Awesome company!(three days from template to installation! ) I just finished a kitchen remodel and the granite was the hardest thing to pick. I initially wanted light, but decided on a lighter backsplash(travertine tiles) and darker granite...natural cherry cabinets. The granite is really varied in color and I LOVE IT!

 

[EMom]

We also have cherry cabinets and a travertine backsplash. We thought a simple backsplash was needed with a granite as busy as Yellow River. Yellow River has a lot of "red" in it to pick up the color of the cherry cabinets, although that may not come through in the pics. It ties in really nicely.

When the travertine was put in, he sponged out the grout in the pitted parts of the travertine, to make it look aged. (As opposed to leaving the grout flush with the highest point of the travertine.) It makes the backsplash look as if it's been there a long time. He also rounded off each travertine tile that was on the edge, so no tile just ended abruptly. That makes all our backsplash ends look aged and soft as well. I like those nice little details. For a bit of liveliness, every 15 inches or so, we put sort of brownish-copper shimmery glass accent tiles in the backsplash. They picked up some of the color in the granite. They had some sort of metallic backing that make them shimmer and glisten. I think they were Venetian something or other....

 

[Cool-Beans]

I think the darker counters are popular today. But as we all know, today's fashion is tomorrow's laughing stock.

I think light and bright is always the way to go because that is what I like. If you like dark, go dark. If you like light, go light.

Do what makes you happy.

 

[Sinderelli]

Anybody feel like posting pics of their kitchen? I need inspiration!

 

[lsyorke]

Anybody feel like posting pics of their kitchen? I need inspiration!

Before

After,the colors came out a bit weird in the pic, but you get the idea.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I'm fairly sure I'm the only person on the face of the planet who doesn't go gaga over granite.

You aren't. I'm not a fan, either. It looks good enough. Fine for other people's kitchens. Just not my cup of tea. Also leather couches...not my thing.

I'm sure the granite fans would look at my counters and think, "don't much care for that."

Life is short. We should all do whatever makes us happy.

 

[crz4mm2]

I have brownish. It has flecks of other color in it.
I wanted BLACK. My sister has black and it is soooo pretty. So that is what I had my heart set on. Then I saw the brown and decided that is what I was going to get. It looks wonderful. I have black appliances and oak cabinets. Looks great.

I think it would go with a lot of different colors.

 

[pyrxtc]

we are looking at these two colors

violetta granite

or Uba tuba

those are the biggest remnant pieces they have at the shop I'm working with. I'm gonna go this week and look at them in persona nd see if there is a color I like better that can even be two pieces. I'm not picky about a seam since we still have to remodel the kitchen and this is just for now, not forever.

 

[Sinderelli]

Before

After,the colors came out a bit weird in the pic, but you get the idea.

Beautiful! I love your cabinets and granite together! Did you move your refrigerator into a different part of the kitchen?

 

[lsyorke]

Oops...yup, moved it to the other side of the kitchen