I think it would. Just end it with a bullnose, or finished edge tile flush with the end of the flat of the countertop (IOW, don't come all the way out to the tip of the bullnosed edge of the countertop) But of course, that's personal opinion, and yours is the one that counts, being you'll be the one living with it afterward! :-)

The green paint and the wood are the unifying factors in this kitchen. Loss of the green would be a loss but increasing the wood trim to make an apron below the windows would counterbalance the loss and would give the window the same aesthetic that is given in picture frame matting--the deeper matt is at the bottom of the frame. You would need some good wood finish that can tolerate the moisture and you would need to train the family to be diligent about caring for the wood. Once the hutch area is finished, you will feel the weight that it makes on the right side of the wall and will be glad to have the wood under the window to match it. Unfortunately, you would have to figure out what to do with those outlets under the window, sigh. I don't think that more little tiles will improve your design. If you need it for reason of utililty under the window, keep it as minimal as possible. Retain as much green as you can. This color will complement the view out the window and would enhance the look of foods. Bring in more of the green when you can--hand towels, a vase on the mixer wall, green stuff in the hutch if the hutch has glass in the doors, etc. ____ I need to think hard about my own advice. It applies to me as well. Am trying to decide about continuing the tile from a stove area to the space below a bank of windows on the next wall. I think I agree with other posters here--it's better to have the paint. Will I take this advice myself?

I was in a high-end tile showroom recently and the owner, whose wife designs a brand of nationally marketed artisan tiles, told me they have held off putting a backsplash in their own newly remodeled kitchen. So, we're not alone! I have beautiful, active soapstone on my countertops and island so I want to be sure I don't choose anything that will detract from it. If you're springing for marble, I'm sure you feel the same way. I have a 3" soapstone border on the wall around the countertops and my ss fabricator customized a little shelf that ties in those tiles and finishes off the space behind my range. Functionally, that's all I need. IMO, the backsplash is primarily for looks, except for behind the stove. If you have washable paint between the counters and cabinets those areas shouldn't require much protection, especially if you do most prep work on an island or peninsula. Backsplashes aren't easily changed out. I'd rather not have one than get one I'll tire of looking at in a year or two. A beautiful backsplash can really be the crowning glory of a kitchen, though. But I wouldn't force a choice just to get one done.

Paul, You are absolutely correct that putting a strip of granite - no matter how short - eats into the countertop usable area. Another reason I dislike those 4" granite BS concepts. However, you can insist that for the rise that the granite be cut down in thickness so that the strip applied as BS is 0.5" instead of 1.25". Furthermore, granite shops do this in our area as PaulineS has advocated many many times (she's another one in Boston-parts). I have a sheet glass backsplash and the reason I fell onto sheet glass was because I couldn't for the life of me fathom what I wanted to do for a backsplash on that wall - -- I didn't want the granite strip on that wall because on this sink-range wall the granite top is even less than the typical 25.5" (unfortunately located doorway) and I didn't want to lose useful inches to the granite strip and I didn't know at the time that the granite could be sliced down as I mentioned above, -- after several months of no backsplash experience, I knew that that just wasn't cutting it for a primary workspot (and by "primary", I mean used at most 3 times a week!) so I know full well of what you speak. 30" x 32 (34?) will be good and if you install a thin granite edge, it won't be much worse than the tile you were thinking of (3/8", yes?) but will look better in my opinion. My glass sheet is 3/8" thick and it doesn't feel like it cramps my style at the counter at all. Re: the DW. Where do you envision storing your dishes? Based on something I learned from our remodel - not planned for, learned because of sheer, dumb luck - is that I LOVE having the DW next to or right across from the storage parts. My dishes go from DW to the drawers right next to the DW and some other key storage pieces, into the drawers right across from the DW. It is brilliant. (I do have to walk a step to get to the glass and cups storage which is on the other side of the sink from the DW so that is a minor bugaboo - compared to th dishes). So, whether you keep it or think of moving it, i would think in terms of where you think the dishes or glasses etc. are going to be. If they're next-to, you're golden, baby! It looks good to me, as my plan would be to keep pots and pans on the LHS of the range, and the eating dishes on the RHS (which is right across from the DW & so brilliant), glasses and stuff perhaps in the 18"ers (glass door, no doubt) across the penin so you'd move the glasses from the dishes to the ctrtop and thence to their home in the front of the peninsula. So, yes, I do think it looks good. Scared yet? But if you're planning to move the DW, I'd plan for it to go relative to the dishes home (minimize this norm, in other words).