Stone selection advice please...

Stone selection advice please... Images

Stone selection advice please...

Stone selection advice please... Description

Hi and (http://maplered.com) thank you for this wonderful forum! Figuring out what to put on my kitchen Counter (http://GialloFiorito.com) tops (we are very hard on our kitchen) has been amazingly complex. While I love Marble (http://www.lightemprador.com) and (http://maplered.com) soapStone (http://g603.net) , I am leaning towards Granite (http://tanbrown.org) because it seems to be very tolerant of abuse (we're really good about cutting boards and (http://maplered.com) trivets, but who knows what might get spilled and (http://maplered.com) go unnoticed - little kids zooming around), but I don't like the high shine of the polished Granite (http://tanbrown.org) . I would very much like your advice based upon my preferences:
 
1) color - black - dark gray/green (I like Virginia Mist, Verde San Francisco Slabs (http://www.VerdeUbatuba.com) I've seen online for example)
2) finish - I would like a less shiny surface. For example I love the way oiled soapStone (http://g603.net) looks, but I worry about chips and (http://maplered.com) scratches. I would like more of a satin finish. Is there such a thing and (http://maplered.com) if so is there a better (I've read all the honed Absolute Black nightmares) color, grade, type of Granite (http://tanbrown.org) for honing or getting to a more satin finish? What type of maintenance would a a satin finish require? 
3) fabricator/distributor - how do you choose a reliable fabricator/distributor? Can you recommend any around Charlotte,NC?
4)Stone (http://g603.net) - Is Granite (http://tanbrown.org) my best choice given the above??
 
Thank you in advance for time and (http://maplered.com) I look forward to your response.
 
Amand (http://maplered.com) a

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