Yeah! Cousin came today and put in my 2 new drawers, and adjusted (reinstalled) the top middle drawer in the island vanity so it doesn't have a gap under it (but just barely "pimpled" the front where he tightened the screw too much and it *almost* came through the front! I didn't say anything b/c in taking the front off, I wasn't watching - talking to him- and let the front drop onto the 3 screws I'd already taken out that I'd stupidly laid in front of the drawer on the counter!). Next - drawer liners - all the Merillat drawers are getting worn already, though I expect the solid maple custom bottoms to wear better than laminated (paper) plywood. Sink base looks OK, but I'm buying a new trash can and thinking of setting it inside a dish pan, or at least putting vinyl tile or remnant or something under it - old dish drain board won't work since it's sloped, but maybe upside down? Have smaller can from laundry room there now. I will call laminate guy, but I think we'll end up living with this for 8-10 years since it looks like HD price for this laminate was $29/sf installed - so about $1000. Not worth it - too much else to do. Cousin said it would be months b4 he could do my crown since he's so busy now with landscaper and a big carpentry project someone finally made up her mind on. But maybe he can come back to fix my broken cabinet and install the oak shoe then if I finish it this week. I hate to have the crown sitting in DR all summer, but if he can just cut it roughly to length and do the mitred returns on a couple of pieces I can finish it and have it ready to go any time he's ready. He says (and I agree) finish the baseboards and casing first so when someone walks in my house it looks finished - no one will say anything about not having crown on tops of cabinets. I was only going to do crown 1st b/c I figured I could stain it in unfinished MBA it was so narrow and longest piece is 8ft, but that has changed since he got too busy to do it this week - we had originally scheduled kitchen work for early April. So I'm going to be spending all summer finishing baseboards and casings (not too many left), moving onto doors and window sashes (jambs and sills are all done).

Thanks for the nice comments, all. I hope to take pics tomorrow and get them up Monday. @jam sf we actually ordered it through a tile store in Key West ( nowhere near us, long story) but I have seen similiar tile online, including at Amazon. I'm sure there are other patterns as I've seen some on this board, but I never looked into it because I knew I wanted the 1-inch mosiac. @willemsen: we used Bright White. We did a sample of Alabaster but felt it made the tile look pinkish. I was worried that the bright white would be too white, but we're thrilled with the final look. And yep, it does sparkle with the UCLs on. :) more to come, I promise.

Once mocking it up, I see your Fog more with the counter than your Platinum. I still like the green/blue Kiwi for the bs best followed by the Khaki. The Fog seems a little too perky/powdery IMHO. The Kiwi seems more conventional and the Khaki is more edgy. I think the Kiwi will highlight the yellow olive tones more. The Khaki will make you notice the blue-teal shades. I tend to go with cool tones, so for me to have picked the floor choice in a more tan/orange is a departure for me. My kitchen is white/gray/black/lavender/chrome, so you can see where my color scheme heads... I like the "Madrid Brown" from your website of the Platinum because it plays up the orange of the cabs and the small parts of it in your stone. I did not want the same color as your cabs though because that could be dark and monotone when paired too closely. I'd definitely get your stone installed before picking the bs and then pick your paint color last.

cigi, in our last house the previous owner installed tumbled marble in a mauvish tone which IMO looked awful with the St Cecilia granite. Even though the tile was expensive, I tore them off and left the 4" granite backsplash, patched and painted the rest of the wall. The sink was the only working area as the cooktop was on the island. No problem with water as I used BM Aura, but Pittsburgh Paint's Manor Hall Timeless is just as good with a more flat look and lifetime warranty. I'm pondering the issue for my current redo. In various houses I've had paint, wallpaper, white tile with abalone inserts, plain white tile. Right now I'm weighing white tile with a beautiful insert, just paint with no granite backsplash since this area has only a counter but no cooking/wet functions, paint with granite backsplash, or a simple glass tile backsplash with listello over it a la Chinchette. I'm attaching a photo from Chinchette's beautiful kitchen (hope she doesn't mind seeing hers cited as a great example) which shows the last option. In any event, I echo others' advice to not worry about that decision immediately unless you absolutely love a certain look. Just use good paint. Here is a link that might be useful: