So... after collecting every laminate sample ever, I ended up selecting the two colors I'd started out with... Formica's Basalt Slate in the Honed Finish & Rosso Granite in the Etchings finish. I did have some Ubatuba granite put on the rolling island for doing pastry & such.
We had a big push in the kitchen before Thanksgiving and then a big lull, and I didn't post anything, because I thought... eh... I haven't really done anything. Turns out, several months of minor progress and a few months of actual work and it looks a lot different from those last pictures. I regret...
The Adel Medium Brown half of the kitchen is mostly done. Still need handles, shelves in the cabinet over the microwave, and some plinth (or panel or something) to go in the corner... Oh and eventually the real countertop... but let's not get greedy....