IMO putting fake plastic stone in that space is an insult to all the real stone . Have you checked out some soapstone for the counters IMO a much better choice . IMO the cabinet colors and style are MCM so a simple counter top would be my choice and soapstone is also an ideal counter for kitchens .

my island is HUGE. I need a slab that is 131" long and do not want a seam. I also think that a black counter will be very choppy looking in the space. I thought this would be easy but there are so many options and now I feel stuck.

I like the slab cabinets and find shaker details to be areas that catch dust and dirt. The furnishings lean MCM so the slab profile is appropriate. I will look at the slabs available for soapstone but my inspiration for the kitchen design was found after numerous hours searching photos online. I loved the look of white and walnut slab with the industrial subway tiles. I loved this link the most.https://henrybuilt.com/page/interiorelevation?camefrom=project-stories

"I am a fabricator. "IMO putting fake plastic stone in that space is an insult to all the real stone .' I agree completely. Regarding "131"; there are slabs available that long. Before you decide you must have no seam you might want to make sure an island top that big can actually get thru the door in one piece. Good luck.

I don't believe you are making a mistake avoiding the large faux bold veined quart choices being overused in kitchens that are too modest for them to be remotely believable. A solid white counter will be great. (I don't know if you've considered solid white Corian, just a thought but raised because seams would not be an issue with Corian.)

Soapstone is perfect for that house. A great fabricator can do a bookmatched seam with no issues. Mid Century Modern style in that home will look like it is 60 years old, and ready to be updated back to the home’s more humble original utilitarian wood artisan roots.

Sorry, but I have to add another vote against white counters. Certainly no fake veins in quartz and if you do anything white, make sure it's a warm white. A cool white will clash with everything else in the home. I hope you haven't bought the backsplash tile yet. You (and everyone else) shouldn't be choosing a backsplash until the counter is in. It's usually very difficult to match white tile with a white countertop. Lighting has a huge impact on how we perceive colors so unless you've seen the two surfaces together in your house you don't really know if they're going to work together.

Soapstone is the best choice. If you must use a manmade product there are imitations. If you're worried about it being dark, make sure your lighting is adequate and paint the walls a warm white.

https://marble.com/articles/quartz-that-looks-like-soapstone

There's nothing wrong with MCM furniture, but putting a MCM kitchen into this house is out of place as Paper Street and a couple other commenters said.

Soapstone comes in abeautiful green which IMO would be perfect since you have all that stone.

Patricia, I will be contacting my stone fabricator tomorrow to talk about soapstone. Thank you for the kind advice. I was worried that the dark counters will be too dak but it might actually look nice with the black accents of the stove and range and hood. I was also very concerned about a seam but maybe my fears are unfounded...

Agree about looking at soapstone. Just make sure you have good undercabinet lighting.

Nothing can be done about the slab panel cabinets. They are already ordered and i really like the look of them and the simplicity of the door profile. i do like the suggestion of the soapstone counters and think they will work nicely with the color palette and other materials. There will be very good under cabinet lighting installed as someone suggested above. Can anyone else attest to the question of whether a seam is actually okay?

If you want a very inconspicuous seam, get Corian; nothing else comes close. Seams in stone and estone can be acceptably made, but please don't join the urealsitic expectation crowd here expecting Corian seam quality with either.

I have one seam in my soapstone tops, in the middle of the sink. I know it’s there, because M. Teixeira (the soapstone company, where we bought the slab), laid out the templating with us. However, to anyone else, the seam is unnoticeable.

Because M. Teixeira is a soapstone dealer (largest in the US), and not an ordinary stoneyard where soapstone is an afterthought, they are experts in fabricating the stone. I urge you to look for an actual soapstone dealer in your area, rather than using a generic stoneyard.

A soapstone dealer, like M. Teixeira, will have a much greater selection of soapstone slabs to choose from…from the softer varieties, to the hardest. Not so, a stoneyard that mostly sells granite, marble, quartzite and plastic-y quartz.

