Thanks for responding so quickly, but perhaps it's too late since it was installed on Saturday morning. Then we had power failure for three days so I just didn't deal with any home stuff. Maybe I will just love with it and be happy that the tile that would have gone on the wall and been more prominent didn't get installed yet. Do you think Akdo makes it's samples that way on purpose because I went to another tile store today and they had the same slate Desert Tan strips that I almost used and the sample was beautiful. The salesperson said she never would have expected how much pink and orange the full sheets would have.

roarah - thanks for that link - interesting perspective. I also read another article about B&N transformation. It's a fascinating dilemma when a company has to cannibalize itself to survive - e-readers vs. print, printed checks vs. debit card, CDs vs. iTunes, etc. I'm actually part of a company that has been going through this. I work for what was a technology start-up that got acquired by a 100+ year old publisher. It's fascinating to be in the middle of the transformation.

I agree with others that a different paint color would help. If you're going to put in a backsplash, get rid of the 4" tall one of granite that's there and put in one that goes from th counter clear up to the cabinets. Then the granite color/pattern won't be so much "in your face". We re-did a kitchen in a rental condo and and the guy who put in the granite installed a 4" backsplash. We hated it on first sight, and I think it was because the granite pattern became overwhelming for the space. We ripped it out immediately and installed a tile 6" high backsplash with a mosaic border on top. We didn't want to do tile all the way up to the cabinets. I apologize for my less than stellar mock up skills, but it may give you an idea.

I totally feel your pain! Remodels aren't cheap and it's not easy for everyone to picture what something will look like before its done. I had a similar situation - I just didn't feel that I could afford to redo the tile in the entire house - so I only did part of it. Huge mistake. I "solved" the problem with carpet squares. You can buy just what you need, get pretty creative and install them yourself. I'm sure there are many companies, I used Flor. I recommend getting samples - as it's impossible to accurately assess color from the computer monitor. (Samples are free during promotions and sales are frequent.) I would also suggest that moving the sofa to face away from the kitchen will not only cover up some of the transition, but also define the space in a way to enhance the separation of the rooms.