Dear Dianalo, Thanks! Yes, that original 1928 tilework makes me swoon too. That is why I've been debating since 1998 what to do with my kitchen. Much of the tile needs to come down for the planned kitchen expansion (into the area currently occupied by our back staircase.) I'm going to try to save and reuse all the tiles (or at least the green diamond shaped liners) when we renovate. My biggest fear is sacrificing the charm of my small kitchen for a bigger and more functional kitchen. I'm still working on the balance. I'll try to post a few more pictures of my existing, pre-renovated kitchen soon.

We already have the cabinets and won't be replacing them. It's a very long story but it wasn't really anyone else's fault. It's a modular home so there was no kitchen designer involved. We are not reusing the countertop but the reason I wanted the filler is that I'm not sure if the floor will be suitable to be out in the open. The current cabinet is screwed into the wall and the floor and there's no good way to patch the floor. Here's the short version of the long story: we had planned to use our existing cooktop and wall oven in this kitchen. I was able to look through the Merillat catalog to pick out catalogs and I relied on the specs in it to determine if our oven would fit and picked out a counter height wall oven cabinet so that we wouldn't lose any counter space. Well the oven itself fits but there is too big of a lip around the top and the only way it will fit in the cabinet is to have no countertop. That is not an option so we thought long and hard and decided we'd rather switch to a freestanding or slide-in range rather than buy a new wall oven to fit the opening (most would not-the ones that would are a lot higher). So we are buying new countertop to accommodate the opening for the range, and taking the cabinet that was in the center of the run and putting it on one end, since the wall oven cabinet isn't really useful and we have pull-out recycling cans in the center cabinet which we need in the kitchen. The wall oven cabinet is 33" and the recycling cabinet is 30. That is why we have the extra 3". Thanks for all the ideas-I'm going to run them past my husband and see if we can come up with a solution that isn't too expensive. by the way, I did call Merillat and explained that their specs are somewhat misleading-because it does say in the specs that the top rail needs to be removed for an oven of the largest size given would fit. I told them that all wall ovens that I've seen have a lip and removing that top rail would put the opening right up to the cabinet (something that I wasn't aware of-I thought that removing the top rail meant there would be something up there but nope). She said that made sense and that she would pass on the information. But that they couldn't do anything about it. I'll be using the old wall oven cabinet and the old countertop in my sewing room so it's not going to be trashed or anything. I'm just not sure what to do with that extra 3" of space. IF the floor looks good under the existing cabinet I can leave it as a cubby but if there are screw holes, that area will have to be covered up. The floor is sheet vinyl so other than a patch or full replacement, there isn't a way to fix a hole. And I don't really want a patch.

YES! You can mix counter top materials in the came kitchen. I don't have anything against mixing counter top materials in any kitchen. Countertop selection should be a mixture if servicability. asthetics in design/color, and quality. Mixing high grade butcher block and plastic laminates is never satisfactory, but your suggestions of Ceasarstone, Silestone Quarts, Corian, Granite or Marble mix very well with Butcher Block. Servicability comes in second. Butcher Block is a good choice surrounding the cooktop as it will handle a hot pan inadvertinly set down where Corian will damage easily. Corian is a thermal plastic material and will melt and scorch from the intense heat. All of these materials are ideal for use around wet sink and prep areas as they do not absorb water causing discoloration, rotting and the dreaded mold of numerous varieties you don't want to tangle with. Wood tops, (butcher block), can be sealed successfully against moisture intrusion, but must be maintained judiciously. Around the cooktop however thorough cleaning and reoiling the surface with a food grade oil will keep it beautiful for years. Bartop finishes can be a pain to maintain as they can be scratched easier than you think, and repairing chips and gouges in the surface can be disappointing. I hope I haven't put anybody to sleep with this, but like most comments here to your original question this only my opinion. The backsplash should be kept consistant on both sides of the kitchen. That said, having a tile mural centered over the cooktop works very well. Make sure any grout between the tiles is sealed with future sealing maintainance each year or after any severe cleaning. Consider having a window with a country or ocean scene painted and sealed against grease & dirt over the cooktop for added flavor.

Placing a wall oven under a cook top is usually a bad idea for American appliances, if it is even possible in the first place. Often there simply isn't enough clearance. But it is super common in Europe. Their dimensions are a little different and in fact from what I can tell, this is the standard configuration option for any mid to high end German kitchen. The good news is that you're buying German brands. So, now the only question is whether Bosch follows the same design guidelines for their international product lines as for their domestic ones.