Very true--I know there are a lot of whites out there. I do like the look of all white kitchens and the possibilities of having a very neutral wall to work with for artwork/window treatments. I don't think I would want to try to match the cabinets, and I am wondering if it is possible to introduce a warmer white. The "Grey Orchard" floor tile does have a lot of color variability--it is not a flat gray. The Pratt & Lambert Nickel reminds me of Sherwin Williams Evening Shadow, maybe? A gray that reads like a blue in certain light? I have that in my bedroom and bath in my non-beach home and love it.

Thanks everyone for your replies and great ideas. You aren't supposed to put hot pots on granite either, less risky than quartz but can still damage it. I've had granite for 20 years and never had a problem putting hot pans on it. I don't cook with cast iron but everything goes straight onto the counter, from the cooktop and the oven. I have a small marble baking counter and don't feel safe putting a hot pot on that, but never think twice about granite. I'd install more kitchen lighting before giving up on soapstone, if that's what you have your heart set on. The kitchen will be well lit but I'm trying to avoid having to put lights on during the day. I'm really hoping that it will look brighter with the primed drywall. We'll see. Corian rain cloud is pretty popular, I think. This blog post has photos of her rain cloud slab and install. I love that Corian! I think it would look perfect in the bathrooms too. It would look great in the kitchen, but I really do like to put hot pans on the cooktop. Old habits die hard. I am tempted to find a work around though. It would look perfect! We put a solatube in our middle-of-the-house kitchen and it's been wonderful. Believe it or not, there is a path where through which we could install one or two but I was worried it would be like a spotlight. Do they spread the light well?

Thank you Betsy! I really do love the aesthetic of Studio McGee. I've been using their work as inspirational images. I also appreciate your suggestions for the stairs and the beams. Now my question is what should we do about the color in the rest of our house? Can we keep it the same and fine a white that will go with it or do we have to paint everything else as well?

Are you remodeling because the kitchen is dark, or for some other reason? If only because of the lighting issue, there are many solutions to that, and some have been suggested already. I don't think borrowing light from the sunroom is going to be helpful. Pass thru openings aren't a good solution unless the room you're borrowing light from is super bright, and you'll lose storage; plus you have 2 doors that swing into that wall. They'll be awkward if hung to swing in the opposite directions. Painting the walls a lighter color with higher LRV will help, as will a new, brighter backsplash, and possibly a new lighter countertop.. No one has mentioned LEDs above the cabinets, but that can be helpful too. If you can't increase the window size, maybe you can add a skylight above the sink area. At the least, dropping a pendant closer to the work area should help. Painting the island to match the other cabinetry will increase brightness as well. Love the floors!