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.

Thanks!!! That looks lovely...!! Unfortunately the white counter wont work for the kitchen im planning - abundant turmeric in Indian cooking precludes any soft colour.. Went out today and got myself a black countertop with white veins (I HATE granite), and am now planning white shutters to go with it instead of the grey... Any other thoughts? Am not mulling over the backsplash...

If you love the marble tile, go for it! You can always buy a stainless or white range hood backsplash like this http://www.wayfair.com/Air-King-Range-Hood-Back-Splash-SP2430-AXK1174.html to slip in place when you are cooking something really messy. I have a travertine backsplash and use a stainless sheet when frying. It works great and no worries about stains ruining the stone.

I did a house with nine bathrooms and it was so much fun. For the master bed we had his and hers separate ensuite bathrooms, so hers was feminine and victoruan; it even had a chandelier! His was white with a red shower wall and a blue and white border tile. The counter was tiled with red. It was a very cheerful little bathroom. The daughter's batH was blue and white, the border tiles and washbasin were Chinese themed. A very pretty bathroom. The two guest bathrooms were yellow and cream with hand painted sunflower accent tiles. One powder room was yellow and white, the other was beige with orange and green accents. It had a very whimsical washbasin with a hand painted frog inside. The pool house also has two bathrooms, more basic, mostly cream with wood accents. The colour comes from the stack of towels, red, blue, orange, lime green and yellow.