Cherry Cabs and Soapstone - Just a Dream??

15 years ago

I went to look at soapstone slabs on Friday and I really am taken with them. I originally thought I would want black, but these have quite a bit of veining and my DH, who didn't want soapstone at all, fell in love with the veined slabs! The question is, will they go with my cabinets (which of course are ordered and are due to arrive next week)?

I have cherry cabinets (slab front) with a toffee stain so they are on the dark side. My kitchen is very sunny - it has windows on the north wall and sliding glass doors on the east wall (about 9 feet of glass). I was originally looking at lighter counter tops (to contrast with the darker cabinets) but they became very washed out in that room (and the shiny granite became very reflective and I wasn't happy with how it looked).

The kitchen will be contemporary. I am planning on painting the kitchen a creamy white to allow the cabinets and the countertops to stand out. I will also have a black fireplace on the south wall, which I think will tie-in nicely with the counter tops. I have stainless steel appliances, brushed nickel faucets. I will use the pendant lights and other accessories add other colors to the space. The floors will be the existing hardwoods - I am planning on keeping them the same color, unless I have to change it to make the cabinets and the SS work better in the space...

Here are photos of the cabinet and the soapstone (why I didn't take a photo of the cabinet next to the SS is beyond me - I think I was more concerned with my 3 year old getting crushed by a slab...). And a photo of the black fireplace (for some reason I don't have a shot from the kitchen side). Do you think I can do this?

SS Photo #1

SS Photo #2

Fireplace

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Comments (13)

mom2reese
15 years ago
I think that would look beautiful together and won't be too dark with all the sunlight and light walls. You could also go with a lighter backsplash, too.

Soapstone is seen a lot in traditional kitchens, but I think it can work well in a contemporary/modern kitchen. I really like mixing modern with more organic-feeling elements like soapstone.
lululemon
15 years ago
I think this is a stunning combination!

I wanted soapstone as well and would have done cherry cabs to go with them. In the end I went in a completely different direction (or rather I will if we ever actually finalized the layout and order something).

Anyway, I'm sure I have seen it in the finished kitchens blog before. Have you looked there for inspiration?
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Thanks! Housetohome--I actually e-mailed them two years ago about it when the show first came out--got pretty much the same response--although they said something about looking into it (which they obviously didn't because they still don't know!). I don't think her tile is identical to the one I got, but it's close. The tile I got was on the low end of Walker-Zanger. I don't think they still make it. It's the Orielle line 4X6 subway tiles in Tanager (green). I think it was $11.50/sf (which I thought was ASTRONOMICAL at the time...then I started pricing out marble basketweave for our bathroom floor!! Yikes!) I have seen some that are a little more "uniform" lately--these are all handmade tiles with a glaze on that red pottery-type tile--so they aren't all identical as you can see from the picture. I kind of like it, but I can imagine that some people might not. But still today, when I wander through our local tile shop, I still like Walker-Zanger the best--fits the decor of our old house the best. Oh, and kpaquette, the befores really were legendary on gardenweb at the time...and certainly not in a good way. Disgusting and completely disfunctional!! Eeew!! I don't even want to remember what that looked like--we were living in the front of the house at the time with the 80's apartment kitchen and our tenant (who was the previous owner--sold it to us as long as he could rent back for two years) had this kitchen. As I walk through the house, it's hard to imagine now how it was split up into a two-family. Amazing how quickly you can get used to spaces, I tell you!! :) Sarah
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lanugget -could you email me more pictures? I'm really trying to visualize light floors vs. med/dark with the soapstone and cabs. In the Finished Kitchen Blog I cannot find anything with cream cabs/soapstone except wood, which of course I love. Sweeby and other wood lovers... you are bad! Now I am back to thinking well maybe I CAN have wood... Seriously Sweeby, that trim with cherry idea is very interesting... It's funny because our bc floors are so lovely, truly love them. And honestly, it isn't that they are scratched all over the place. Just that where they ARE scratched, it looks just horrid. We can hide it with furniture for the most part, but couldn't do that with a kitchen. And the kitchen takes a bigger beating than the rest of the house. Sweeby's idea really has me thinking. Because if the floors were lighter they simply wouldn't show the scratches as much. aaaaarghhh!!!
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oruboris: I don't agree. We do have stained cabinets, not because of any trend, but rather because they fit with our decor. Following your logic, since the 50's stained cabinets have been the norm. There are probally a far higher precentage of stained cabinets in kitchens today than painted ones. I suppose that makes stained cabinets, um, ... well common? And cherry? Often refered to as timless, I suppose that must mean in the next decade or so it will become, um, ...well...tired, and then tiresome? And berryberry: When is the last time you tried to strip off a modern stain finish so that you could paint over your cabinets? Easier said than done. In any case, if your kitchen works well, looks new, has a reasonable level of quality componets, and feels good to you and yours, it will take decades before it will become dated. Only a few trends in kitchen design have not lasted over the past 50 years, painted and/or stained cabinets are not on that list, but Avacado green is. :-)
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Ma wizz I've been enjoying seeing your kitchen finishes, ima a total junkie. I took the weekend off to install our hood, glad to hear it Daisy, ventahood was one of my gardenweb finds along with our bluestar. This was our scratch and sent eBay find, love it becasuse it has the dual blowers AND its's 27" deep. Cannot WAIT to test drive my new wok.
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mom2reese
15 years ago
Take a look at nomorebluekitchen's beautiful kitchen in this thread. Not sure if her cabs are cherry, but they're a similar color with soapstone.
nomorebluekitchen
15 years ago
Hi,

