Love your definition of decor style! I personally have a zoo! It's hard for me to tell what color your cabs are. I'd say if you don't want to spend much and keep it less "kitchey" I'd likely go for wood. However, I adore soapstone!! Guess I need more info.

Thanks. The cabinet is white and probably always will be. The walls are in the process of being painted a cream color--the old tan color is visible where the countertop was removed.

Which reads less kitchen-ish to you--soapstone, or wood? If wood, what kind of wood--butcher block, a solid slab of wood stained dark ?

I don't want white wood because I'd have to quit my day job to repaint it often enough to make it look nice. I have white wood on top of the builtins downstairs and they only remain in shape because they are at the end of the room and there's no reason anyone would walk all the way back there to set something down.

I think I'd pick out a granite that had an unusual pattern but in colors that went with the room.

My only concern with wood or soapstone is when you want to use it as a bar - both could show water marks from wine bottles, glasses etc. What does the rest of the room look like?

I think for that size, you could probably find a nice granite or quartz remnant for a decent price.

It looks like a small space. I'd go to a local granite fabricator and see what interesting remnants he may have around. You can typically get them for cheap as they like to get rid of them. Our guy charged us $1/sq ft + labor for remnants. Being small, and given the use, you may be able to get away with a more delicate stone like onyx which could be lovely.

Given its use, you could also do tile, glass or metal. If your taste is more rustic, you could do a slab of wood with a live edge. You could also do something like make your own countertop out of corks and then cover it with glass.

A slab, not butcher block, of solid wood with glass on top might work. But I think I would go for a stone remnant. Granite, quartzite, engineered quartz.

Thank you all, very helpful! I believe there is a stone shop on my way to work. I will see if they have remnants that I like. Annie Deighnaugh, lol about the corks. A project like that would have been my first choice back when we bought our last house. Tile mosaic? Copper sheeting? Concrete embedded with fossils? I'd have put it on the list. But I'm in a huge simplifying phase now, so my mantra is "no new projects". If I see a chair at the second hand shop that would be perfect "if only it had a little work/paint/new fabric" I repeat my mantra and walk away. Almost every time ;-)

love the wood idea, its been a while since I was doing the decor thing but Ikea used to have some beautiful wood countertops that were priced reasonably.

Hi - I picture it w/ a glossy very dark counter top - maybe even black....

I agree on a stone remnant. It's such a small piece, you could get a completely amazing type of stone for a low price. As much as I love soapstone and butcher block, they might look a bit more kitchen-y. A wood slab would also look great, but you'd have to use an super tough finish for a bar area.

Another vote for remnant. We have a very small vanity in our hall bathroom and I found a gorgeous emerald green "Rain Forest" granite remnant at a fabricators shop. They cut it to size, finished the edge and DH installed. It was a fraction of the cost.

You can find something really exotic and unusual, making that spot an unexpected show piece.

I too think you should go for a dramatic granite or quartzite. I recommend Cinderella Gold, a granite with vibrant Browns, blues and golds with bold large movement. Or better yet, if you can find a remnant of Van Gogh, a granite whose name is most appropriate with no exaggeration.

I just looked up the Van Gogh granite. How aptly named! It's spectacular, but palatable in small doses IMO.

Wow, that is spectacular! It won't show spills! And that might be a problem...if this is where things get set down, what if someone sets down their water bottle for a minute, then someone comes along with their book report and sets it down on the wet ring? Even though it's kind of 60s-ish, I like the wood with a glass top idea. Looks great, easy clean. Or, a really great Formica/WilsonArt laminate.

Thanks, everyone, for the ideas. We're going to look for a stone remnant first. I'm usually not a fan of bold patterns in granite but that Cinderella Gold is beautiful and since we only need 35" probably the pattern would not drive me crazy.

If I was going to choose a base color for the stone with my furniture and decor colors in mind, I would probably go with a very dark rich coffee blackish brown, so if anyone has a name to look for, I'd love to have it.

If I can't find anything I like remnant wise, I'll go back to considering wood, but probably not butcher block. I'll post back when we've decided. :)

If you do go with wood, look into things like figured bubinga...it's really quite stunning.

WOW, Annie, yes it is. I actually wish my stepfather was alive to see that. He was a woodworker and I know it would have bowled him over to see such a counter. This is why I love these forums. On my own, I would never have known to even look for these things. I really appreciate it.

Glad you like the Cinderella gold. I have it in my kitchen and find it endlessly intriguing.

We recently got a remnant to do a 54" table top. You should have a good choice of remants, especially if you can set a scrap of plywood or something down and wait for the right thing. Butcher block sounds like it should be in the kitchen to me, but a smooth wood top could be beautiful.

I've got a big jar of corks that I can't fit any more into -- could probably do that in a couple of hours. Maybe a restaurant would give you corks if you want to try that route. Glue them onto a sheet of plywood cut to fit, put into place and top with a sheet of tempered glass made to fit.