I have a black laminate top in my rental, it shows every hair, dust, and mark imaginable even after just wiping it down. My friend chose a black essa stone top and regrets it to for this reason. I love black but have chosen Atlantic Sea Salt white with grey flecks and a bit of black in it by Caesarstone for my new build. I also have chosen Ravine Char Oak by Polytec for my cupboards which is a grey wood grain, I too have a black fridge but have no kids living at home anymore, so black shiny cupboards if you have small children might drive you mad! But a black with a wood grain finish wouldn't show marks like a shiny finish would. Good luck!

Maybe check out Smartstone Athena. I think it might fit your criteria.

Your choice but gloss kitchens do definately date a kitchen as it's a highly specific fashion. My last rental property had high gloss cabinets and they showed every fingerprint on the cabinets which was a real pain. Each time I wiped the cabinet doors I then had to go back over them with a dry lint free cloth to make sure they dried without smears. Because they were two-pack and not laminate doors they also chipped on the edges and looked awful as it was a dark gloss and you could clearly see the substrate in every chip. The laminate kitchens I've used have all been much friendlier to a high traffic area prone to use and abuse of the cabinets. Since your floor is already high gloss I wouldn't compete with that on the cabinets as well. Better to let the floor be the star of that show. You are also planning on an engineered stone counter which will presumably be relatively glossy as well. Sometimes an effect is alluring because it's the focal point of the room. If the entire room were gloss surfaces then none of it gets to stand out and draw the eye.

Hi jh13, I don't know what you are using for your cabinet faces or your other bench tops, or how you need your island bench top to perform to give a fully considered reply, however based on your just your question, I would suggest using Blackbutt tops or if you want lots of this "rustic" effect, then you may also like to consider as an option. Hope this helps, Malcolm.