Thanks for all the compliments. The cabinets are called Gatsby and they're in Arctic White. And so far the Hansgrohe is taking a bit to get used to usage-wise but love the way it looks. I mention the granite guys because they were fantastic to work with - kept to their schedule and estimate - and would highly recommend them .

Great idea! It's also fun with grown-ups. We use our remodeling projects to spice up our Halloween parties. When we knew we were going to paint the living room, we urged guests at "The Zombie Apocalypse" to write on the walls, and the notes all together created a great story line about which parts of town were safe, survivors who lost and then found friends and loved ones, and practical tips on how to deal with the zombie hordes. Last year, we gutted the kitchen just before setting up "Stage Fright," and left one section up for guests to write on the "Wall of Shame." Turned out something like what you would expect to see written on a bathroom stall in rock club. Everyone gets into it. Future homeowners will be SHOCKED at the horrors that happened in the house before them! *insert evil laughter*

Thanks for the nice comments, everyone! We are so happy with it so far. I love stained cabinets but these are cheapy builder-grade cabinets...not really stain worthy plus the grain is really not that pretty. Also, I'm relying on the white to brighten up the kitchen since it gets so little natural light. I am pretty sure we're going with Chantilly Lace, a cool white that is almost barely grey (but still white). The classics like Simply White, Cloud White, etc., just took on a yellow cast when placed up next to the backsplash. We are very, very lucky because we've been able to keep costs down due to my dad. We have not gone with the cheapest anything (used a great granite supplier and installer, the tile guys my dad always uses, etc.) We knew that if we didn't do any structural changes or move things around, we could do something nice without spending too much. Our goal the whole time is to not have to pull any money out of savings and we've been able to do that, so we're pleased with that aspect.

Patricia, I'm guessing that was for me? Perimeter splash with something different behind the range/hood? Interestingly, the large Tuscan style kitchen was our last kitchen (Pre-Floods 1 & 2 : ). Although this is going to be a very different style, DH is really pumped up about the two choices, although we haven't purchased yet, so I would be very open to your (and others) input. Our info: Wall color: Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice. The rendering on my monitor makes it appear warmer than it is in our well-lit kitchen. There is is almost completely neutral, in the adjoining room it comes off more grey. Cabinets will be shaker and white ~ a rather 'white' white (I do not have a name as it is being done by our cabinet maker and they call it 'Chandler White). That shade looked better with our light, paint, floor, and counter material than the 'less white' option. Our floors are American Stone & Tile Ranch Wood in "warm brown" (which is also NOT a 'warm brown' but a nice balance of grey tones with not-warm wood tones. Counter tops will be White Macaubus Quartzite. The selection for behind the hood/range is also a quartzite but rough and stacked. It is called Ostrich Gray Ledger. This is the best option I have for posting a pic right now, and it doesn't really capture the texture & nuanced grays: OstrichGrayLedger The back splash around the perimeter picks up the veining in the quartzite: Dunes Platinum Wave 3x12 Glass: DunesPlatinumWave.