cabinet reference photo

Love flat fronts - easy to clean! I think soapstone goes with anything. I remember it topping lab tables in high school and everything had maple flat front doors, so it will work. Be sure you are aware of all the care and potential incidents that come with soapstone too.

“Be sure you are aware of all the care and potential incidents that come with soapstone too.”

@decoenthusiaste...what “special care, and incidents” would that be?

I’ve had soapstone for 5+ years...a hard variety, Belvedere. Soapstone needs no special care. It’s impervious to everything...doesn’t stain or etch. cleaning is a breeze, just dish soap and water. It’s the only stone that will not suffer from thermal shock, as it accepts heat without issue.

A hard variety like what I have, resists scratching, and chipping. Any scratches can be buffed out with a blue scrubby pad. The natural oxidation of the top of the stone, will render scratches invisible.

I do agree that soapstone will go well with slab doors. The first inspiration pic, Hill Road Residence, is beautiful!

@darbuka, @decoenthusiaste : part of why my husband wants soapstone is because he knows me - and how likely I am to leave red wine bottle dribbles or a pinch of lemon juice or turmeric unwiped for an evening, haha. we feel confident we can handle scratches and have some harder varieties of soapstone available to us. Cabinet Color suggestions for soapstone?

Your husband is right...red wine will not affect soapstone, no matter how long it’s left sitting.

As for cabinet color...if not doing wood, I’m partial to celadon green with soapstone. We have medium stained wood cabs, but we installed celadon green subway tiles for the backsplash, and love it. What little wall space we have in the kitchen, is painted a similar green.

I agree soapstone really does go with a lot. Your inspiration pics in you ideabook are lovely. I think you totally know what your doing and have a fun but still beautiful style!

The most authentic look in your case would be formica tops...in a shiny finish soapstone is more common in country
/rustic kitchens if you are driven by the authenticity factor...

@darbuka that celadon is truly perfect with your cabinets, i love the tonal variations in the tile.

Thank you, Katherine. The tiles are from Heritage Tile, their Subway Ceramics collection. They’re semi-handmade, thus the variation in tone.

Beadboard is not "coastal" - it is vintage 1800s-early 1900s, significantly earlier than your era. It would look seriously out of place in a ranch.

I would choose the slab over so-called shaker which is again more of an early 1900s thing.

This is not to say you have to live in a museum or do everything EXACTLY how it would have been done originally in your house - nooooo! Just that the more you keep your upgrades and modern touches in sync with the original ranch design the more the house will flow and feel right.

Soapstone for instance- it really wasnt used all that much in kitchens back in the olden days, it really is a more of a 2000's thing (as mining and transporting of stone became more economical) but the simplicity and naturalness of it would fit beautifully with wood slab doors. Yeah they mostly used formica but it often had stone patterns, so a soapstone in a square edge is going to convey the same kind of design sense. EDTA - oooh celedon green cabs, nice!

Soapstone was not in fashion in those MCM homes, but you can never go wrong with it. I just installed mine and am so glad I did. Formica was the big deal back then, but you really don’t want that. Though they have recreated those fun vintage prints again! Who doesn’t love a turquoise boomerang? 😆
If you don’t do soapstone, May I suggest travertine hex tile backsplash? It would be a nod to the era. Have fun!

I did green with my soapstone too, and the veining unintentionally has the same color! In my case I’m using these tiles for a more European hand painted look delft look. Backsplash tile is where you can really get creative. Lighting too. Check out www.Tudoandco.com and www.shadesoflight.com for unique fixtures.

I think this would be fun! Check out the Ming green penny tile at Tilebar.

I know you want natural stone, but it’s a crime that that reference shot with aqua cabinets doesn’t have boomerang countertops....

Channeling what @btydrvn and @wiscokid said, I love that retro boomerang pattern that is available in lots of different colors. Reminds me of the Jetsons. How fun would that be! But maybe there's a lot of people that would judge and not understand the authenticity of the look. It would be a risk. But I love it! The upside is the cost savings and a countertop that is so easy to live with. Pull a color from the boomerang for your backsplash in square shaped tiles.

This is an interesting and fun discussion ...but the bottom line is the retro look will not have a broad appeal..and will not have the value added equal to the investment...in the way another more conventional kitchen will...