thank you very much to everyone who responded! I'll look into espresso and charcoal grays. As well as the steel backplash. Emmarenes, I'm living abroad in India, and the only granites in my budget are the local ones. I was advised against the gray and white local ones because i was told that they would not hold up well in the kitchen. I could have gone with a black galaxy as well but i have that granite now and despise it because of the way it hides ants and bugs so well. we live in a tropical area and there are always critters here and there. My first choice was a Brazilian white granite but it was triple the price. This granite is called Shiva pink, so it has a pink salmon and gray look to it. Im really hoping I don't hate it once it's installed. The stoneyard was a 9 hour trip up and down and i was just pressured to make a choice after several undecided trips. And I'm getting new cabinets put in. but I think I can wait for them to put the slab before staining the wood. Thanks for that idea :)

Hi Anurag, Black counter top is very common and you can go for ample combinations like light and dark grey, yellow , red, green ...and their combinations will look great. So no need to worry..go for any colorful combinations. Regards, Sujoy

Hi, you can use the white shade quartzite for the counter. You can have a retro look and feel kitchen if you use turquoise or dark green or grey color cabinets. If you are going with this style then copper shade hardware will just be perfect.

Hi Chayya, For a contemporary style kitchen, you can go for a monochrome theme for the entire kitchen like a matt grey with brass seamless handles. It can be a good option with a white backsplash. You may also consider combining brown patterned finished shutters with lacquered white finish for a clean, contemporary look. Hope these suggestions help you