This is the image gallery area, but I was in your situation. I let the calla and rose coexist for a few years. The rose did fine and I thought they were good companion plants until we had some hard winds and the rose thorns shred the calla. Anyway, I dug up the rose and calla, a 4 ft diameter circle about 2 feet deep, sifted all the soil through a screen, then replanted the rose. No sign of calla after 4 years, and the rose didn't seem to mind the harsh treatment.

Thanks for all the great opinions and encouragement! EAM44 - I definitely like the solid stainless behind the stove...that looks great! Easy to clean? badgergal...beautiful tile! I love those colors...and agree that it looks awesome just behind the cooktop and hood. ellendi...thanks for your thoughts...I too am still concerned even the spots under the counters may overwhelm the room. juliet11...I think you've hit the nail on the head (the contemporary look versus traditional). I am going more traditional with the rest of the room...I would probably pick traditional hardware on the cabinets as well. The kitchen table we have is a long farmhouse table that is pretty rustic (diy). Our floors are stained concrete to look like large tile. I haven't found a backsplash that I love, but I like the idea of picking a tile that is one color, similar to the color of the walls...maybe subway tile? Is it possible to put BS on a piece of plywood and semi-temporarily attach it to the wall? Not sure how it would work with the outlets...but it seems I've seen that suggestion but haven't ever seen how it can be actually implemented. I don't mind spending the $ on the BS if we change it out in a few years, but I do mind having to spend the time on tearing it out...would be much nicer to just unscrew the sheet of it and replace it with something new :)

You have a lot of natural light in there. We did something similar in our last house (just an 'update' since we weren't staying long either) and went from white multi-fleck counters to dark. I was a little freaked out at first but we had a lot of light also and it wasn't closed in or dark feeling at all like I had feared. I am not a color expert and have backsplash woes of my own - can you find a color in your floor that is still a warm tone but not quite as dark as what you have shown here? Have you thought about waiting for the counters to go in before selecting a backsplash to get a better feel for the space? Oh - I almost missed it! Of the two I prefer the lighter one for sure. We went with something similar with ours too. If it helps at all (either for the good or what not to do) here is a pic of ours and it was a much smaller space. Excuse the white outlets I know they stick out like a sore thumb. I just wanted to offer encouragement since I know the feeling. :)

Seriously? You like the board and batten? Does it work well in combination with shingles? I never considered it until I came to Houzz. Below are a few inspiring photos. Hubby wants dark garage doors. I said no, until I saw this 3rd pic.