I think the marble naysayers have jumped on the bandwagon without really living with the stone. I have statuary in my bathrooms and love it. Most stains can be removed with a simple baking soda and water poultice. Acid etching is harder to deal with since it removes the polished surface, but its part of having a living stone in your home. If it becomes too bad, you can have it repolished. With a darker stone, you won't have as many issues as a white marble. In order to really know if you can live with it, I suggest you get a small sample of the stone and do some tests. Here is an example. http://www.dohiy.com/2013/04/21/marble-countertops-the-post-acid-test/ Please note that she used bleach and oxyclean to clean the stone after her test. Stay away from both since they can etch the stone just as much as an acidic food. Instead, clean with a ph neutral cleaner like isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), and for heavy stains, the baking soda poultice mentioned above. You have to remember that marble has been used for centuries as flooring, table tops, countertops, etc. throughout the world and most of these installations are still here and aren't stained and etched to the point that it has been ripped out and replaced. Just think about all of he luxury hotels in Europe and how many times they have been exposed to Hangover type guests without any damage.

"Residence" sounds right. "Estate" sounds big to me = big house + lots of acres of land + big wrought iron fences. But why use surname. I seen plaques on peoples houses that read "The smiths"

I don't think you can go wrong either way. I have white flat front cabinets with white counter and marble backsplash and I think it would look equally as good with a grey counter. Actually the one good thing about using grey over white is that you don't have to worry that the whites will be off in tone (my counter is warmer than my cabinets - not so much that it bothers me, but I can tell).

Thanks for both of your responses CUBSpaces team and Shweta from Shades studio. It really gives a clarity about possible consequences. I am now doubt free about changing whole things in Bathroom as it will be interconnected. However will appreciate your opinion on few things: 1. Kitchen wall tiles: I have those from countertop height to roof(almost area of 6X15 feet) which are good and not hollow. I changed countertop 5 years back without any damage to these tiles. It might cost me another 10-15 K, but I feel the whole process and quantity of wasting old good tiles makes me little sad. 2. kitchen countertop: Made new around 5 years back. I don't expect to get it all intact. But large pieces can be cut and can be used as top for other freestanding structures like dishwasher, front load washer, heighten base cabinets, etc. 3. Plywood: I don't mind giving enough labour charges for old sheets recycle. I am planning to use doors, loose sheets(like kept on bed frame of settee frame.) or parts of big frames like settee. I am keen on reducing waste than to save money. You can see various DIY ideas by western people, who remove or sand laminates and re-paint furniture, or carefully remove hollow tiles and re-attach them. Some are also re-painting ceramic tiles. I am just asking myself: Are we creating more and more waste by use and throw approach every 10-15 years, just because we can afford it?