Backsplash yes!! I would do above the counter as well. It's hard to visualize when you are in mid construction.

I think the counter up the wall looks dated, but some people like it.

With floating shelves people usually either end the backsplash at the bottom of the lowest shelf, as if it's a cabinet, or they carry the tile all the way up the wall the way you are doing behind the stove. You can find lots of example photos on houzz.

Just so you know, installing the countertop to the wall when you are not putting the counter going up the wall requires more skill. This is because the counter has to be scribed perfectly to your wall and all the little waves and bumps that you can see, but will yield gaps of varying sizes that you will notice once the put on the counter. It is easier for the contractor to do the countertop material backsplash

The standard 4" countertop backsplash is one look, this can be with or without tile above. Tile straight down to the counter is another, there are more choices too. You could do the countertop material in 1", 2", or 3" inches though 1" might be very difficult to cut without cracking. You could do one or a couple row of your subways with or without a trim piece.

Look at lots of pictures and see what you like.

We went to the ceiling with our backsplash and floating shelves. I have seen it every possible way- there is no wrong answer. I vote yes on a backsplash because it gives a more finished appearance.

johnsoro15 - your kitchen is gorgeous! Wow, that looks awesome!

localeater - I hadn't considered how hard or easy it was to do different styles of back splash, good point!

I kind of think the 4inch counter extension would make the space look dated. But then we have friends who have an amazing kitchen that has the 4inch back splash to match the counter. The kitchen is just laid out very differently.

I worry that the shape of the kitchen is kind of odd. The space is quite big. My concern with the tile is that it will just end up taking over because there isn't an easily defined end point.

I was thinking subway tile above the range, to the ceiling. Then on below the 3 uppers on either side down to the counter. The area to the left of the divider would be paint. Then paint on the floating shelves area and wrapped around the sink. But then it seems odd to not have tile in the sink area. Although, it is a corner sink, so I could imagine that not as much water will actually be getting on the walls of the corner?

I am just terrible at visualizing!

Localeater, I still check out gardenweb every so often and I was surprised to see your compliment about my kitchen. Thanks so much. Your kitchen is gorgeous too.

jallt1013, I think your kitchen will look fine with the tile in just the range hood area and up to the ceiling. My fabricator had no trouble getting the countertop to fit exactly to the wall. There were no gaps that need to be covered by tile or a 4" strip of countertop material. Most of my pictures in te link local eater provided are no longer available. Here are a couple pictures that I have on my iPad that look at little better than the ones on the previous link.

Good luck with your decision. Please post picture when finished. Your kitchen is going to be great.

johnsoro25 - We are going to be making backsplash decisions soon as well. I love the look of your subway tiles. Can you share details? jalit1013 - I have trouble visualizing as well but thought the thread with mockups was really helpful! Can you do something like that to help with your decision? Good luck!

Thank you localeater! Yes, I am really struggling on the back splash. I guess even more so because I thought that I had made this decision back when I did tile selection in June. :)

Your kitchen looks awesome!

badgergal, what a BEAUTIFUL kitchen. Wow! I love the look of the tile behind the range.

I was going to ask what you did around your sink area and then noticed your sink is in the island. Ours is in the corner, to the right of the range. I guess I hadn't thought about protecting the walls behind the corner sink.

I do the cooking, but my husband does the dishes. Not sure why, but he tends to get a lot of water all over the place. I probably do need something to protect the wall from water.

I feel like we have so many different heights. There is the 18 inches below the uppers by the range. Then the larger space below the uppers that will have glass (to the left). Not sure on the height of the space between the bottom of the window and the counter top. It looks to be less than 18 inches. But then to the right of the window is another set of uppers with an 18 inch space.

Hazelwags, I am not great at photoshop, but I agree, I need to try to create some mock ups!

I really appreciate all the advice I have gotten so far - thank you kitchen experts!

Someone a while back did soapstone countertops with a corner sink in the manner that we did ours - brought the counter material up and finished with a sill. I cannot remember whose, but maybe someone here will so you can take a look. I thought it looked great. Ours has been practical for us - we do lots of handwashing.

My stone looks similar to the pic you posted of yours. Color is off in this quick shot I just took.

I also went with a simple crackle tile BS just behind my range.

@hazelwags- thanks for the compliment. They are white ice beveled 3x6 subway from Roca Group. My KD got them at Mosaic Tile.

