Thanks SO much for the suggestions!!! I have options:) If I decide to go with the over the stove option only, I could consider some of those "busy" tiles that I love. Spb59, I have thought about the water problem also. Over the last four years, there have been many times when the stove has over boiled and flooded the backsplash! It has never been a problem with the 4 inch. Do you have paint or tiles above it? This post was edited by annalyn123 on Sun, Jul 21, 13 at 13:38

If this helps, (and this pic is when we were still working on the kitchen, but it's the only one I have on the computer right now), this is our kitchen. The original cabinets were a light oak (I disliked them a lot!)I painted the cabinets and was worried about the grain showing through. I sanded and primed, and re-sanded and put two coats on, and can't see wood grain. In the pic though, the cabinets facing you still needed another coat of paint! We went with Fiesta Gold granite--but it looks exactly like New Venetian Gold. The fabricators change names sometimes from what I understand. As I was trying to explain above--I personally like white with darker floors. But you mentioned that you are planning to replace the floors. For what it's worth, painting wasn't bad. :) And we've got two kids and a dog running around! Again--bear in mind that this isn't a completed kitchen. No backsplash, pendant lights, bar stools, etc...but it will give you an idea maybe. Here's the granite if it helps at all:

Thank you for all the suggestions! This is amazing. I actually just got rid of a light blue suede couch that i've had for years (it looked great) but we switched it out because we have 2 small kiddos. It was a mess within a year. Embarrassed to say, but this couch is new to us =) Hindsight, i wouldn't have bought brown...lol. @Maureen thank you. I think a bookshelf may also work in that space and love your suggestions as well. Off to Winners I go.. I love the idea of fabric, thank you @freedomplace1 something I didn't even consider. I have a whole house of pine paneling so I'm going to try this in one of our other rooms. @ShadyWillowFarm acreage house from the 70's. Working on slowly updating but can't afford a full reno right now and husband has something against painting wood.. here is the other side of the room.. TV will be mounted on the fireplace with a mantel soon. @bever tteder @Irene Morresey I've been on the hunt for a great large canvas/art for about a year but can't seem to find anything that I love. Would you hang it center of the couch or center of the wall?

We are a hard surface service company that cleans tile and grout and restores natural stone. In maintaining the life of a floor, there are different levels of commercial and residential cleaning. I will discuss the cleaning life of the floor but please read this care guide we have on our website as it will explain in great detail how to address your situation. Hard Surface care guide Please note: For those with natural stone such as marble, limestone and travertine flooring, do not use the grout haze removal discussed for porcelain tile. Cleaning life of a hard surface floor: 1. Post install clean to remove grout haze from the tile surface. It is not uncommon for a slight haze of the grout to remain post install. Once the grout cures it can be extremely difficult to remove. Even more difficult on tiles that are textured. This sounds like this is the problem you are experiencing. 2. Maintaining the flooring is performed by the home owner of commercial staff. Make sure the exterior of the doorway entrance is kept clean. Have adequate walk-off matts at doorways. Sweep and/or vacuum regularly. Use neutral cleaning solutions to clean the flooring. For standard tile flooring the goal is to remove the soil from the tile without pushing into the grout lines. Depending on the floor, determine your best practice. We find most flooring is receptive to misting with a neutral floor cleaner, allow a minute of dwell time, then using a quality microfiber flat mop, dry the floor which will lift the soil from the tile and not push into the grout lines. Have several pads to be able to replace the pad once it becomes soiled or too wet. 3. Regular heavy maintenance is where we use high heat extraction to clean the heavy traffic areas to keep the tile and grout clean. On natural stone we maintain the finish and remove isolated etching. 4. Restoration clean is the level of clean where most people throw up their hands and call a professional service to deep clean the tile and grout or restore the natural stone flooring or countertops. Understanding the floor and counter material you have and understanding the best practices for care will help you extend the time before you will need to consider the restoration level of service. Wherever you are, there are service professionals like us that can provide assistance when the project is too large or difficult for you to resolve. Hope this helps!