Help plan my countertops (long; pics)

16 years ago

Hi,

I am building a house and usually post on the BAH forum, but I wanted to consult the experts over here about my kitchen countertops.

Here's all the information:

We live on a farm, in a rural area, and are building a sort of period style farmhouse house with an old-fashioned type kitchen. (I have linked to my construction blog if you'd like to see the rest of the house.)

I have a couple of antique cabinets I'm going to use in the kitchen. One is a hutch, and the other is a baking station with a tilt-out flour bin, dough board, etc. We will have a harvest table, which, along with one of these cabinets at the end, will act like an island in the center of the room with a potrack above. I have old ladderback chairs to go around the table. Then we will have two walls of built-in cabinetry. Excuse the crappy pictures, but here they are:

The one with the window is about eight feet long and will contain the sink and dishwasher with the fridge sitting on the left. The other section will have the stove at the far end and then about eight feet of countertop. The cabinets will be painted (very light cream color) with cup pulls and little round knobs. We have stained trim and hardwood floor.

Now for the countertops: I really want at least some butcher block, and my original thought was to put it on the wall by the stove, with maybe a small section (about 3 feet) of marble at the end opposite the stove for a baking area. However, we didn't want to put butcher block or marble on the sink area so we went to look at stones the other day, and we ended up falling in love with soapstone. We loved the pieces we saw, and I have researched it online and think it sounds ideal. I really preferred it to any of the granites we saw.

I love the look and concept of mixing materials, so that is no problem.

Here are my current options:

Soapstone on the sink wall with ...

1. butcher block on stove wall (handy for chopping right next to stovetop).

2. butcher block on stove wall with small section of marble on opposite end from stove (for dough).

3. butcher block on stove wall with small section of soapstone by stove (for setting hot pots).

4. butcher block on stove wall with small section of soapstone by stove AND small section of marble on opposite end. (Would this look too cut up?)

Then there is the question of the backspash. I have been dreading choosing the backsplash tile, but then it occurred to me I could use soapstone for the backsplash as well, maybe all the way around to help tie together the two sections. Failing that, painted beadboard, which sounds wonderfully low-stress right now.

I am looking for any opinions or suggestions. Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: Owl's construction blog

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Comments (5)

plllog
16 years ago
Owl, before I got to your choice, after reading what you were going to put in, I thought "soapstone". It's both modern and period, and also serviceable. If you're going to use the marble for rolling do you want it to be a rolling height? It's usually lower than countertop height (if I can wedge in a table I'll put a slab on my table for rolling rather than having a dedicated baking station). If you're not going to do that kind of baking station adding in the third surface might be a bit much. Also, (I don't know), will soapstone function for you for baking? Marble is so great because it's smooth and cold and slick. Soapstone might not be slick enough, but it should be plenty smooth and cold :) It should work for bread, for sure.

You know best how you cook and how you want to set your butcher block. If they're "small" sections of block and stone, however, you could do just as well with a cutting board and a trivet. The point of putting in butcher block is that you won't be confined to your board :) So my vote, given that, would be for only butcher block by the stove. You could also do something nifty, like a hinged trivet that covers the block then folds up against the backsplash while you're cutting. That kind of gadget would work in a period kitchen. :)

Using soapstone for the backsplash will be a modern look. Really old fashioned kitchens were more likely to be painted. But the stone would look great and give you more of a balanced then and now look rather than strictly old.

Sounds like a lovely house :)

JC
alku05
16 years ago
It sounds like one of your separate unfitted pieces will be your baking center with the dough board? If so, I'd skip the marble on the stove run and just do butcherblock or a butcherblock/soapstone combo.
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rhome410
16 years ago
I had similar thoughts the others have shared...Before I read too far, my mind was already going to soapstone or wood counters. Either could be just right for the kitchen you're working toward. I also thought the marble would be at the wrong height if you put it on the end of that run. Alku makes a good point about your baking center...That would be the place for it, if any. With the table in the center of things, though, it might be handiest for kneading and rolling out dough...a good size and good height. Also good if the kids want to gather around and help.

If your range wasn't at the end, you could've had butcherblock for chopping on one side and the soapstone on the other for hot pots. But as it is, I can see the whole thing in butcherblock, the whole counter in soapstone, or all soapstone with a bb section next to the stove. Any of those would look nice with the soapstone on the sink counter. Just depends on which you prefer, appearance-wise...the contrast (soapstone on one side of the rm, wood on the other) or the connection/balance (soapstone on both sides).

I prefer the sound of the beadboard instead of the soapstone backsplash. I think it'd be a bit dark as you work at the counter to do both in the stone...Or did you mean just a short soapstone backsplash, not full to the upper cabinets? A short one wouldn't be too bad...but I think I still like the beadboard. It just seems fitting to the farmhouse kitchen.
creekylis
16 years ago
No advice, but lots of envy. GREAT house/land. Congrats!
holligator
16 years ago
What a fabulous house! It's really coming along, too.

As for the countertops, my preference would be to go all soapstone. I think it's the most practical and would look really great in your setting. Top that with a really cool old vintage cutting board and find an antique marble slab for your baking center. Do you have room near the stove to have a freestanding antique butcher block? That may be the best solution of all.

I love beadboard, and a painted beadboard backsplash with soapstone countertops and a short soapstone backsplash looks fabulous.

Check out orchidluvr's kitchen (my favorite kitchen EVER) in the finished kitchens blog to get a glimpse of this look.

Here is a link that might be useful: orchidluvr's kitchen