Given the description of your kitchen (mostly beige), the granite countertops will be used to add much needed
contrast. Our kitchen had many of the same issues so I can really speak to this.

We think the following granite colors are worth a look and will achieve the above:

1) Giallo Veneziano- very safe but in recent years the color has been on the salmon side
2) Juparana Vyara- Very wavy and has a lot of grey and interest. Not good for a L shaped kitchen though (see granite article below)
3) Crema Bordeau- what we chose- Lots of interest- look out for cracks though
4) Giallo Santa Cecelia - has a lot of grey and dark red dots (like currants)
5) Ubatuba- safe and plentiful
6) Verde Butterfly- pretty cool, very dark green and specks of beige that match your maple cabinets

Keep in mind that the above colors will vary quite a bit. Find a wholesaler in your area where you can go look at the slabs. A granite fabricator should be able to provide a list of addresses. Take your cabinet door with you so that you can put the door next to the slab.

Also see our article on granite for particular things to look out for
http://www.millennialliving.com/Activities/Renovation/Granite/kitchengra....

Note also that we jazzed up our maple cabinet kitchen with a strong color on the backslash. See http://www.millennialliving.com/choosing-colors. You may want ot consider doing the same.

Also upload some photos when your project is finished at http://www.millennialliving.com/node/add/image