Z-Man, beautiful stone you've got there.
I'm interjecting as I was brought up around my father's 31 year old Kitchen and Bath business.
Granite, can be incredibly costly/foot as (possibly)displayed by Z-Man, but really looks fantastic.
More importantly, it shouldn't be your starting point as it's one of the highest cost options. Another thing to consider, does your house give the granite vibe? (Would it match? Example: It would seem weird to pull into a driveway with a granite block apron, granite curbing, paved with pavers with an artistic design near the house...if the house was a 1300sqft ranch)
Is it a trend, maybe, I've walked through 12 houses recently with the wife. All are 30-100 years old, 400-475k in CT $ doesn't go far, not one with an original kitchen had original granite...I would not consider it timeless.
The other materials listed, concrete, different tiles with little/no grout, or even stainless are very cool, low buck alternatives.
My wife and I recently looked at a house that had the original kitchen from '53, with commercial grade stainless counter-tops. If we could have afforded the house, they would have stayed
