Hello haylescakes, I think it just need a bit of care.. I would definitely not mix it.. Granite, like Marble or any other luxury stone, even woods do need some attention.. I have bamboo and that too requires a bit of effort.... Wiping down and a regular re oil.. However I think it is really really worth it. Also it does last and would definitely look all the better for the little bit of effort.. I also made several chopping boards with off cuts!! Gr8 way to use up the material and useful too! For colours I would look to finding something lighter than black.. I think you could really go for something amazing... Firstly though think of the colours in the kitchen... If it's a blank canvas, so to speak and any colour would work... Ie you have white worktops... Then really go for something striking... I have just found a few colours from a company online that are quite interesting..I'd say do some research into pricing and ask for samples.. Or visit a showroom to get an idea... Get as many samples as you need before deciding.. I think the more natural looking as possible... Some of them can look manufactured.. You could also add a small splash back panel.. Narrow is quite tasteful, the have a really chalky matt paint on the walls and matt paint for the cupboards..... Lastly think of finish.. squared off edges are in my eyes more tasteful.. but you can look at that and decide what you like the look of :)) Cosmic black... Siena BordeauxVerde MarinaceKinawa

There seems to be too much going on in your kitchen which is jarring, with colour and everything crowded around the old chimney breast. Perhaps the simplest thing to do might be to remove the backsplash and paint all the walls a warm neutral to tie in with the cupboard doors. I think the upper cupboards on the LHS of the old chimney breast could be removed to give a greater sense of space. As Jonathan has said, under cabinet lighting will brighten the space.

I think if you are going for that floor (which is lovely) and pale cupboards then a darker worktop is a good idea, perhaps not black though. If you want for a deeper stone coloured cupboard then white or off white worktop would work well. That would be my choice. The light would bounce off the worktop and the cupboards a deeper warm colour would prevent it from looking insipid. https://www.floorsofstone.com/blog/a-perfect-partnership/

When we reserved the stone slabs at the stone yard we did indeed sign a disclaimer, it was our understanding that we couldn’t have the slabs if we didn’t sign. When I check their website, they don’t have the granite listed anymore, but then I’m pretty sure that we had the only 2 slabs they had of this granite, so this would make sense. Unfortunately we don’t have pictures of them. Thank you for your advice, I’m located just outside London so I will get in touch with Rossi Stoneworks. I just felt so clueless, so having a name of an expert to contact is a massive help. I did wonder if the marks were due to ‘sucker pads’ or something similar and raised this with the stone mason, but he said that wasn’t possible (I can’t remember the exact reason he gave), but I agree that the marks look so uniform in shape, which (I believe) points to something machinery related (as opposed to something naturally occurring within the stone). I fear that the disclaimer we signed may pose a problem - watch this space. I will add more on here with updates, in case anyone else experiences anything similar. Thanks again for your comments - I really appreciate it, I don’t feel as helpless now.