I love black & white kitchens (& baths).

You can change the whole personality of the room without changing the countertops or other fixtures.

Back in the early 1960's, my aunt had a guest bath finished out with a black tile floor & 4" black & white wall tiles in a shiny finish.

Through the years, she changed the towels/shower curtain/etc to fluffy yellow, dramatic red, rich hunter green, & maybe a few I never saw or can't remember.

& soapstone is gorgeous!

I think they are two completely different materials, one of which is not trying to mimic anything natural, so I think it will work fine.

Yes, I think it would great. I have Shiloh polar white and soapstone would have looked great with them. The white island will balance the cabs. Please post pics when you are done.

Have you considered a butcherblock wood, or wood-look, surface for your island?

Thank you all! I wasn't sure if the "completely different materials" aspect that Pal mentioned would help or hinder, but I can see that it would be better than a real stone next to a faux.

I say yes too. You are getting what you want for the perimeter now, and in the future it won't be that difficult to replace the island counter with marble.

Or, you might just love what you get now and call it a day.

There are lovely "white" granites out there. When I was visiting a granite yard, I thought I was touching marble. it wasn't. It was man made! I have not seen this anywhere but it could be a good alternative because it will not stain and etch like marble.

pic

mdln, I have considered butcher block in combination with the marble. However our GC got overwhelmed with the bespoke-ness of it all. It made me think that if we do something that custom perhaps we should wait until he is out of the picture.

black perimeter with white island CT

Mdln- may I hijack my own thread and ask you how your polar white cabinets look in real life? I'm hoping they read something like an ikea white- not stark, but not off white. Has that been your experience? Lighting and surrounding colors wil have an effect I'm sure, but just curious. :-)

Sorry, don't know Ikea white but your description seems accurate. They are not as stark as the Shiloh artic white, but not off white. Thought they were more white-white until I had my Carerra CT put in; needed to switch to a higher K/cool white light.

Don't know where my post went but I'll try again...

Just do the whole kitchen in the soapstone. Don't go off in the weeds of place-holding. I think that is more in keeping with the Scandi/Rustic. I don't see solid surface as rustic. I have two counters in my kitchen - black granite because no one locally could do the right Soapstone and quartzite. I wish I would have done all in the quartzite.

Missy, I like your description of "going off into the weeds." Unfortunately they don't have a soapstone slab big enough either :-/ we did try!