Here is the before, windows are in the same location if that helps with orientation.

Gorgeous kitchen and the view through the windows is wonderful as well! Enjoying raising your family in this lovely home.

Wow. That's a whole lotta WOW.

More close up pics that were over the limit on the first post

Really, really nice!

I love it! The floors, the tiled wall, the brass sconce, it all goes so well together. What a great mix of materials.

Gorgeous! Do you remember the name of the tile? And did you use white grout?

Lovely kitchen and that view is gorgeous!!!! Love the open shelf storage and love the island!!! Awesome job!

Love your kitchen, but I have to say I love your view even more! Can I move in?

So beautiful! I love all of the light coming in and those views!

Wow to that marble island! And the whole kitchen in general, amazing how knocking those cabinets out makes the kitchen area look double in size! Beautiful.

I love it! What a transformation! Congratulations!

Love those floors and brass accents. Soapstone and marble look great together.

@cookie1268 yes, it was the Lancaster Bianca tile and Custom’s color grout Rolling Fog. Grout decisions are so hard! I’m happy with how it shows the pattern more but I think white would have been beautiful too.

@zalco yes they’re a great pair, significantly lower cost than all marble, and I can cut lemons and pour wine on the soapstone and not worry!

Beautiful! Open and airy with drool worthy counters!

I love the brightness and contrast in the kitchen. It looks like a happy space. The floors are particularly gorgeous- the width of the planks, the color and finish, perfect.

Nice. I really like the subway tile to the ceiling. Reminds me of manor house kitchens. Yes, the views are a bonus.

Gorgeous transformation! Look at all that counter space compared to before. Where do you find you do most of your prep work?

Your kitchen is perfect. All the elements have come together to create a beautiful space. Congratulations. I love the open feel, the clever shelves and the beautiful hood. I especially like the different countertops and the black light fixture. Oooohh la la.. Very nice. Thank you for sharing. It is always wonderful to see a happy ending in a kitchen.

~boxer

@zmith, I find mostly next to the stove, so I actually wish that run were a little bigger between sink and stove, but to get everything centered it couldn't be. I should really just dry my dishes on the other side of the sink. I also use the island a lot. For such a big kitchen with lots of counters, it all gets used up so quick!

@boxerpal, funny you say happy ending! Like everyone on here, it sure was hell living through it and I hated my contractor by the end, but like you said the happy ending is SO worth it. Every morning when I walk in I feel like the luckiest girl in the world

Beautiful! I am a nosy soul, I guess, but I really wish posters would give a little bit of a clue of their location.........because, that view...!!

My guess was you were in the Bay area as I used to live there, but I never had a view like that! Enjoy!

The best thing about the kitchen is you were able to fit your personality in it! Wonderful job! So happy you were not afraid to mix and match fixtures and finishes; and add pops of color along the way. I see a gorgeous view out the window and also a pretty cozy fireplace in the living room! Enjoy!

Paint colour? Your windows are gorgeous. (And view gorgeous-er :)) Are you leaving them bare? Just curious because I couldn't live with the sun.

I keep coming back to your pics. One of my favourite kitchens here, for sure. You've a deft mix of elements worthy of study.

Well that’s a forever kitchen, for sure; great job! Tell me more about the soapstone and the floors, please. :)

Thanks so much @Iwano and Sons and @tartanmeup, as someone who is not a designer but put all my heart into it for a year, it's so nice to see my mixing and matching worked out! I only had the confidence to do it by watching designers on here and pinterest do it so well.

@tartanmeup - I used BM gray owl at 50%. You can see it best on the refrigerator wall and in the powder room. This is a gloomy day so this is the darkest it looks.

@sammy, I love the soapstone. I'm into natural stone and the negatives I heard about like chipping haven't been a problem and I'm not careful. I do have water marks by the sink but they don't bother me and I'm sure if I oiled the counter they would disappear. I've only oiled it once and waxed it twice since they were installed 6 months ago, and the last time was at least 3 months ago because #momlife. I love how it can't really stain and it takes heat well.

I got the stone from a place that sells the stone and fabricates it. You don't pick out the exact slabs just the type of soapstone, which makes it more cost effective since they can use parts of the same slab for different clients.

