[KnitDragon]

I'm putting in a new Adel Medium Brown kitchen and I've finally narrowed down my countertop options to the two shown below: the light one with purple and brown splotches (the larger slabs show a lot more brown) and the darker one with more brown and reddish-brown veining. Now I'm having a very hard time choosing between them. If you think either one is either great or hideous, please let me know.

[kelly]

Sorry if I missed this, but can you share the other colors you are using? Wall, flooring, etc?

AMB would look great with the more brown version- but that said, either would work with the right wall/floor color.

And of course- they're both gorgeous!!

Tell me what else you've got in there!

Kelly

[KnitDragon]

Thanks Kelly. The floors are a pinky-beige tile (not sure what they're made out of but I think they're stone) that I'm not a big fan of, but I'm not ready to rip them out so they'lll be staying a while.

Appliances will be stainless steel (except for the black dishwasher). I haven't picked out a sink yet, but it will NOT be stainless. I haven't decided on the walls/backsplash yet either. I'm thinking some kind of tile, maybe out of glass, but I figured I'd wait and coordinate it with whatever granite I buy.

The other thing is, there is a small ledge that overhangs apass-through between the kitchen and dining room. I'd like to use the same granite for theledge as for the counter. The dining room walls are green and yellow (think Oakland Athletics or Green Bay Packers, but more earth toned), and the furniture is gold-ish oak with black. (You can sort of see the walls in one of the pictures on my progress blog http://www.ikeafans.com/forums/forum21/3403.html.)

The more I look at it, I'm thinking the lighter color might be a bit too cool for my overall color scheme sinceI'm going for more of a warm/neutral look.

[DesignDiva]

If you're planning on a full height backsplash, consider doing the passthrough ledge in your backsplash material rather than your countertop material.

[stacylu]

We went through the same thing picking our granite with Adel MB. I personally like the lighter one (Santa Cecilia?) because I think the darker may look peachy against the dark wood which I personally would hate. Plus I love the cranberries in the stone... If you have a spare door, put both samples against it and inspect during all times of the day - bright daylight, night, afternoon, etc and see what you think.

HTH
Stacy

[TheRedOne]

I'm not sure I could help you choose but I will offer a bit of info...

Designers will tell you that your floor and counters should be in the same color family, if not matching. The horizonal surfaces should not compete with each other, nor contrast - these competing and constrasting colors will create a feeling of discomfort.

Hope this helps. Although I'm sure, in the short-term, it will make them worse.:?

Tammy

[KnitDragon]

Thanks for the tips everybody. After much fretting, I've decided to go with the darker granite. (Is it obsessive to buy multiple types of light bulbs just to see how they make your cabinets & granite samples look? I guess the answer to that is an obvious "yes!") It's called "Butterfly Gold" and I like it more and moreevery time I look at my little 4"x4" sample.

This may not be the right forum, but I feel compelled to tell everyone about the fabulous deal I got on my countertops. The total price was $2,063 for about 36 sq. ft.:shock:, which is $10/sq. ft.less than my local Ikeas and $12/sq. ft. less than Home Depot or Lowes. If you are in the Chicago area I strongly suggest you check out Heartland Granite in Aurora http://www.heartlandgranite.com/and ask to see their list of close-out materials. I can't yet vouch for their installation or workmanship since I haven't gotten around to assembling my cabinets, but the sales staff is helpful and the selection is awesome.