Plastic looking counters of any type, be it ”quartz” or Corian, would be an abomination in your gorgeous Craftsman home.

^^ That is the kitchen that looks at home in a Craftsman style house. Draw inspiration from that soapstone and green tile.

Victoria, if you want the walnut cabs and a white counter, go for it. You are the one that has to live in this house, not the commenters on Houzz. I have Caesarstone nougat and love it.

Yeah, @Victoria, but do you live in a Craftsman home? Because that plastic, fake looking counter, would look ridiculous in Victoria’s kitchen.

You have a lovely home! I would take your time on the counter and consider soapstone, I truly think there is something about real stone in an old house (we used a very quiet quartzite 12 yrs ago in our 100+ yr old house and it still looks like it belongs) I definitely don't think your kitchen should be a time capsule but I do think authentic materials lend a timeless feel -

If it were me, I would get the counter in and live with it for a while to figure out the backsplash you prefer- tile can be really trendy so it would be nice to make that decision slowly and see what you like best.

@darbuka I think your comment is directed at me. I do actually live in a Craftsman home, and my counter looks fabulous in it. It definitely doesn’t look like plastic.

@upstatem, oops, yes. Home with a stuffed head, and clogged sinuses…Victoria is the OP. My comment was directed at you.

Each to his own, but manmade, engineered stone infused with plastic, is not true to the Craftsman style. Craftsman homes showcase natural materials, which so-called quartz counters, made in a factory, definitely isn’t.

This is Craftsman style.

Your walnut cabs will be lovely, and so would a white counter. You should do what you like best. I have a 100+ year old bungalow and love my quartz counters. All the houses around me and in a 5 mile radius of the downtown where I live are 100+ years old, and there is no reason they all need to look a certain style inside.

@darbuka having a craftsman house does not mean everything in it needs to be true to the original style. Europeans are masters at modernizing old houses, and the resulting blend of old and new can be amazing.

Have you considered Taj Mahal quartzite? Maybe in a honed finish for a softer non shiny look.

It would look good with your stone, cabinet colors and floors. I would wait on the backsplash tile till everything else was done.

Update: spoke to a stone yard that has a 135” Manhattan Grey soapstone slab. i am going to look at it on Friday. Thank you for the suggestions. I was not 100% sure of the quartz because it looked too ”perfect”. I never considered soapstone because I was scared of the dark color. I believe it will look great now that i have had a chance to rethink things.

I put your choices together

I think soapstone would be a great choice, but something in the darker variety.

leaving it natural looks completely different than oiling it.

this was one I found at a stone place near me:

I'd hold off on that backsplash though. wait until everything is installed. you may want to choose a tile that fits more into the Craftsman look.

https://info.neals.com/elements-of-a-craftsman-style-kitchen
This blue tile would be gorgeous w/your walnut-white cabs, and the soapstone.

Check out Winchester tiles. Elements line. I think they have some beautiful blues. Like this Stream color:

Heath tiles is another option

https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-kitchen-with-soapstone-countertops-ideas-phbr2-bp~t_709~s_2116~a_19-30

Family Kitchen In Ravenswood · More Info

other options:

Silestone makes their Eternal Charcoal that resembles soapstone. this is the suede finish:

I'd also do a copper sink.

Or, if the fabricator is good, see if there is enough to make a sink from the soapstone

Negresco is another option that is similar to soapstone in looks.

Jet Mist/Virginia Mist - honed/satin finish, is a granite with a similar look too.

Two-tone cab pics

white granite

Thank you for taking the time to put this together!

I hope you fall in love with the soapstone slab. ;)

I LOVE your inspiration kitchen, it is almost exactly the kitchen I put in my 1950 ranch... However it does not seem to match your existing home at all. I see no problem with slab doors in your house, but the white seems jarring. I could see cherry or walnut slab doors everywhere with unlaquered brass hardware or mixing in some painted cabinets in a color like dark green, then the soapstone counters.