Melis! I will think more on this, but wanted to bump ya for now. I'm excited you are getting closer.

Gosh, those are a lot of things to think about. Do you have any inspiration photos? I am not as big on mixing finishes as many people are. I would probably do a stainless hood. I am not sure if I would like the stainless apron front sink with chrome faucet. Again, though, I am really matchy-matchy. I think some inspiration photos would help. I probably would wait to worry about the backsplash after you make these other choices.

high gloss inset with contemporary bar pulls and soapstone counters??? Not sure what style you think you are creating....high gloss and contemporary bar pulls says modern...but inset cabs and soapstone is usually a traditional look. I guess if you have definitely picked out soapstone[do you have the piece?]..go to the cabinet people and see if you can cut the gloss to at least semi-gloss and get a different pull style. Just find a traditional ceramic tile backsplash..normal amt of glazing-neither high gloss or matte.....Quartzite finish-I would just do the standard. When changing sheen or finishes along with style changes it can be confusing....try to hit middle of the road ..you've picked inset and soapstone...don't stray too far from traditional or transitional.....the contemporary elements [hi gloss..sleek anything] would be the ones to rethink.

Herb- I can do lower sheen on the cabinets, no problem. Hardware has not been chosen yet. Chrome faucet has been ordered and soapstone has been paid for. My instinct tells me to stick with polished for the quartzite. I could do the quartzite on the backsplash as well, with the soapstone behind range. The ss apron sink I am rethinking.

How about posting pictures of what you have chosen so far. I'm with Herb in that the cabinets and soapstone read more traditional and the finishes and pulls read very contemporary. You say inset doors, but what style inset doors for example?

That's a lot to think about. To address the range & hood area - where will the soapstone behind the range end? Is it going to be bordered by a different backsplash material or by cabinetry? Here's a few pics - just to establish where the soapstone backsplash ends. I'm thinking that two different stone slab backsplash materials would be too much. This is all I have for tonight.

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Cpartist- the doors are shaker with no bead. I already texted my cabinet guy and said low sheen. Our soapstone is Churchill which reads very black when oiled. My dh loves the soapstone as do I, but he is so excited to have it behind the range and that has kind of thrown off the picture in my head. The range hood will definitely be a Modernaire barrel with a rail, but I have a day or two to decide on finish. I could do stainless with either black bands or mirrored bands to tie in with the chrome faucet. I'm not really worried about pulls yet, but I need to decide on a sink ASAP. All along I've been planning on a stainless farmhouse.

One more picture of the black hood with soapstone & white subway. Not realizing that the sink decision is urgent, I got fixated on what finish the hood should be.

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Romy- thank you for the photos! The soapstone will be just behind the 48" range. Actually it will line up with the hood so 54" wide. There will be stacked upper cabinets on either side of the hood. I don't think I want a 4" border all around and I also think you are right that the quartzite would be too much. I just saw the last photo you posted. The black hood looks good with the soapstone especially with the mirrored stainless band at the bottom. I also love the shelf in the 3rd photo. The hood and the sink are the two decisions that should have already been made/ordered. We've had a Shaws farmhouse sink for almost 14 years and love the apron front. This time around I thought I'd do stainless for a change. Today I told dh maybe we should scrap the farmhouse sink and he insisted on it. He thinks I've completely lost my mind. He would make every decision in 5 min and never look back! Lol

I just did a photo search on Houzz "stainless steel farmhouse sink." I think it's a very clean look that can work in a kitchen that is transitional or contemporary. It was paired in several pictures with a stainless hood, range & refrigerator and still didn't look like too much stainless. Since your frig & dishwasher are paneled, I think you're okay. There were lots of white inset kitchens with that sink - very sharp looking.

Thank you romy! I'm starting to get my confidence back...

I would ask your cabinet maker to provide you with a door or a good sized sample of the finish in your chosen shade of white.

Romy found some great inspiration photos for you!

Here is one more I thought of. It is mommytofive's partial reveal. I love her soapstone backsplash behind the stove. The second picture is un-oiled and really shows the detail and the small shelf. I like the short SS splash with it, but you could easily skip it if you prefer and do a simple tile to the counter everywhere else.

Next is one of my (yes I have many) all time favorites and the original inspiration for my kitchen. You've probably seen KatieOb's. Notice her barrel hood? So gorgeous. She has a lot of the chrome finishes as well.

I could easily picture your soapstone slab behind the stove and with your more modern style finishes like cabinet hardware, stainless apron sink, etc...then it will lean more towards the transitional style.

Transitional is my favorite style. I love a mix of modern and traditional, so I am loving all your choices. I can almost see it already and it's going to be awesome!

My one concern was the black hood. I did like it with your original idea for the quartzite slab. But when I looked up photos, and you probably noticed this too, most pictures had the lighter backsplash with it like you were originally planning. That said, I love the soapstone choice too, so if hubby loves the soapstone, I would go for the stainless hood with the shiny bands. I think that will look really great Melis.

Btw, just curious on what the quartzite is called for the island and the blue grey color you chose? Weren't you doing that color on your hutch area too? Please keep us posted on what you decide ok?