Here's a better pic under LED lighting which will be going in our kitchen as well.

i vote for the one on the left (not sure which is which) because i like the darker background. the one on the right reads a little more green to me.

prefer the one on the left, but a bigger piece along with actual cabinet door and so forth would be helpful. probably either is fine if this is the final type of look you are certain you want. [many would offer all kinds of other options].... is that a tile or laminate plank floor?? please tell...... with cherry cabs this will be a rich look....go a little blingy with the hardware-these materials will like that......accents will make a big difference here I think.

Not going to help here ... I prefer the one on the right because I just do.

Either one would be good.

They are both lovely. I'd pick a backsplash now and use whichever goes best with the backsplash.

I also prefer the one on the right for exactly the same reason as lazy_gardens.

Herbflavor, it's a textured ceramic tile I poached from the clearance at Lowes, it's called Ivetta black. Flooring was our scrimp area, but I really like it so it was no scrimp for me!

I prefer the one on the left but the samples are small. Have you seen full slabs & will you be choosing your slab?

Is there a difference in hardness? If so, I would go with the harder one because they are both beautiful, and you want it to be as durable as possible.

I prefer the left one and it should oil a little less green as it ages.

I love the one on the left!!

We have Original PA and love it. It has been in our kitchen for 3 years and no scratches or chips - it's proven to be very durable. I'm surprised you have PA as an option because last I heard the quarry had been depleted and there was no more PA available. Perhaps they have another quarry in operation.

There is no green in our PA (I didn't want green) . In looking at soapstone I found it to vary quite a bit so picking your slab in person or from a good quality picture is the only way I would go.

Here is a larger picture of our PA - if you click on the picture it enlarges a bit more.

I was going to write what Mom2sulu wrote. Either stone will look great. I would pick the one that is harder and less prone to chipping and scratching.

You should take the picture again and not have them on the gray cushion, I think that is clouding people's judgment.

Both are beautiful, but I prefer a more uniform counter material so I'd go with the one on the left for that reason only. As others have suggested, larger samples would be better to assess and remove the gray cushion for purposes of deciding.

I like the left one!

I would go with the one with more blue, rather than the one with yellow/green - it sounds as if it would match the rest of the house better. (Don't know which is which in the picture.)

Just from your pictures, I like the plainer one better.

This is the cab finish (not door style)

This is a photo of the slab that they sent me for the p.a.

They are both very hard.

Thanks for the photos musckokascp. Beautiful counters! How do you like your prep sink in front of your fridge? Due to some feedback on here I'm probably going to add a prep sink to our island but I'm debating if I want it on the far side of the fridge or next to the fridge........

I love it close to the fridge because its so easy to grab from the fridge and the sink is right there. It depends how far it would be from the other end though - our island is 10feet long so it would have been too far away at the other end. If its only a few feet it would be fine but just make sure you do put it on an end and not smack in the middle. The middle placement cuts the prep space in half and its more functional to have a longer expanse of counter.

If the Belvedere is the one to the right in the original photo, I prefer that one (by a mere nose length) over the PA to the left. Either way this looks like wonderful style!

with your recent pics, i like the one on the right. its quieter and i feel it doesn't mimic your floor like the other one. and i think it will look good either way, oiled or not....

The pictured samples are much too small to make a selection from. Those are the ones you keep in the glove box of your car after you've made your decision and you're trying to accessorize.