Thanks Charlie. Another great mockup! In my next life I will be able to Photoshop! :-) I had been thinking of something like that, only off the counter. I am thinking it will feel crowded if I put much of anything there. Shermann, glad to hear from another paint-only household. I didn't have much trouble with a similar mosaic in my last kitchen, but I may have just been lucky. It was more rustic that the one I'm considering this time. It's really coming down to the balance issue for me...and maybe even more the clutter vs. serene thing. I am starting to think about some serious green (EK Chartreuse or F&B Churlish) which are anything but serene! Could be fun...and way cheaper than tile.

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!

In general, a typical mounting height for range hoods is 20 to 24 inches above the cooktop for electric stoves and 24 to 30 inches for gas stoves. Note that these are general averages and it is crucial that you look-up your range hood installation manual. Depending on certain vent hoods, 30" is what is required, but that's usually for gas stoves. Since yours is electric, they put off less heat than a gas stove, so your lower height is prob ok. (although, for comfort while using, I'd want it higher) . instead of guessing, why not look at the specs for your particular vent, and your stove, and see what they recommend? Code requirements diff from city to city, and also need to adhere to a few other acronyms. this should settle that argument (as for the backsplash, do whatever you like as mentioned above) What Is Required, and What Isn't? If you don't live in California, you may not even be required to have an exhaust system in the kitchen (be sure to check), but if you install one, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) requires it to conform to standards established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). The relevant standard, which forms the basis for the California ventilation code, is ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007. California requires kitchen ventilation in all new construction and remodels, and even if your local authorities don't require it, you should address it anyway. You can satisfy most local codes by installing a range hood. The capacity of range hoods is measured in cubic feet per minute (cfm), and you determine the required capacity by calculating the total heat output of the range in British thermal units (Btu) and dividing by 100 (for intermittent systems) or by 400 (for continuous systems). A range hood servicing a 40,000 Btu gas burner stove, which is standard, should have a capacity of 400 cfm if it's the kind you can turn off and on. If it stays on continuously, it only needs to be able to transfer 100 cfm, or a quarter of the capability of an intermittent system with an on/off switch. An electric stove doesn't generate as much heat as a gas stove, and it emits no combustion gases, so the capacity of the range hood is generally less, and you'll be compliant if you follow the requirements for gas burners. What Should the Exhaust System Do? The DOE cites ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010 as the determinant for energy efficiency when it comes to range hoods. It lists two requirements that apply to all kitchens. The first is that they must use a limited amount of makeup air, which is air drawn from other rooms in the house, to avoid wasting energy expended by heating and cooling this air. The second is that they must not be short-circuit hoods, which are those that draw makeup air from outside. They should draw all the makeup air from inside the building with no outdoor air allowed. You can select from a number of options when choosing a range hood, including cabinet undermount systems, wall mounts (which include wall-mount exhaust fans) and downdraft systems that circulate air downward instead of upward (which is often necessary to vent a stovetop on a kitchen island). All of these should have a fan capable of at least five air exchanges per hour, which means they exchange all the air in the room at least five times every hour while running. Many ducted systems have a duct hidden inside a cabinet above the vent hood. Requirements for a Makeup Air System When you run an exhaust fan in the kitchen, it draws air from other parts of the house, and if your house is well sealed and energy efficient, you could encounter these problems: Negative pressure could draw cold air from outside through the chimney and heating vents, and your heating bill could go up. The exhaust system doesn't get the air it needs and operates at a lower efficiency. Running a kitchen vent fan without makeup air can create negative pressure that pulls exhaust gases from water heaters or other gas-burning appliances into the house, an effect called backdrafting. Because modern homes are better insulated and more energy efficient than they used to be, the IRC was revised in 2009 to require that systems that exhaust more than 400 cfm require a system to provide makeup air at the same rate. The revision was further modified in 2018 to state that the makeup system must be capable of preventing depressurization in the house greater than three pascals. Some builders try to satisfy this requirement by creating holes in the wall, but this obviously reduces the energy efficiency of the house and drives up the heating bill. The code-approved method is to provide a fan that blows conditioned air into the kitchen whenever the exhaust fan is on. This fan is usually synched with the exhaust fan so that they come on and go off at the same time. Many building authorities regard this section of the IRC as more advisory than compulsory, and builders don't always follow it. Installing a makeup air system can add 3 to 10 percent to the cost of a kitchen renovation, which also provides negative incentive for homeowners to comply. However, failure to do so could mean significant extra energy costs, and it could shorten the life of the exhaust system, so the extra expenditure is probably worth it. Getting the Most From Your Range Hood One of the most common mistakes homeowners make when installing a range hood is to put it too far above the cooking surface. When you do this, the suction from the fan isn't strong enough to attract all the cooking gases and microscopic particles, and they are free to circulate throughout the kitchen. However, you don't want the hood to be too low, or it will get in the way, so 24 inches above the cooking surface is the recommended distance. Vent hoods should be close to 24 inches above the cooking surface. Many stoves come with their own hoods, and the hood is usually the right size for the stove. If you're installing a standalone hood, it's easy to make it too small, and that makes it less efficient. In particular, many people choose a hood that isn't deep enough to cover the front of the stove in order to avoid bumping their heads on it, and such a hood won't capture the gases from the front burners. Be generous when sizing the hood to make sure it will do the job it's supposed to do. Another mistake you might make is to choose an exhaust fan that's too small for your needs. Even if you have a small stove with a total output of only 10,000 Btu, you should choose a hood with a minimum capacity of 200 cfm to be sure all the air from the stove will circulate. Like recirculating hoods, ducted hoods also come with filters, and if you want to make sure your hood is working to its maximum efficiency, you should clean or replace this filter frequently. Personally I'd want it higher so it wasn't in my face while cooking.

JL: When you said "also quartz" you are implying that you are using engineered stone for a countertop and backsplash. There is no such thing as "granite composite" no matter what the marketing people for the sink manufacturer says. It is all quartz and resin; granite has too much mica and feldspar to be suitable for filler. I'm not aware of any "composite granite" countertops made of the same material as the quartz composite sinks. You must design and install your splash in conjunction with your appliance manufacturer's instructions, particularly if your splash is engineered stone. Contrary to engineered stone manufacturer's claims, estone is 66% quartz and 33% resin. The nonsense about 95% quartz and 5% resin is a measure by weight, which is meaningless, not by volume. Resin is heat sensetive and it makes up a third of your splash.