@localeater- I have arabesque tiles over my range too! I love the look :)

Localeater, I like what you did. I checked the earlier thread and mock-ups. This was a good choice for your space.

Jalit, I can't figure out what the divider is for. What is in that area? Is the range where the gap is?

Jalit, I think amck might be on to something with using your cambria nevern as the backsplash behind the sink. Because you dont have symmetrical windows to the sink, you probably wouldnt want to do the sill, but a platform or a high backsplash just behind the sink would look great with your special tile to the ceiling behind the range. Some people say the advantage of the platform is that it facilitates cleaning(i am not sure)

More pictures for you 'cause I know you like them :)

You couldnt see it in my earlier picture but I did countertop material behind my sink, for a longtime I wasnt sure I would tile any of the sink run wall. Eventually, I did, but I didnt have to. I didnt tile for close to two years, here is early picture before tile and lighting that shows the countertop material behind the sink and no other backsplash. Personally I think it is a very clean functional look.

Thanks Johnsboro and Chinchette for your kind words!

What's with the wierd hunk of cabinet hanging down in your way? That is all the eye is drawn too. Some mistake by your installer?

Localeater, thanks for the photos! I do appreciate that!

I do like the idea of a platform behind the corner sink.

We are going to go over this weekend and try to play around with some of the tile samlpes on different parts of the walls.

The divider is supposed to be there. The counter will be flush with the divider. The uppers in that section will have glass doors. There are some pieces that attach to/near the lower cabinets to make that area look more like furniture. It is supposed to have the look of a built in hutch.

That wall is really long. A run of just upper and lower cabinets was too much for me in that space. I needed something to break it up.

I'll try to find the mockup from the kitchen designer.

Yes, the space is for the slide in range. There will be a wall mounted stainless hood above the range.

A proper hutch look would have a different color, and/or level, and corbels if it were in the same run as the main cabinets. If it had hutch sides like that, at a minimum, it would be a separate hutch entirely, not joined to the rest of the cabinetry.

We had a proposed design that was all traditional upper and lower cabinets and it was too boring for me. I wanted something to break up the long line of cabinets.

Jalit1013, in the dining area of my kitchen I have a small area that previously had some base cabinets and some upper cabinets. When wanted it to look more like a built-in china cabinet or hutch so we had sides extend down to the countertop like you have but we had the cabinet maker put a wood back on it too. I think if you were able to put a wood back on yours people wouldn't be questioning what or why you have that wood panel there. Here are before and after shots of mine for you to compare. I think yours would look great with wood on the back instead of just the drywall or some tile.

Jalit, I'm not sure if you are still here. If you did what badger girl is suggesting it might make for a solution to the original problem you posted. You would have more cohesiveness with the backsplash and where it goes. Did you decide anything?

I too would put in a backsplash. I just had a new kitchen put in and my backsplash is a continuation of my Golden Lightning granite. I don't think a kitchen looks finished without a backsplash.

@johnsoro25 what's your granite? so beautiful and similar to the look we're going for...

(sorry to get off topic!)

@elatsch- It is Alaska White, we love it. Good luck in your project!

So we finally decided and the tile went up earlier this week. We are living about 40 minutes away from the house right now, I stopped by the house last evening.

We ended up using the suggestion of taping up paper with pictures of the tile - thank you for that suggestion!!! I tried to do photoshop, but I wasn't doing a great job. Seeing it in person helped.

We ended up tiling the area above the range and then the 18 inch area between the uppers and counter. In the open shelf area the 18 inches below the lowest shelf are tile, but then above the shelves is paint.

Sorry for the poor quality cell phone pictures. It was dusk and the electricity wasn't on. I was also holding my 1 year old at the time.

Thank you again for all the suggestions! I really appreciate it!!!

In terms of the "hutch" area. I am still deciding what to do with that area. I know I don't want tile. For now it is painted. But I am considering the suggestion of having a wood panel made to fit in the back to make the area appear more furniture like.

I will post pictures once the stainless appliances are in, the rest of the cabinet doors are up, and all the knobs/pulls are installed.

I know I am not on trend with a white kitchen and am okay with that. :)

Also, just for fun. This is what the kitchen looked like when we bought the house. I think the previous owners said it was redone at some point in the 1980s?

Thanks for the update. I like the tile. Its looking good. Yes, the hutch area is better without tile and leaves the ability to make it more hutchy. I could even have display shelves under the cabinets.