@GF - we are getting exactly that (as per your first picture, in white) for our kitchen in the next few weeks. FWIW I think your wife is exactly right.
If you follow your line of spillage reasoning, you will also end up with a pub carpet:
Go with the plain grey. Materials that try to imitate other materials always look naff IMO.
If you scratch/burn your lookylikey formica top it's still going to look like a scratched/burnt formica top, not patinad concrete/zinc
@GF - we are getting exactly that (as per your first picture, in white) for our kitchen in the next few weeks. FWIW I think your wife is exactly right.
If you follow your line of spillage reasoning, you will also end up with a pub carpet: