Here's the soapstone unoiled (called Polaris):

Here's the soapstone with water on it:

Veining:

Here's the White Mountain Danby marble:

Veining in marble. Is the marble too busy with the busy soapstone?

I would do one or the other. They are both beautiful, but not together. IMO the busier one is the calmer the companion needs to be. From what you've said and looking at your kitchen. I'd use the soapstone. It is something special and if you like it, go for it.

Wonder if you could find a solid surface or something in a seafoam to pearl grey that would go with the soapstone better than a true white.

lascatx - Thx for your input! Something more quiet on the perimeter would work. White does seem too stark/cold...almost a bathroom feel. I will check out the seafoam & pearl grey colors. Thx again!

Rethink setting those cabinets literally in stone. They aren't in as good a shape as you think they are. There's only the one drawer base, and they are starting to show their age with the areas where the tinted varnish top coat is revealing the wood underneath. The contrast between the brand new top grade materials and builder grade cabinets isn't likely to do them any favors. And then you'll be stuck with them because you might damage the stone to try to remove it and do something else. Do the something else first, then do stone.

That's a gorgeous soapstone and looks great with your cabinet color and your wall color. I think it would look so nice and you would love it. Having stone on the countertops is such a nice upgrade to a kitchen. I had old pinkish color Corian before and though it is the best feeling and easiest upkeep and I loved my Corian sink, the look of the granite I now have is such a lavish improvement to the overall feel of the room. It's easy too, but I do miss that soft feel of the Corian but nothing else about it.

I think you would love the soapstone and it's not a huge investment if you don't, but you will : ) What's not to love? It's not a gamble color wise or outrageous pattern to worry about. I even like it with the perimeter stone you are looking at. You could use the less prominent veining parts of the stone for the areas closest to the island and do the more definite pattern farther away. There is no way I could do new cabinets and found that by replacing my countertop, the faucet, sink and pulls it gave the facelift that satisfied me. On down the road I may do some paint but the cabinets are solid and in good condition and new ones are not in the budget. One designer suggested if I just really wanted a different finish or painted cab to just replace the uppers. But they are in perfect condition, it's the lowers that will go first. But they are still in pristine condition with lots of upgrades such as trim, roll outs, drawers and upgraded doors. Not going to happen.

You could have your cabinets touched up in the places that are worn a bit or re-stained perhaps if they need it..in time.

hollysprings - Food for thought. I hear you; have thought about that a bit. The cabinets are Aristocraft maple with a cherry stain... a "step up" builder grade. The door front in the pictures is a reject from when they installed the cabinets; it's been in the back of my van for a year & is truly battered. The kitchen cabinets are in better shape than the single door. However, you raise a good point. The cabinets may look "shabbier" in contrast with the new stone.

I would love white cabinets; reluctant to paint the ones we have (not wild about the arch). Hmmm...I will ponder this and peruse the Ikea kitchen catalog.

Thanks for your honest input!

"And then you'll be stuck with them because you might damage the stone to try to remove it and do something else."

I've been hired to remove stone so that new cabinets could be installed and the stone reinstalled. I broke and repaired 3 sink rails on 3 separate jobs and I'm really good at this.

The hollinator knows of what she speaks.

gr8day - Thank you for your comments! So good to hear from someone who's been in a similar situation & had a successful kitchen facelift! Our Formica is still in great shape & we've been happy with it. I've wondered if we'd like the "cold" feeling of a stone compared to Formica & have actually felt guilty about ripping out countertops in good shape. But, we are ready for a change...and we'll repurpose at least the island Formica for a desk/working area for the kids in the basement.

I think the soapstone was meant to be! I've been searching for so long...and then stumbled across this slab. Can't believe the price either...and that sure reduces the risk with the decision! I think the color would work, too. Thanks for your opinion & great input! You've helped put me at ease about the soapstone. And great idea re the marble/pattern placement. Lots to consider. I will meet with fabricators on Monday & get quotes & their input. Going to get that soapstone for sure!!

Trebruchet - Good to know. You & the "hollinator" raise a good point re cabinet replacement down the road...I will weigh your input into the equation. I'm pretty comfortable replacing the island countertop now. There are no cutouts; just a rectangle...so I'm assuming less risk if we wanted to replace the island down the road. I'll think long and hard about the perimeter cabinets.

Thank you!

Finally getting around to posting photos of our island facelift. We do love the soapstone (although I still suspect it might be serpentine)...no staining, no scratches, indestructible. Love that it is organic, inert, needs no sealing, & is unique. I have to admit I sometimes miss the feel of laminate; it's taken a bit of time to get used to the cold feeling of a stone. Laminate is more forgiving as well; we've broken a few glasses on the soapstone. But it's a nice improvement.

It's time to start looking for perimeter counter options. We love the soapstone a lot; have considered a less busy, more traditional black soapstone. But concerned it will be too dark in the kitchen. The other option at the moment is a honed Danby Marble. The marble shown in earlier posts looked too busy; hunting for a slab more calm. Open to suggestions!! Thanks to all.

Soapstone island:

Samples: Honed Arabescato Mountain Danby, Mirasol black soapstone (counter & samples a bit wet)

I have soapstone and Carrera marble in my kitchen--soapstone on my long L-shaped counter and marble on the smaller more buffet or pastry work center. I like them both, and, in fact, in many ways find the honed marble easier to care for than the soapstone.

I do have a caution for you though. Soapstone does seem to soak up the light in the kitchen. You might find that with all soapstone your kitchen will seem a lot darker than with your current light counters.

Love the soapstone, but not the marble backsplash, too much going on together. I'd pick a more subdued backsplash.

needinfo1 - Appreciate your input. Yes, the 'dark factor' is my biggest concern with all soapstone. Have been leaning toward the marble, plus keeping appliances white (for now). I really like the Ikea farm sink; would keep it bright. The challenge will be finding the right slab of honed marble that is not too busy. Just hard to pull the trigger!

hpny2 - The marble is being considered for the perimeter countertops only. We will most likely have no backsplash; we like the green paint, as it goes really well with the green in the soapstone. Afraid that too much stone will be too busy. Countertops first though; then we'll decide for sure about the backsplash. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Ikea Sink

Just chiming in to say I really like your soapstone.
It's quite a nice upgrade to your kitchen.

hydragea - Thank you for the compliment! It's amazing how different our kitchen looks with simply getting a new island top. The different edge profile is a huge improvement over the rolled edge on the Formica, too.