I can see why it might be advisable to remove the left/rt portions of tile, but I would be inclined to wait until ithe kitchen is completed before deciding. If, as your gut tells you, it "needs" to come down, nothing is really lost except a little more time with it up. Perhaps knowing you are not "locked-in" or committed to it, will help give the perspective to view it more objectively while deciding for sure. This way you will not only have the chance to see it with everything else in place, but you will also have the opportunity to get used to it, before deciding if you truly dislike it, or just haven't gotten used to it being there. As subtle (in color) as our tile is, after months of looking at white painted Sheetrock, it still looked "different" and stood out when we looked at our kitchen. Once we became accustomed to it, we couldn't imagine our walls without it. That's how I am with many things--after living with a blank wall or empty space for any period of time, even a long awaited piece of furniture or decor item jumps out at me, and almost seems like too much, until I get used to the vacant space being filled. Thanks for the compliments on our backsplash Laura and andreak100! It's the Opera Glass tile from Artistic Tile (Stilatto pattern) in Wolfgang White. It does read greenish-blue(-grey) in certain lights or times of day. We had to think about that one while deciding if we wanted to use it, and obviously decided to go for it! Good luck Laura! Honestly, whatever you decide will look terrific!

didn't have time to read all the answers. I have no backsplash and have never regretted it...been over 6 yrs. It is painted with BM matte...which has ceramic in it. It is as beautiful now as it was when first painted. I love the fact that I can showcase other things ...art etc in my kitchen and no competition. Also if I ever want to change it is as quick as a paint brush...expense is minimal..paint only ! All in all I think it is serene as you point out . Here is one pick. Since I have a lot of high heat cooking in my kitchen..built in deep fat fryer as well as gas cook top I can definitely speak to the longevity of paint only. c ( more at this album )

It's not crazy to not want a backsplash. The 6 inch pieces tend to look too tall IMO, but you could always try getting wider window trim so the 4 inch won't leave a gap. For behind the stove you can go for a simple stainless steel panel or tile up to the bottom of the vent hood.

Wilson , thanks I love the idea of replacing the wine rack with shelves. Anna- I think you’re right. It’s a small job, so he had to make the price worth it for him. I’m definitely planning on getting more quotes! Thinkdesignlive- I want to paint the cabinets iron mountain by Benjamin Moore To match the island in the kitchen (kitchen has white perimeter cabinets and iron mountain island). Here are the tiles I’m thinking about- https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daltile-Restore-Ivory-9-in-x-12-in-Glazed-Ceramic-Herringbone-Mosaic-Tile-0-6-sq-ft-each-K17513HERMS1P2/316956245 Before I knew it would be 3-4K to change the countertop and backsplash, the original plan was to match the countertop in the kitchen (see pic)