Kitchens exert a gravitational pull on most households by serving as the social and organizational center of daily life. This is also true when prospective buyers tour a house: They are drawn toward the kitchen. It makes sense, then, to treat the FHB House kitchen—especially the cabinets and countertops—with higher-quality finishes than other areas in the house.

The spare frame-and-panel-style cabinets lend a traditional flair to the kitchen. This is reinforced by the solidity, heft, and craftsmanship of the Crown Point Cabinetry 3⁄4-in. plywood boxes and 5/4 Douglas-fir doors. There’s a touch of modern too, in the frameless style and simple polished-nickel hardware. The glass panels in the upper cabinets flanking the kitchen window accentuate the natural light and the visible storage is an opportunity for the homeowner to add a bit of color or personalized style.

The lower cabinets are topped with a substantial 3-cm-thick soapstone countertop. In addition to fabrication and installation, the supplier, M. Teixeira Soapstone, offers several degrees of DIY counters from precut, unfinished slabs to fully fabricated ones. Because the kitchen walls were framed with Weyerhaeuser’s LSL studs, the crew was confident the walls are straight and saved on templating fees by emailing the length and depth measurements of the cabinet runs for fabrication. When the slabs were delivered, they fit well enough that the backsplashes were a formality—there were no gaps along the wall to hide. The soapstone counters were given a coat of mineral oil to help them develop a patina, but they don’t need any maintenance as they’re impervious to stains from liquids and hot pans.

Cabinet storage is supplemented by a large pantry closet and the generous kitchen dimensions easily accommodate a table.

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