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quadesl

New Soapstone countertops and base cabinets reveal

quadesl
10 years ago

We employed Humming Bird Woodworks to design, build and install our cabinets and countertops. We went with all drawers except for under the kitchen sink. The corners are dead as we opted for drawers instead. This is the only recent work in the kitchen. The tile backsplash and cork floor by Duro Design were done a number of years ago. We retained the upper cabinets which are original to the house which was built in 1991. We may or may not replace them sometime in the future. For now, we're quite pleased with the final result. Please excuse the quality of the photographs which were taken with an iPhone for convenience, the colors look better in real life.







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This post was edited by Quadesl on Mon, Dec 30, 13 at 9:34

Comments (18)

  • jackfre
    10 years ago

    Nicely done. We went for several weeks before we oiled our soapstone on our new kitchen. Our lay-out is quite similar to your. We went with a Kohler Whitehaven apron sink in White though. I am to dim to post pics. The soapstone is softer than other materials, but we are very pleased with it so far. Ours has more of a greenish cast to it.

  • cat_mom
    10 years ago

    Super nice! Those cabinets are a work of art--they look like handcrafted furniture. Well done kitchen!!!!

  • dcward89
    10 years ago

    Love, love, love your soapstone. We have just started our kitchen remodel and this confirms my desire for soapstone counters. They are absolutely beautiful...and the cabinets are gorgeous. Lovely, lovely kitchen!

  • jackfre
    10 years ago

    One of the things I like about the soapstone is that it is non-reflective. I have 13 LED cans in the kitchen. They are switched in banks so rarely are they all on, but with a glossy granite or marble it would be blinding. Our green soapstone is called Cruz Azul, FYI!

  • PRO
    Joseph Corlett, LLC
    10 years ago

    Those are some very differently constructed cabinets. I'm guessing the exposed end grain sucking down the stain to make a very dark rectangle in each corner was intentional? The lighter rails on the top and bottom cabinet side contrast with the rest of the cabinet too.

  • quadesl
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the kind comments. The soapstone is from Green Mountain. The pictures showing it very dark were taken right after oiling. It lightens up considerably just after one day. It's only a couple weeks old so it will take awhile before it reaches a more stable color though I like all the various shades it becomes between oiling. The stone does have some green to it but it's hard to capture from photos.

    The reason my wife liked soapstone so much is because of its honed finish so I get what you mean regarding reflecting light.

    The exposed grain is part of the design of the cabinet and quite intentional. Here's a video that shows them putting together a sink cabinet. No glue or screws involved.

    Here is a link that might be useful: All Together Now

    This post was edited by Quadesl on Tue, Dec 31, 13 at 8:39

  • Lake_Girl
    10 years ago

    I sometimes wish we hadn't oiled our soapstone, especially when I look at pictures of it first installed. (Actually the installers put some mineral oil on it before I could really think about it.) But it's sorta one of those things that is hard to resist, I think. Like it's beautiful unoiled, but I HAVE to see what it would look like oiled. Your cabs and counters are just beautiful!

  • Carol.33
    10 years ago

    Your kitchen is gorgeous! I love the cabinets, love the soapstone counters. Beautiful.
    Do you mind my asking what the pulls are? Love them. We are doing quarter sawn oak cabinets and I am looking for pulls like yours.

  • romy718
    10 years ago

    Is your sink soapstone also? I love the runnels, very sharp looking. I didn't know much about soapstone until GW & never considered it. If I ever do another kitchen, it will be a contender. Congrats & enjoy your beautiful new kitchen!

  • quadesl
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    The bar pulls are made by Amerock and are oil rubbed bronze. The sink is also soapstone and made by Humming Bird. It's a Chicago Wright sink.

  • quadesl
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here's three new pictures taken three day after oiling the soapstone. It's been very cold where I live so the humidity levels are low in my home so this tends to dry out the oil faster than in the summer time. You can see how the stone has changed in just a few days. I really like the changes that take place over time, never gets boring.



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    This post was edited by Quadesl on Tue, Dec 31, 13 at 8:38

  • remodelfla
    10 years ago

    I think I missed this! It is 100% my style and I LOVE it!!

  • madtown_2006_gw
    10 years ago

    That video just blew my mind! That is amazing!

    Beautiful kitchen! LOVE your soapstone and the dark pulls/counters/appliances.

  • raehelen
    10 years ago

    I missed it the first time too. Gorgeous! This is when the limits of photography are so frustrating...I can just imagine how you must want to stroke both the oak and the soapstone...just hard to capture the depth in a picture.

  • quadesl
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Posted by remodelfla (My Page) on Sat, Jan 25, 14 at 19:18
    I think I missed this! It is 100% my style and I LOVE it!!

    Glad you like it, I think the style has some Frank Lloyd Wright influence.
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    Posted by madtown_2006 (My Page) on Sat, Jan 25, 14 at 21:00
    That video just blew my mind! That is amazing!
    Beautiful kitchen! LOVE your soapstone and the dark pulls/counters/appliances.

    Yeah, I thought that was wild how those cabinets are made and go together.
    The ORB pulls were suggested by the cabinet maker. They seem to go OK with the black appliances that were only 7 years old which we wanted to keep.
    -------
    Posted by raehelen (My Page) on Sat, Jan 25, 14 at 21:14
    I missed it the first time too. Gorgeous! This is when the limits of photography are so frustrating...I can just imagine how you must want to stroke both the oak and the soapstone...just hard to capture the depth in a picture.

    Thanks all for your kind comments. I've been using an iPhone for the pictures. It's really a lot easier that way though the pictures might look better with a better camera/photographer. At least you probably get an idea of how it looks. :-)

    It's interesting that the stone feels different on the underside of the island overhang, it's smoother! I learned that the stone comes to the fabricator with a smooth 400 grit finish and then gets cut and finished with 80 grit which is rougher but gives that soapstone feel. It also holds the oil better and makes the stone less susceptible to scratches.

    This post was edited by Quadesl on Sun, Jan 26, 14 at 10:00

  • quadesl
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    We liked the idea of all drawers on all the base cabinets except for under the sink. It was suggested that we dead out the two corners as it was felt that the drawers would provide more efficient storage. We had things tucked into the corners that we never used. The addition of the drawers allowed us to really think about how we used the kitchen and where we wanted items to be. Items are now closer to where we want them and are better organized with less clutter. For example, the cookie sheets, cutting boards and serving platters, which were scattered all over the place are now neatly stored in one drawer. :-)

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    I honestly didn't know how going with the single sink was going to work out. I turns out that I just fill a small bowl or pot with soapy water and accumulate the clean dishes on the left side of the sink before I rinse them off and place them on the drying rack. I now tend to dry the items when I'm finished and put the drying rack back under the sink cabinet when done. Much tidier than when I had the double bowl sink with the drying rack always on the counter and the gross thing that caught the water.

    We also added an under cabinet water filter which gives us clean and good tasting drinking water that also gets used for making coffee and tea. We are no longer dealing with plastic water bottles which is a great thing on many levels.


    And of course the Comfy Cupboard liner for the bottom of the sink cabinet and drawers that I found out about from GW. :-)

    This post was edited by Quadesl on Sun, Jan 26, 14 at 13:11

  • User
    10 years ago

    Oak?

    I like that stacking post and system - I've seen dollhouses and lab cabinets with similar construction.

  • quadesl
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Posted by lazygardens (My Page) on Sun, Jan 26, 14 at 9:00
    Oak?
    I like that stacking post and system - I've seen dollhouses and lab cabinets with similar construction.

    Yes, the wood is red oak. The drawer boxes I believe are maple,

    Interesting comment regarding construction method...