White soapstone kitchen reveal

11 years ago

It has been about a year since I last posted, and my kitchen is done. I thought I would post these camera phone pics, as I have lost my real camera. I am enjoying my soapstone immensely still.

I took down the wall with the piano on it to open up the kitchen to the dining room. The kitchen was oppressively small, cramped, and dark.

I chose off-white (a bit creamier than BM Cloud White) for the cabs, because I like the warm white with the soapstone. As well, the room faces north, so I thought some warmth would be nice. I chose BM Honey Harbour for the walls. Again, for warmth. I had originally chosen a soft bluish teal (very on-trend!) but it looked institutional and depressing.

I chose 75,000 different pulls and knobs and my kitchen installer was really happy about that :-) . They are polished nickel (again, for warmth) mostly from rejuvenation. I have not noticed any tarnishing.

The faucet is Grohe. Cheap. I did not want something bulbous or too thick. It is alright although the pressure is too high and creates a lot of splashing. There is no aerator on it, and I think that is why there is so much splashing. In fact, the splashing is extremely annoying.

I realize that my kitchen is not in keeping with the rest of the house, but it is in keeping with my own, sort of traditional style, and realistically, this house does not have much character to begin with.

Note that in the before pics, I have a piano in the kitchen because I was refinishing the floors.

Featured Answer

littleprince2
Original Author

11 years ago

lisa_a:

Oh, I was an avid poster about 1 year ago and went by 'hydragea'. I couldn't stand the typo in my name anymore and switched to littleprince2.

I remember that you were trying to choose a honed granite last year. It was a light colour with a bit of red in it, IIRC. Did you end up with that? I remember completely approving of your choice, btw ;-)

Actually, I remember crl_, funkycamper, practigal, willtv, localeater, mama goose, and bpathome, and romy from last year. <Waves>.

I stressed and fretted on this board about layouts and styles quite a lot and likely drove you all crazy. I didn't choose an ideal layout, but site lines and symmetry were important to me--and that's the type of thing that's hard to see in an online birdseye plan. I do regret putting in the seating at the counter, which several advised against.

Oh and Lisa, thanks for saying the kitchen looks good in the house. I worried about that a lot.

Anyway, to answer some q's.

1. range is Bluestar, from Costco.

2. soapstone. I don't know what it is but it looks like barroca (the softest kind) to me. It gets water marks, so I think it might not have been honed properly. I didn't do a built-in drainboard, so the water marks are not as much of an issue for me. Has there been any update on how to solve the water marks problem other than having it rehoned to a lesser grit?

2a. Yes, it scratches easily. I think about 100% of soapstone owners (myself included, obviously) don't care though, because the scratches blend in. I was definitely worried about it, but I don't care anymore, in the same way that I don't care that my pine harvest table gets scratches. So I would say, if you think you can handle scratches in wood, you can handle scratches in soapstone.

2b. I would say there is no green undertone. I would say it's a completely neutral black with caramel lines. (Did I mention it's really, really nice?)

3. The bin pulls and glass knobs are Rejuvenation. The latches, metal knobs, and pulls are from Cliffside industries. They're all polished nickel and all match.

4. Cabinets are Laurysen Kitchen, a local cabinet place. They're spray-painted birch. The cabinet 'innards' are not as good as IKEA, but they're good enough.

5. Hood is NXR from Costco.

6. Dishwasher - a mid-range Bosche.

7. Fridge - a lower end KitchenAid.

8. Faucet - Grohe in chrome (not a fan)

9. Sink - Kraus 30" Single Basin Undermount 16 gauge steel from Amazon. Came with a basin protector. Love it!

10. Glass cabs next to range - because of the hood fan, there is zero grease or build up. I've not cleaned these cabinet doors since getting them last year (well, except on the frame, where you get dirt from your hands). As far as having so many glass cabs: it's not ideal, and I'm extremely happy to have the lone non-glass upper there for bread and spreads and a few other breakfasty goods. What I do is put all my dishes in the glass cabs and anything that looks a little good. All mismatched cups and mugs go in a drawer. I find the glass really opens up the smallish kitchen. As for things like baking goods and spices, they're all in drawers between fridge and stove.

11. The piano got transferred to the back sun room :-) Kids love to cook! It's amazing what a nice space will do.

Thanks for looking, and again, thank you for your feedback!

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Comments (31)

Nothing Left to Say
11 years ago
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your pictures and details!
nancyjwb
11 years ago
My favorite kind of kitchen! Simple, functional, and white:) It looks like such an improvement over the old one, I'm sure you love it!

