Wait until your other elements are in place, including counters and floors. They all have to work together and you need to see them in their correct planes and in the room's lighting to be sure. Backsplash and paint are the last things to choose.

Thanks. inthink at this point it is more that i am second-guessing the countertop choice as i am finding it limiting in terms of the backsplash options that look like they could work. if neither of these two work, i´m nitvsure what would.

Just curious what you ended up going with? We are looking at the same countertop with artisan white (cloe) tile

Let me tell you when I'd put quartz in a house from the 1920's......

This side of never: )

Doesn't mean I hate quartz. In the right place and NOT strongly veined in any scenario.

Brea - we are going with soapstone. will be installed next week, fingers crossed. I still think the Quartz is really nice and would go great with the chloe tile. We just decided that it didn’t really fit our house or style.

A very good call......soapstone ! Quartz is fine for another house, just not YOUR house: )

A great look is soapstone on the backsplash too, perhaps a 4"-6" splash.

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I did think about the soapstone backsplash, but decided against it as it is a galley with little natural light aside from a small window at the end. Most pictures we saw with a soapstone backsplash tended to have more light and were more open. Haven't decided on tile for the backsplash yet - waiting until after the counters are in pkace.

Jan Moyer - I think I definitely experienced what i would call Pinterest Effect. I saw some pictures of kitchens with quartz counters that I thought were beautiful, and I was trying to make it fit my kitchen, but in the end when I was having trouble picking tile to go with it, I realized it just didn’t match for my house or style.

I understand your concern, Sarah, about light. However, that being said, I don't think that a short dark backsplash is going to have much of a negative effect on the lighting in the room. If you were using dark cabinets then maybe it would be a problem. But that small amount, not a big deal, in my opinion. If you need more light than is provided by the window, then make sure you have sufficient artificial lighting--recessed, under-cabinet, pendants, etc.

Unless a kitchen has big windows or glass doors? Daylight can be elusive, and it isn't a penetrating light - unless from all directions.

I have a windowless galley, with a lot of nice electricity , so I hear you.

It's a decision that can wait, and the cabinets will make for a brighter look as well. Do the sample drag home, but I think in in a kitchen - a house from this time? A TALL riser in soapstone would look super. A lot depends your layout, and we're not seeing that: )

Here is where we are. (Ignore the pantry cupboard handles - somehow the wrong handles were installed at the wrong height - to be corrected). I was likely exaggerating about the light - it is quite bright and we do have under cabinet lighting.

I did float the soapstone riser previously to my husband, but it was him who commented that the pictures we were looking at are a lot more open than our kitchen, plus he would prefer full backsplash for cleaning. so i think that ship has sailed unless we reconsider and end up having sufficient lengths in the off-cuts of our slab.

It looks very nice!

I've always loved soapstone and I'm looking forward to seeing yours installed! If you haven't seen it, take a peek at @darbuka's kitchen. Her cabinets are stained, not white like yours, but she has soapstone with a beautiful green tile backsplash. They look beautiful together. Of course since soapstone is natural, yours will be unique, so you'll want to view tiles next to yours. Just thought I'd mention hers so you can see a colored tile with soapstone. (Some pictures in this thread.)

Thank you for the kind words, @chicagoans!

Here’s my soapstone galley kitchen, with Celadon green tiled backsplash:

I have absolutely seen darbuka’s kitchen and it is lovely. makes have a bit of regret we didn’t go with wood cabinets. Whoever lived here before us had started refinishing the wood trim in the house, but not very well. We took up the task and it made me declare at some point that I didn’t want wood cabinets in the kitchen :). But I am happy with the off-white.

Soapstone is in! Now on to figuring out that backsplash …

Oh very nice.

Love that soapstone!

Would you consider a statement making backsplash? Something different than what everyone has been doing, like a pattern and/or a color?

Diana - if it were only up to me I would be open to considering a colour - I saw a green tile I thought would be beautiful. However, I’m not sure I will convince others in the house on that. My husband is a bit colour blind, which adds a layer of challenge to choosing things. A lot of the green tones I naturally gravitate to don’t work for him. But he will almost always go for blue because it is the colour he sees most vibrantly.

The counters do have a fair bit of dappling to them so i probably wouldn’t go for much in the way of pattern. When not oiled the counters are a blue grey. When freshly oiled there is a slight limestone green tone to the lighter parts.

The paint on the wall is a bit of a random pick as my GC wanted to paint before installing cabinets, but I think it is likely to stay.

Blue Delft tiles would be pretty. Or a blue crackle? Fireclay has some gorgeous colors.

The first thing I would do? Adjust the ice cold lighting under the cabinets: )

The soapstone is beautiful . ....And a 6/ 7" riser and leave the paint as is.

Simple, clean lovely. No grout.

I could love a color too. Especially given your woodwork.

https://mercurymosaics.com/products/3x6-subway-tile-913-old-copper

Oh yes that’s so pretty!!

Yes…. could be very pretty!! Looks like nice variation in tones.:)

The kitchen already looks great! I found two ideas with white cabinets + soapstone countertops. First is til c

Sorry I hit post accidentally. First is soapstone, white cabinets and white matching tile.

Second is white cabinets, soapstone countertop and wainscoting/beadboard backsplash. My granite was very challenging to match, so I took this route in order to use the same paint color as my cabinets.

Thanks RedRyder. The first pic with the white tiles (Cloe tile) was one on my original inspo pics when i was looking at quartz (from Grace in My Space - her island used to be quartz but she changed it later to virginia mist granite)

I have no regrets about changing my mind to soapstone.

May still go with that tile, although it is looking a bit too white to me at the moment. I think unlikely the family will agree on green tile. I wouldn’t mind a crackle tile though.

Bright white definitely sounds wrong. But there are so many “white tiles” out there. On Tilbebar.com I found these two that do not seem as glaring white and may work with your cabinets.

I am considering soapstone for our main bathroom. Does anyone know if it comes in white?

No, it does not. It is gray, black or green, with varying degrees of white veining, depending on where it is quarried. It's a natural substance, and only comes out of the ground the way nature made it.

Hi, Seymey, here's a photo of a kitchen with white cabinets, honed Jet Mist counter tops (which look almost exactly like soapstone), and a gray crackle backsplash with black and beaded liners. Pipe Smoke color from Walker Zanger.

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And a close-up of the tile:

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Beautiful soapstone!