My counters have a tiny bit of green in them and some of the white has a little bit of pink, which concerned me at first, but the overall look of it is black with white veins that I find so pretty.

These are pics with different lighting so they all look different, and you can see the marks around the sink.

My floors are rustic white oak which I love, but the woca oil finish I have to be honest is not holding up super well. I have a dog who gets water in different places after he drinks and the water stains aren't really coming out. BUT I am also really bad about washing the floors with the maintenance soap and oils which are supposed to protect them by adding an additional layer of oil on top. I do like how when he scratches the floor it blends in instead of looking like a white scratch.

If I had to do it again I'd probably do the Bona Natural finish, or I'd get prefinished floors with an oil based finish like Garrison Collection which has so many gorgeous options and probably holds up really well.

Very nice update! Love the farmhouse sink, tile backsplash, and the kitchen island! Enjoy your new kitchen!

Do you still love the soapstone

Your kitchen is beautiful and classic. You must be thrilled how it came out. Obviously, lots of research and planning went into it. Well done!

Thank you kculbers! I actually just moved so I miss this kitchen a lot!

rkashwood I still didnt mind the soapstone but i really couldnt figure out why mine was getting those water marks and they did bother me eventually. lots of other poeple I’ve asked though say they’ve never had that issue and i wonder if it was the wax I used. I never had a problem with chips. My new kitchen I just renovated I used black honed granite instead and Im happy with it, but I wanted something simpler this time because I have a busier marble that is the star. If I wanted black with more veining next time maybe id look at black marble or quartzite.

Wow your kitchen looks amazing! I love the white backsplash.

Beautiful counters. And that view!

I like your painting, too - its just the right amount of unexpected glam.

I have soapstone counters in my kitchen and bathroom and office. I installed them all. I used remnent pieces in the office and bathroom. I sanded them rough at about 80 grit if IIRC for the bathroom and office. Might have been 120 grit. I dont get water marks on the stone in the bathroom and office, but I never oiled them either. I did oil my counters in the kitchen and would get watermarks. The stone in the kitchen is a harder stone, and has a smoother finish by the mail order factory I bought the kitchen counters from. I stopped oiling and I don't notice as many water marks. Yes they do dent if you drop something heavy on the counters.

@enduring and @Kimberly Skinner -- I too am considering using soapstone on the kitchen perimter (range wall, sink wall, bar wall), then carrera for my island. I'm not worried about the carrera, but I am slightly worried about the chipping/wear and tear of the soapstone around the stainless undermount sink. How have you navigated/experienced that wear/tear?

@earthlyepicure, I used an over mount stainless steel sink, because I knew I'd probably ding the soapstone up. My kitchen is a bit on the rustic side, so a few dings don't matter to me, but I would matter if I dinged it up with an undermount sink. My kitchen is now about 12 years old. I still love it. There are scratches and a few dings. If this is an issue for you, why don't you try honed black granite.

I used soapstone so I could do the counters myself, to save some money. I have also done a sink and counters for the bathroom and and office. The bathroom and office is in remnent pieces that I paid $5/sqft or got for free. It is a softer stone then the kitchen and scratches easily. To deal with that, I have it sanded to a very rough surface at about 60 to 80 grit. No oil and it is beautiful.

Picture of counter in the somewhat harder (but still soft) soapstone in the kitchen. fairly smooth sanded at around 120 grit IIFC. This stone I ordered online. It has a very hard section that is at the sink. The softer portion is at the counter I've pictured. the bright white spots are dings. enlarge the picture and you might see them and scratches :

Much softer stone in the bathroom and sanded to a 60 or 80 grit IIRC. this is what I built out of remnents in 2012. No oil added. You can see the seam where I glued the backsplash to the sink:

Here is a close up of the corner of the counter at the sink front. It should sand out If I took the time to finish these surfaces again. But I don't bother:

The other counter in the bathroom that is 2 glued pieces along the long side, that you can't see. The dark corner is from hands resting on that edge to work with the tub. Its been years and I am still loving this bathroom!!!

ETA: I got my kitchen inspiration years ago when a restaurant opened in a town near me in 2001. they still have their cherry walls, tables, cabinets, and the soapstone counters at all the counter surfaces and bar.

I think your kitchen and view are stunning! The use of natural light creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. The view is breathtaking and provides an amazing backdrop to your kitchen.