And one more pic...kitchen and breakfast room.

Wow!! That is beautiful!! Congratulations!

Lovely, runnergirl! My new KD just today suggested I consider soapstone. Yours is certainly inspirational.

We are considering mineral black, too. Yours looks great! Congrats!

great job! it looks fantastic and must function so much better:)

Lovely transformation..looks like a new home! You must love it. Congratulations!

Thanks, everyone, for the sweet comments! We've loved the soapstone and are accepting the small scratches we've added through daily use as part of its character. Our slab has some big veins throughout, so that helps hide some of this "character". :)

beautiful!! I adore your soapstone!

It looks great!

Love the view of the kitchen & breakfast room, just lovely. Beautiful soapstone. Removing the soffits really opened up your kitchen.
Beautiful soapstone. Congrats & enjoy!

What a change! Your kitchen is beautiful and flows so well with the gorgeous adjoining spaces. Great job!!

Nicely done!
The triangular island looks like it fits in nicely into the space.

I love the diagonal cut of your island! And of course, my dream soapstone is gorgeous. I like the SW paint color, too! Very serene.

You've done a beautiful job!

Thanks! My husband came up with the diagonal island design. The house had a rectangular island before, but the walkway was too tight because of the powder room wall (see second pic from top). We didn't want to move the powder room, so the diagonal island was the solution.

Lovely!

Very nice! And thanks for the beautiful job of taking and posting Before and Afters from the same location and angle so that comparisons are easy to make. It really helps show off what you've done!

I also love your soapstone, have you oiled or waxed it yet? I have soapstone and ended up waxing it and haven't had any issues yet. Lovely kitchen!

I love it. Great lighting above the dining table, too. Looks like a much improved layout.

We've been experimenting with the soapstone as far as finish. We oiled it once and waxed it once. We will probably rewax again soon because we really like the look it gives. We used Beekeeper's Gold from Williams Sonoma.

It's wonderful! Do you (or anyone else who has white cabinets and island) have trouble keeping it looking clean? My boyfriend is thinking of a very similar kitchen, but says that the white breakfast bar will quickly become very dirty from shoe scuff marks and similar. Any solutions to this?

Lovely transformation. Soapstone is my fav, and yours nailed it! I love the cut of the island.

Very nice!!! Love you counters and the Pottery Barn lighting fixtures. Great job.

Love it!

Mimivac, don't be afraid of white. It doesn't get any dirtier than anything else. I would rather see the dirt, and know when it needs to be wiped down.

Love your new kitchen! And those countertops are gorgeous :)