it's your space, you should do what you like as you'll see it daily. Select the counter color first; on the monitor, the paint color for the cabinets has a greenish tinge and may not work with the floor. Since it's a small space, I would keep it to one counter material and I would tile the walls. There's other tiles out there than subways!

I think tile behind the range (or everywhere, I adore tile and it does not have to be subway and it does not have to cover the entire wall ;) )

It doesn't seem wise or probably even allowable to run wood behind the stovetop. Stainless behind the stove would clash with your slate appliance, no?

If you do go with the laminate vertical, consider doing a step that's a little bigger than the 4 " standard to modernize the look.

I think laminate countertops make sense for your budget and your kitchen. Do what works for you. Do you have pictures of the ones you are considering?

Have you considered tin ceiling tiles for your backsplash? We used them and love them. They come in many colors, are easy to install, inexpensive, easy to clean and no grout lines!

Thanks - I do find the occasional tile that I like, but I am picky, and I worry that anything has the potential to be trendy and die quickly. I want timeless! I've seen some zellige that I like, and some more modern applications of subway (vertical, for instance) that might do behind the stove. But I feel like tile all over, in a small space, just closes the room in. And, the GROUT. I despise grout. :)

Thankfully the slate appliances have stainless knobs/handles/details so I feel safe not clashing. However, I'll try to visualize and consider that.

I'm curious what Newideas means about ceiling tiles though - do you have links/examples?

Currently I'm thinking laminate counter in either Paloma Polar, or Black Alicante (or something similar to one of these).

IMO you could do better for layout and cabinets by going the next step anf redong the kitchen , by the time you do all new doors and drawers you could get a new kitchen much better storage and layout . You need much better lighting for sure . As for counter why not butcher block everywhere IMO 2 different counters will look bad in the space . I love galley kitchens but yours needs some reall good overhaul to get the most of the space. New cabinets have so much better organization inside and all base drawers are the most amazing im provement ever in a kitchen. Please stay away forn colored appliances get plain old stainless and get appliances that work for how you cook not becuase they all match from one maker.

Hello. I tend to agree with other replies, in that I believe you should stick with one counter material. I would use butcher block as it would really warm up your kitchen. Especially since your flooring color resembles concrete and you will have the darker slate appliances. On a side note, I have the GE slate appliances and absolutely LOVE them. They are so beautiful and really have a warm but slightly edgy vibe to them. I know that sounds weird, but the matte slate finish is so much less harsh than stainless. Plus they show ZERO fingerprints which is a huge bonus when you have kids. I would do black hardware. I don’t think gold would look as good. One final bit of advice on the appliances, check all your finish options against the slate. Good luck!

Is it possible to put more of your budget towards soapstone and add a backsplash at a later time? The soapstone will last a lifetime.

Tanya, I have seen the slate in the store and love it! I do have four young kids, and fingerprints are a huge deal. I'm not too worried about being terribly matchy - I may choose a stainless dishwasher because I love the Fisher Paykel drawer-style. But for the fridge and stove, I love the slate.

At this stage ...i would not add any charcoal counters or dark appliances..you already have darkish gray floors and gray walls...also real butcher block counters are vulnerable to burns from hot pans and can be unsanitary due to the porosity of wood...as to no backsplash ...this also has its problems...walls stain...and are vulnerable to heat...and it is not necessary to have dominant grout lines.....lastly ..just doing the doors will still leave you with old interiors and poor access....exploring new cabinets may offer new options that will improve and update for less than you think.....the one feature that is now emerging as a great improvement...is more drawers in base cabinets which offers so much more useable and easily accessible storage..

Here is an inspiration photo I've held on to that supports my attachment to two counter materials.

Any thoughts on why this wouldn't work as well for me? I realize I still have upper cabinets that crowd things in, and I lack the wood flooring, but I really feel like this could work for me.

My kitchen is pretty wide for a galley, and I actually like the layout. I am not a hoarder of kitchen equipment, and I do have a pantry for storage. It's perhaps not as visually closed in as the photos appear.

