Hello Hiren. You have some very nice wood there. The light wood is good as it will show wear less over time. Dark colors can look poor in short time. The finish materials are important to consider since the wrong finish will require service in just a few years. Best regards.

thank you very much to everyone who responded! I'll look into espresso and charcoal grays. As well as the steel backplash. Emmarenes, I'm living abroad in India, and the only granites in my budget are the local ones. I was advised against the gray and white local ones because i was told that they would not hold up well in the kitchen. I could have gone with a black galaxy as well but i have that granite now and despise it because of the way it hides ants and bugs so well. we live in a tropical area and there are always critters here and there. My first choice was a Brazilian white granite but it was triple the price. This granite is called Shiva pink, so it has a pink salmon and gray look to it. Im really hoping I don't hate it once it's installed. The stoneyard was a 9 hour trip up and down and i was just pressured to make a choice after several undecided trips. And I'm getting new cabinets put in. but I think I can wait for them to put the slab before staining the wood. Thanks for that idea :)

Quartzite has good water absorption property, now a days u can get good treated sealed finished quartzite tiles , u can use in the wet areas. Granite on other case is highly resistant to water absorbtion. If you have these two particulars with you , go with granite. (long term use will leave stains)

Hello Saj shk, Always avoid using high gloss as oil stains are more prominently seen in such surface. Your grey laminate is too dull and shabby to be used in an area where you need more lively effect. Try to go for different combination. Now a days acrylic sheets are available with great finish and good colours and it is 90degree bendable so joints are smooth and finished. Design the o.h. cabinets in such a way that you utilise total height of the kitchen and Use profiles for the same.