My cabinets ARE cherry and the color looks very similar to yours. Obviously I think your combination works just great :)

Originally I wanted quiet black soapstone as well, but I ended up with dramatic veining which looks a lot like yours. I absolutely love it -- from a distance it still has that quiet organic look I love, but up close it has much more interest and depth for me because of the veining.

Here are a few more pics of my kitchen:

Island veining:
{{gwi:1566039}}

A couple of overall views:
{{!gwi}}

Anita

{{!gwi}}
kitchenredo2
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks so much. I think it will work.

I am suffering from "kitchen overload (the evil twin of TKO) and I am beginning to forget what I've seen where and over-thinking/doubting some of my decisions.

mom2reese and lululemom -- Thank you for your enthusiasm! The last thing I want to happen is to get the countertop installed and think - yikes - I don't like how this looks!

nomorebluekitchen- I had thought I had seen a kitchen with darker cabinets and soapstone countertops, I just couldn't remember which kitchen it was -- I really liked the combination. I am so glad to hear that you love your kitchen - it is beautiful!

I am looking forward to having all these decisions behind me. Now I just have to worry about a back splash and cabinet hardware - how hard can that be ;).
lovlilynne
14 years ago
Kitchenredo2 - do you know the name of your soapstone? It's beautiful - I'm looking for something like it.

Nomoreblue kitchen - same question for you.

I wish the forum had a thread with a picture from every kitchen with soapstone with the name of the soapstone (and maybe even where they got it?)

Lynne
prill
14 years ago
I also have very veined soapstone with cherry cabinets. It works great. Prill

Here is a link that might be useful: http://prillskitchen.shutterfly.com/32#33
rjr220
14 years ago
What gorgeous soapstone! Do a search for Holligator's kitchen: she has natural cherry cabs that have matured: not quite as dark as's Anita's, but just as lovely! My husband and I got to see Holli's kitchen IRL, and he is now totally in love with Soapstone. Love the way the color works with the stone.
Anita -- what is your backsplash? understated, but it's what is perfect for the beautiful cabs.
timber.j
14 years ago
I love it! I think it will work quite well with the other elements you are using.

I have been looking for soapstone like that for my kitchen, but haven't found any locally yet with such nice veining.
boxerpups
14 years ago
Ohhh, Kitchenredo2, I love it.
I think it is going to be a stunning kitchen
with that beautiful slab you have chosen.
I think much nicer than the nordic black
you were thinking of.

~boxerpups
swickbb
14 years ago
I was going to ask the same question of the Cherry cabs with the soapstone but here it is. I think it looks great and looking at the others that have posted their pics I like it even more. That veining in the piece is really nice. Not too busy but enough to not to be boring either. Good choice!
kitchenredo2
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks - I really love how the cabinets look with the soapstone. Now if I can just keep the slab that's on my raised countertop from falling onto the floor I will be just peachy!

I don't have any recent pictures showing the soapstone on the cabinets. They had to remove a tile from the backsplash behind the cook top b/c it was put in upside-down. So as soon as that is done I will have to take some more photos. Here are some photos of the soapstone installed:
lovlilynne
14 years ago
Name or type of soapstone? It sort of looks like it could be Julia.

Cherry Cabs and Soapstone - Just a Dream??

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