Granite

Now, I could spend weeks wandering from supplier to supplier looking at stones. (If it weren't for that day job). We've been looking at slabs of granite for one piece of the kitchen counter - and boy are there some gorgeous pieces of rock out there.  Thank God for the patience of Jonathan (not to mention Jacques!)















We loved this one.  But unfortunately when we read the label, it was soapstone.  Maybe not the best choice for a family that is slightly on the slobby side and definitely hates to clean.

Luckily other stunning choices were around the corner.  Plus, with a name like 'Stormy Night', how can you go wrong?















Well, except that it was about 30% above our budget.  That's a problem.  Love the gray and red and quartz.  Plus it's from Canada, so the carbon footprint from shipping is lower (but really everything's already in the Boston area, so that's carbon under the bridge.)

Looked at lots of very calm, uniform greys browns and whites, but it turns out we really like the dramatic stuff.  The more quartz, veins, and particles the better.  Really, it's not a huge area of stone, and everything else in the big room is white and brown, so I think pretty much anything could work.

















Loved this one - kind of like a big headcheese made from stone.  Lots of purples and greens.  Definitely stuff to look at and daydream with as you eat your morning cereal.

And, a more restrained version.  Lots of blacks and browns.  It was really this shiny, and looked like you were looking at the bottom of a riverbed.















Here's a beautiful one that looks like veins of huge, prehistoric leaves. 















And, the one we're leaning towards - a nice balance of color and veining.