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.

Hi Sharmilaks, My experience with glass is that it will scratch eventually and being such a high gloss marks will show. I would agree with DVG and have a look at Quartz Stone or Composite stone such brands as Compac, Quartz Forms, Diresco, Quarelle, Caesarstone, Arena stone, Uni Stone, Cimstone.

Hi Purvi, for open plan kitchen you can change the fridge door position to front facing instead of balcony facing. One more option is, you can plan for pocket doors. The advantage of that is if you wish to have the open feeling you can keep it open or close it. My personal advise will be, instead of asking for individual queries you should consult a person and take complete details as per your requirements.

I have came across this situation recently, Suggest Builder to install the meter at the (beam lvl) above counter so you can hide it in top lvl cabinate. 2. If it is not above the counter , you can step down with false ceiling and provide a trap door. 3. if the issue is only pipe, do a back splash later in interior stage and hide it behind. Professional interior designer/ architect will resolve this matter for you technically and design wise. Ar. chinmay r nimje aarkin design studio pune www.aarkin.in