quartz is a man made product using natural stone and a resin material. No sealing and is stain proof. I have had my granite for 10 years. I have never had a staining issue and set hot pots down on it seldom, but it has never bothered it. I've sealed it maybe 2-3 times over 10 years. granite really doesn't stain. So, compared to quartz, they are very similar. It all comes down to what you like the best.

Your choices don't flow well to me. The flooring in your photo is pretty (very dark...are you okay with it showing every footprint, smudge, and dust bunny? If so, that's fine). From all of your options there I would do white cabinets with the Himalaya White granite. But you said ignore the granite. :) I would go for the gray cabinets with white quartz everywhere in that case, but personally I'd worry about gray cabinets being very dated in a few years. Is there another quartz option that you could pair with the white cabinets that is light in color and maybe has some movement, like LG Bianco Drift?

Laminate is incredibly durable. Currently we have a stone-look gloss surface with tiny, occasional pits for texture, no problems with food particles getting stuck. Previously we had a matte finish in color, it lasted 20 years before looking scuffed. I would not use raised texture on a counter bc the peaks would wear more quickly.

I recently saw a picture of a waterfall countertop made with polished concrete. Can anyone advice on the pros and cons and how to go about it? Also any idea on cost?