Honed Jet Mist will give you a soapstone look with the price point and ease of care of granite. If you're thinking of two different countertop colors, consider getting some foam board and putting a butcher block looking paper on it on one side and something like a dark marble looking paper on the other side and see what you think. You may spend $20 on materials, but it will give a good mock-up of what you're thinking.

Love that photo. I think as long as one of the materials is visually "quiet" -- like the solid white counter in your pic, there's no issue with having both materials.

Note too that in your pic there is wood on the white side too, though, which carries that warm tone and texture across.

I'd do laminate on both sides -- it wears like cast iron, and will unify the kitchen. get the ledge, skip the backsplash. there are laminates that look like butcher block, so maybe that's the perfect solution! ? I worry that a dark counter on one side will be much darker than slate appliances can balance, and will make the room feel closer/more crowded. maybe you can get a mock-up, but your inspiration is notably light and airy, and I don't think that's where you're headed.

anyway, you seem to know what you like! by the time you sell, I guarantee the kitchen will be considered a rip-out anyway, so don't worry about timelessness and style for other people, just what you like the looks of and will make it feel fresh and workable for you and yours. hope it turns out great!

I love stainless steel and you can have it with an integrated backsplash of whatever height you want, though the most common restaurant style tends to be about 5 inches, if I recall correctly. It is a classic, neutral material that is easy to clean and will stand up to heavy use. It also makes a good backing for behind the stove. Seems like it would be gorgeous with shaker style cabinets in a soft gray.

If you like your current layout and the cabinets are in good condition then that is a huge cost savings for your remodel. Though new cabinets are nice* a handy person can add after market inserts like roll out shelves to increase the functionality of the current ones. Lynx is one brand, I’m blanking on the name of the other, better known manufacturer)

Depending on the age of your kitchen now might be a good time to do electrical upgrades too. You can add floods and under cabinet lights to supplement the natural light. My remodel included new ceiling lights, a new sub panel and a number of additional plugs. Because the kitchen footprint and the location of the appliances was remaining the same I was able to get the electric done (along with patching and painting) several months before replacing cabinets and counters. That drastically reduced the time the kitchen was out of service. Maybe that would work for you.

* But as appealing as new cabinets can look older ones may be superior in their construction with thick plywood shells and doors (as opposed to MDF) and shelves that won’t sag under the weight of a couple of cans:)

Hi Amanda, here is the link to the tin ceiling tile we used for our backsplash: https://www.americantinceilings.com/colors-master-backsplash.html
A white or cream color would blend with your cabinetry, or they can do custom finishes. It may be too busy for you w the texture. But they do have some basic geometric designs.
We have soapstone counters and chose a dark finish for ours. It was installed 8 years ago and looks brand new. I cook a lot and I have loved not cleaning grout. Just wipes clean.
Here is a photo I though you might like from their site:

Followinh

I think two different kinds of counters would be fine. Butcherblock on the left would be nice since the adjoining room is wood paneled. For the right side, I would not use BB near a sink unless everybody in your family is OCD about water. I'd love for you to have the real soapstone there, and wonder if you could DIY and make it work $$ wise? I've read about people saving on soapstone that way -- evidently it's soft enough to be worked with Harry Homeowner tools. There is a vendor who facilitates this, as I recall, from reading someone's how-we-did-it story a while back. So there's that to consider. With the sink cutout involved it's tricky, but maybe you could find a stainless sink that runs from front to back so then you wouldn't have the big risk of the cutout -- not just making it in the right place but the fragility of the stone once that's done to it.

Another option is to surface a counter with epoxy resin. Many are resurfacing old laminate counters that way with some pretty fantastic results, marble imitations and all that. Of course, your sink cutout may be different than the old one. Personally I like laminate. I think I'd just keep using the old white one until I saved up enough for soapstone.

Finally for the backsplash....some people attach a piece of clear glass to that area with some decorative paper tucked safely behind. Decoration with no grout! And easier to change than typical tile.

looks great. Glad you are enjoying it.

I think it looks really nice! When you're ready to replace frig counter depth would be great.

Wow it turned out great. It’s very light and really looks like your inspiration photo. Nice job, hope you are enjoying it.

Very nice. Love the trim detail around the new range hood.

Looks great!