I vote for #3!

I vote for #2

#2 gets my vote.

I vote for #2.

Thanks! Keep the votes coming! Just to complicate matters, I realized there could be a 4th option of not doing that side wall at all. (maybe too unfinished looking though??)

Here's that option and a shot of that area without the photoshopping.

{{gwi:1458526}}

I vote #4

Option #1.

I vote #3, but bring the backsplash all the way up to the bottom of the light switch. Then it looks like you ended there intentionally. #3 because the practical old woman in me knows you need as much backsplash on that wall as you can get. No splashes on paint trumps aesthetics in a small space that won't matter a whit to you after a year.

I vote #3 i did it in my kitchen with honey onyx subway tiles came out great, if i could figure out how to post pics i would love to show them.

sam

#1 - buy a cover plate that coordinates with your tile. That way you get maximum protection for that end of the wall. It will make it real easy to clean off any finger smudges, too.

#1 is my least favorite.

If a sink is not close by I would pick #4.

What about a full backsplash on the back and one row going on the side????? I'm trying to picture it so I'm not sure.

erenyes, can you email me the picture of yours?
lindybarts@aol.com

lorraineal, that sounds pretty. I may have to check into that idea.

charlie, that's kind of what option #3 is with one row across. They are 6x6 travertine tiles and they will be straight so that means 6" of backsplash on just that one wall. And no sink anywhere near that wall.

So many opinions here, I'm not sure which way to go yet...ack! Maybe I should ask Bill the Tile guy over on the Kitchen Forum???

I vote #4. I live in a subdivision of custom and semi-custom homes. We are in the last phase and I just ran across the street to check out the last two being completed. We are the most recent move-ins. All our homes have backsplashes ending this way at the wall. Contrary to looking unfinished it actually looks MORE finished-the other options leave you looking at tile edges (does that sound right?).

I prefer #4 or #2. The other two both look funny to me.

we have a full backsplash on the back and one row on the side...at first I didn't like it, we had to do it becasue the granite didn't reach the wall properly, but now i kind of like it.

Here is a link that might be useful: picture of backsplash and wall

Lindybarts,
I really love your cabinets!!! #4 gets my vote. That's how we did ours. Lorraineal's idea is what I was thinking of, but without the backplash. We reminded our tile guy not to extend the tile as in #1; he told us he never did any of his kitchen backsplashes that way.

Is there another wall at the opposite end of that run? If there is, then I say do whatever that looks like. If it is an open end at the other side, then I think you need to do #4 because it would match.

I always avoid this problem by never bringing a wall material down onto a counter. As a practical matter the wall material will move independently of the cabinets and the joint will often fail. (It happened to me in a 350 unit project)

I always include a short backspash secured to the counter and I pull the lower cabinets out from the wall and put a bullnosed shelf on top of the backsplash even if it is small. (Plumbers love it but electricians hate it because they don't look at the drawings before putting in the boxes.)

It was popular to end with a diagonal in the 70's. I would visit a high-end tile shop and throw myself on their mercy.

pattiem, thanks for running across the street for me. On the kitchen forum, the overwhelming choice is to leave that wall alone. I have to talk to hubby since we didn't consider that one before he left on a business trip. Thank goodness for digital photos and email.

melnoa, I can't access your photo album, it says it's private!

Thanks colombiodial, I just love your house so if #4 looks nice in yours, that's good enough for me. ;c)

dixie, the other end of the counter is where the built in fridge goes so there is no wall.

Thanks everyone!

Lindy

Glad you added option 4, that gets my vote. Cabinets are beautiful!

what about going all the way over to the trim? that's what we did and it looks great.

Thanks kygirl...any pics? I'm just wondering if going to the trim would look okay since then you would have a little strip of wall below it??

Dh is wanting to go all the way across now that we just realized our inspiration house (where we copied the cabinet color) has the same setup in the wetbar area. Tile on one side and wood paneling on the other. Here's how it looks:

I hope this works, I just had to move my pictures from yahoo and I'm still learning the new services.

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen

Your inspiration house is #1 option.

Ditto; your inspiration house now looks way the best to me too. It's clean, simple, no distracting changes of level.

Still liking number 4, but this has been something I have often noticed. A full height backsplash that extends past the cabinets has always looked 'clunky' to me. I have seen this in most kitchens and at many home shows-which almost always have it the way you show it in your inspiration photo- and my dh says, "well how would you do it?" "I would design all the kitchens and baths so it would not be an issue of course!" LOL! :) I would opt for option 4 unless you really were concerned about your wall getting splashed.
I will also add that when dh and I can't agree on a design issue and one of us 'cares' more than the other, the one who cares the least lets the one that cares the most decide. Otherwise it will always bug the person who cares the most, the one that cares the least can usually live with it. If you both feel strongly...good luck!

LOL Luckymom! We kind of do it the same way. Whichever one of us is going to be "bugged" by something gets to make the decision. I'm heading over there today and I think I'm going to go with the way it appears in our inspiration photo which is the same as Option #1 above as Worthy pointed out. Unless I change my mind for #4 on the drive over there! LOL

Thanks all
Lindy

#1 looks the most finished to me.

#4 for sure!

What material are you using for countertops? For me 2 and 4 are only options if you are confident of the fit of the countertop to the wall but I fear you will not be happy in the long run.

Like mightyanvil, I would never end a countertop into dry wall, the seam will just not hold up and it will not look finished. I know you may not be worried about splashes but what about spills and clean up etc? Spills or cleaning solutions (409...) will just absorb into the dry wall and leave obvious stains. It looks fine against wood as in your pic w/ one side wood cabinet and the opposing side with a full back splash. For those reasons I cast a super vote for 1 or 3.

Thanks breezy! The countertop is granite slab. We've decided to go with option #1 and it will look exactly like in the inspiration photo with wood on one side and a full backsplash on the other.

Thanks for your input! Always nice to get lots of opinions on this stuff.