Have you taken the Sweeby test yet? You have a lot of wonderful ideas but definitely need to arrive first at your blurry unfocused final picture, then add in all the elements that belong there, where they belong, and pass regretfully on others that don't work in that picture. Maybe like coloring in outline drawings of your kitchen with pearly tile and copper and stainless, or stainless, with or without brick, hmmm, or let's see what it looks like with this.... "1970s faux spanish ranch house theme" "love the look of rustic against "blingy" ? BTW, I love the idea of tile on your island, and likely your backsplash. How about a handcrafted tile, perhaps a fusion of old rancho with pearlescent? Regarding having the underside of the eating counter a "focal point" from the FRM and entry, my reaction is a knee-jerk noooooo. With stools/chairs in front, that's an area the eye should skip right on past--to settle on something genuinely handsome. Even with no stools, that area should only bea contributing portion of the entire view, with focus moving right on past to something important. Wouldn't dark walnut with a scrubbable finish be great for hiding shoe smudges? It would be for allowing focus to keep moving to...what will your focal point be? Regarding lighting up your counters, I sure don't think it's "too much" if done right. But, since this would create a rather dramatic effect of a horizontal band of light each evening, is a horizontal band what your room needs? Does it echo a horizontal effect elsewhere? Will your counters describe a very pleasing continuous shape, length of band in proper proportion to the rest of the area? Is focusing attention on that portion of the kitchen the best option or is there something else that might be lit up to better effect? Lighting is a major design tool and feature, but it does need to fulfill a design purpose.

Blue I'm going to print this and put it on the door of my house. People walk in after hearing "mosaic marble rug...crocodile tile...stainless steel and granite...26 different knobs in the kitchen...and hand done plaster" and I can see them bracing themselfs for horror. (I'll cut out the part about your dissent on my vote though :oP You might give my GC ideas) heh heh Red, I'm curious...have you laid out a herringbone with those tiles. That would be fun and still carry over the traditional.... I've made quilts in the tumbling block (similar to the raking stretcher run you like) so I am also infusing my opinion of that pattern on this question. I like the tumbling blocks on a quilt, it's fun and quirky, and on a huge surface (big square) it looks great. I don't however like it on a pillow unless done in tiny pieces because you don't really get the feel of the tumble without a large rectangular expanse of the pattern. I see the same issue with your walls. If you had an open wall or were tiling up to a ceiling with a glass hood, you could get the feel of the pattern more because it would be easier for your eye to take it in. But you know...I bet either way you go...it's going to be gorgeous. THe tile is lovely, and your kitchen is yummy. You make me want to do a white kitchen now :oP ANd I'm running out of kitchens to do!!

We're considering two different granites because we're considering darker cherry cabinets, with two exceptions: a sage green island and matching sage green cabinetry and hood below and above the cooktop, and are considering a complementary granite for the island because we're going to have 30+ linear feet of cabinetry/island/peninsula and think we need to break things up a bit. However, we do wonder how a granite backsplash in the same granite as the island will work since the cooktop area will be close to the island. Good comment, however, and we'll definitely run that by the couple of KD's we're considering. Thanks, and keep the ideas/suggestions coming!

I'm with Live_wire. I have a range like you and I kept my backsplash, like my other BS areas, plain. In the future I plan to get a slide in, free standing, induction range without that range backsplash. I planned my counter to accomodate this at the back of the counter. When that day comes I may get a really cool tray to accent the area. There was a poster here a few weeks ago who showed their kitchen with an aluminium serving tray as a decorative element behind their slide in range. Her tray was rabbit themed. It was a nice feature.