All stone in the home is a sign of quality. Stone surfaces are very "forgiving" and best of all, can be restored, polished or repaired. Consider the durability of natural and engineered stone in the home. The Marble Man specialise in stone polishing, repairs and sealing. www.themarbleman.com.au 1300 627 626 will always recommend stone!

Thank you for some concrete information. Those samples could actually be different batches of the one colour. The flecks and shading are almost identical. Is the new version the low silica option following legislative changes? If so, you’ve been caught up in a change that was beyond the Manufacturers and your control. It would also explain the same name being used, something typically not done because it causes problems. PS you assumed I’m a guy. I’m not but I do have 25+ years of dealing with contracts, vendors and projects. Half my life is spent trying to get suppliers to do things they may not want to do, and it all comes back to the paperwork particularly the disclaimers and exclusions. I can’t see any resolution for you.

I don't think you need a theme. If I was starting from scratch I'd look at block and work out best orientation to start with, then I'd look around for floor plans and facades to fit with that. I'd wander around my neighbourhood and take careful note of what I like and don't like. Then I'd do a lot of hunting for images I like on Houzz.

I'd start saving some inspo pics here on Houzz so you can see the common threads of what you like. Then I'd pay a few hundred dollars to have a design consultation. In your area you will have a range of choices.