A few more details would be lovely! What variety of soapstone do you have? And what is your range and hood brand? I can't *quite* read it.
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cpartist
11 years ago
Beautiful.
Carrie B
11 years ago
Nicely done!
katieleabrown86
11 years ago
I love your soapstone. I don't know much about soapstone. What is the name of yours and is it one of the harder ones? I read somewhere that soapstone can be soft and scratch easily, which is why I haven't researched it much, but I love the look of yours! Does it have any green undertones or is it pure black? Your kitchen is lovely!
practigal
11 years ago
Gorgeous! That was a lot of work?
anitamo
11 years ago
Beautifully done.
funkycamper
11 years ago
Wonderful transformation. Very tasteful and I can tell the workmanship is excellent. Enjoy!
Amber
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Beautiful and calming! Your soapstone is so lucious!! Can I ask how you like the glass cabinets next to the range? I'm debating doing that as well. Aesthetically it's perfect in your kitchen. How do you feel about it functionality-wise??
romy718
11 years ago
What a lovely kitchen & eating area. Love the soapstone & the combination of the nickle cup pulls & the glass knobs. The stainless appliances & hood look great with all your other choices. Congrats on your beautiful new kitchen. Cute little guy on the sofa too!
Carolyn
11 years ago
Beautiful! Your kitchen looks like my plan! Love, love, love it! :)
localeater
11 years ago
I really love your kitchen, the shades of white and cream play together perfectly. I love that you varied the hardware on the cabinets. SImply stunning!
bpath
11 years ago
What a nice place to cook for your family now! Maybe they even come in to help...or taste-test?

But the musicians out here want to know: where is the piano now?
mama goose_gw zn6OH
11 years ago
I love a white Shaker/soapstone kitchen. Very nice--and so much wonderful counter space. The glass doors beside the hood are a great focal point. Enjoy your new kitchen!
my_four_sons
11 years ago
So pretty, love your soapstone and the hardware variety. Thanks for sharing pics!
oasisowner
11 years ago
I can't believe that is the same kitchen! Your soapstone is beautiful.
guco45
11 years ago
I love your cabinets, may I ask where you purchased them from?
willtv
11 years ago
Beautiful!!
agk2003
11 years ago
love it!
littleprince2
Original Author
11 years ago
I wanted to check in to say I'll check in later today to answer your questions.

Thanks for the kind words!
tamizami
11 years ago
beautiful, great job!
lisa_a
11 years ago
Wow, what a transformation! Your kitchen is beautiful! Love the glass fronted cabs with the crystal knobs and the soapstone counters. Definitely drool worthy.

I'm not sure why you think your kitchen is not in keeping with the house's style. I think it's simple, clean lines look right at home. =)

Did you ask for design help from GW? Your plan sure looks familiar.
Errant_gw
11 years ago
You have a lovely kitchen :)
lisa_a
11 years ago
I remember you! Nice to know you under your new name. Now stop worrying about whether your kitchen fits your home. It does. =)

I did go with honed Bianco Romano for my island and hutch. Love it! I'll be doing my reveal sometime in the next month. Time will tell whether that's next week or 4 weeks from now. It's taken me a lot longer than I expected to get to the finished point.
bpath
11 years ago
Why do you regret the peninsula seating? Does no one use it? Is it in the wrong place, right in front of the sink? Would you rather have the storage beneath, like on either side of the open space? Seems like it would be a great place for the doggie dish, too.
blfenton
11 years ago
What a pretty space! I like the mix of pulls and knobs and latches - nice combination and each of them goes with the kitchen and also complement one another.
brdrl
11 years ago
Pretty kitchen. It looks like a comfortable space to be in. I really like the mix of pulls. We have had a hard soapstone for a few months, finished at 80 grit. The water marks we get tend to be shortly after oiling. I can rub them out with the rough side of sponge though or oil again and they disappear. Just this week noticed some scratches from dragging stoneware. Not bad and I am sure they will go away next time I oil. It got me thinking about a recent thread though - if it was soft there would already be many scratches and these would blend better. It takes longer to get patina on hard varieties. I don't mind the marks that at all. I was worried about chipping the edges with a softer one. Our house is ancient so it makes sense to have a counter that will show age like the rest of it. Shiny granite just will not do for some settings.
Aliceinjersey
11 years ago
So pretty and I love the glass pulls!
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
11 years ago
I really like your variety of pulls, knobs and latches! It gives interest to the kitchen without being really obvious. Genius!
wags4fun
11 years ago
Classy, warm, lovely kitchen. Great job!

White soapstone kitchen reveal

littleprince2
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White soapstone kitchen reveal

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