A ledger is a board that is secured just below the counter into the studs. It should be 2" deep by 1" high at a minimum. I have a dishwasher that has granite over it with cabinets on either side and my contractor installed a ledger. You will need to have the panels on either side because that is how the dishwasher gets secured. I learned this the hard way. We reused our dishwasher and it was not designed for securing below granite. They put screws into the sides of the cabinets but the dishwasher went out of square and leaked water all over my wood floor. Fortunately most of the water ran into the basement below and my 90 year old floors weren't ruined. We ended up purchasing a new dishwasher designed to be side mounted. But you definitely need something to attach it to.

Heatheron40, very nice. I asked a question about doing a tile countertop in our guest cabin recently as I feel like the look would complement the cabin aesthetic. Also I’m dying to learn to tile and thought it would be a fun place to start as it’s not an everyday space and I could take my time. Most of the responses were against. Basically stating the grout would make me crazy. The guy at the said what you’re saying I think, he said that modern grouts are more resistant to staining and such, and also to go with a tinted grout of some sort. I love your use of pattern to give it interest and intention!

What a mistake! Hopefully you have posted on the Building a House forum for input. I wouldn't do either of your proposed options if this happened to me. I know these options are more work, but I'd prefer to remove the soffit and change the door opening into the kitchen, building the soffit over that opening. This creates a deeper hall. To me you keep the dramatic ceiling that you are apparently going after and it's much less of an interruption to the eye. I guessed at your ceiling height; I know it's not correct but this gives a visual. I would also do a fridge surround and cabinets on top of your baking station. Or, if you don't mind the lowered ceiling there, I'd go all the way across with a deeper soffit to match the wall to the left of the fridge. This give you more balance and storage. I would have attempted to go as high as the soffit with cabinetry, but I don't know your height there. Hopefully, this bump gets you some more input.

It looks very fresh and new. You can absolutely tie them together well and it will look fabulous. I know how hard it is to have a vision in your head, and then how sad it is when what you end up with doesn't match the picture in your head. But I'd recommend trying to regain some perspective. No one has died, it's done well, and it's going to be beautiful. There is no way in heck I'd pay money to rip that out and start over. However everyone is different with money and I'm sort-of cheap. I save forever for major projects like this and I've learned one has to be willing to roll with the punches on a major reno. Stuff always takes longer, costs more, and looks a little different than what I saw in my head....