Quartz and light colored cabinets seem to be the trend. That said, in many rural parts of the country a darker cabinet and color for quartz may be more appropriate. It's a personal choice as long as it fits the home .

Fred,

I have always liked marble, and you do have to take care of it more so than granite.  We like a light kitchen, and real wood cabinets.  It all depends on the home, and the style.  We adore bright and light and functional.  It is a matter of taste in the long run.  A

Granite counters, white shaker cabinets and either a quartz backsplash or a nice tile pattern is popular out here.  Basically watch "Flip or Flop" and you'll see many of the styles we've been using for years on it and some of the exact products we've used have shown up in recent episodes.

Quartz in lighter colors mostly.

I've always been a granite girl. And I learned early on to use light/lighter granite as dark granite shows everything! (Sort of like I only once owned a black car and never again!)

The real trend these days is quartz. Quartzite, which is a more expensive version is gorgeous. And I suspect if I were to ever redo my granite counters I'd go for the quartzite product.

I've always liked a tiled backsplash... at one time glass tiles were horrendously expensive but not sure where they stand now. 

My preference is still granite.  It is the only countertop that has stood the test of time and is not trendy.  But.. I let my clients make their own decisions.

All depends on the home, higher end granite, still a lot of lighter cabinetry and wall colors.
I prefer quartz, white cabinets and light walls.

I prefer Quartz for its durability. People are not looking for wood/oak cabinets rather opting for painted

Many folks are leaning towards quartz and lighter colored cabinets. I prefer lighter myself and no maintenance.

We switched to quartz in our home. That is a popular selection in our area.

Fred Griffin Tallahassee Real Estate assuming that price is no object and yet it always is, I prefer Quartz. I prefer Quartz because as far as I know it is the least porous of the stone countertops and easiest to maintain.

Seeing more light colors, Quartz is high up on the list due to ease of maintianing it compared to marble. Wood counters are an accent maybe on an island counter or bar area. Solid stone surface as backsplash on high end homes.

Quartz for the counters. I don't think that dark is the way to go - looks old (black). My other house had marble & if you put any kind of oil like olive/cooking it will make a ring that will never come out. It will be there for life.

I've heard that white cabs are out but everyone wants them so ??? Trending is the one side of cabinets one color, the island area another color.

Stainless stove hoods, where is that microwave going then? I still want a microwave.

No back splashes.
Quartz, cement and resin.
With the last two, the artistry/creativity is breathtaking.

Doing a lake home over now that has dark green, sparkle in the light granite counter top that will stay. So it forces light colors on the walls because hickory hardwood going in on the bottom, natural native pine on the ceilings Fred Griffin Tallahassee Real Estate . I really think granite is sooo beautiful anywhere in your living space. Picking it out is fun too.

These are all so personal and the trends seem to change with the winds. 

This is one of those things where I don't care what trends are if it is for me.  I will always put corian in any kitchen I build and have oak cabinets that are stained medium.  I hate painted cabinets and granite is over-rated and has to be resealed too often. Who decided to use a porous stone for countertops?

Plywood, unfinished

We just changed to quartz in our own home and are really happy with it.

Greenish yellow Formica a la 70's..., just kidding.
Plenty of good answers already.

I saw a home with plywood counters last week, yes a remodel started an dthey ran out of money. A new blog coming soon. Yes i listed it, yes it is priced right and will sell quick