I am leaning towards bringing it around to the window wall at the same height but I do have a granite riser/sill under the window so will this look okay? Absolutely fine. I love the the look of a herringbone backsplash in a solid neutral color but is that going to be too busy for my kitchen? It will be lovely with the right tile and grout combo. What is your tile budget in $/sf? With your cabinet and granite neutral is key, but lighter neutrals are going to be better choices than more saturated hues. The images below are from Fireclay Tile and show Feldspar, Gardenia, and Tusk. Gardenia is one of my favorites, as is Tusk, and both are part of the Foundations line that runs $15/sf for several sizes including 3"x6" tiles. You can order samples from the website, or look for tiles of similar shades at local tile showrooms. Keep in mind that you will likely want bullnosed edge and/or trim pieces available for whichever tile you choose.

But if that 10" wall space wasn't there, the inspector wouldn't insist on a receptacle to cover the fixed panel of the sliding glass door, would they? Yes, that is what they make floor boxes for ;) or, I would put it in the side of the cabinet. Many inspectors would also consider the side of the cabinet without doors as wall space. Really? They have reworded that part at least twice that I know of, and it is still confusing to most. The CEU training illustrations all show a low receptacle on the back side of peninsulas, presumably because it is a room divider forming a wall for the dining room (even where there is an overhang for seating, which I would call a bar) Oddly enough, non of the illustrations show a receptacle on the back sides of island cabinets, which I would think is what a fixed, freestanding bar is, but an island is not always a "room divider" between the kitchen and dining or other room. The inspectors do not often include the 2' end of a peninsula (actually more like 20" at the toekick) in that 6' measured along the floor line either because it could be considered part of the kitchen, not a room divider, less than 2', and not part of the dining as is the back side. Essentially, if a blank side (no doors) of a cabinet faces another room, other than the kitchen, then it is counted in the "spaces measured around corners, and unbroken at the floor line", and as a "room divider"... according to most inspectors interpretations I know of.

Joseph Corlett, LLC thanks for the advice! You and daisychain01 may be right. I do think that in such a small space stopping at the edge of the sill could keep the kitchen from looking like it's taking over the living room. d_gw I know, I've seen those dilemmas too! I appreciate the warning. I'm thinking it was the lighting, and the angle since the tile will of course be on the wall, not flat on the counter. I'll post a pic later of what it looks like under the window. I'm not actually trying to match the cabinets, but just have something that flows well together. The tile color is Riverwash so it can have subtle blue or green tinge mixed with a muddied gray depending on the light. The countertop has a little green in it, so I'm hoping that once I bring in my accessories it will be a good backdrop to pull it all together.

Hi Chispa, House is a townhouse built in 1996, trying to modernize the look. As far as decorating style, I like modern/contemporary, nothing too funky. Something that would be cohesive with the rest of the kitchen, and bring the kitchen to life a little. It's very white right now.