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 did you finally use nano white? Pl let me know asap as I have to decide for my kitchen. Thanks angela

Bet your farmhouse kitchen is cheerful and delightful! I'm curious what colors you have in the adjacent living room. Are there any fabrics or unique accent items you'd like to have more attention? Feel free to bring a pillow or quilt or pottery piece from the living room to your yellow tile to get a feel for what color might capture your heart. Will it be a mellow, blend-in kind of look? Or something that adds a "pop" to your rooms? Cant wait to hear your discoveries!

Many thanks for your valuable comments. 1. My intention of raised cabinets was to clean it daily, as cabinets that touch floor accumulate lot of dust and food particles below. If we rule out steel legs, any inputs on raised floor only of cabinet area and then cabinets?(Just like plinth in modular cabinets- but this will be permanent and of tiles) I have not seen such structure anywhere, so curious if it will work. Otherwise I will go with traditional ones. 2. Moving pooja out of kitchen is very difficult as other rooms are just enough for their function. Currently a small Mandir is attached on wall where Fridge is shown in layout. I thought the new area could be little extra for all pooja related things. Will like to know the reason of your recommendation, is it odd in whole design, or not suitable in area .. or anything else? How about moving it to corner of dining area?