the ceramic tile I picked is light creamy color, more on a yellowish side than grey. I probably need to get a better digital camera, the flash on mine is so weak it always comes up darker than it is :( I would go for a closer matching grout, so yes, the grout lines wouldn't be as visible. hopefully, anyway. color combination looks better in rl, I promise! I'm still trying to decide if I should use 4-1/4" or 6" tiles. I haven't seen too many photos here that would use 6x6 on diagonal for backsplash, those would give me only 2 full tiles under the taller cabinets and I'm not sure about the look. sammi2, I just wish they were not 10x more expensive than the regular tile! it would just be overkill ... if you have another idea how to include it in that area, I'm listening. I hope I won't offend anyone though by saying that accent strips underneath all cabinets close to countertops or picture frames are just not my thing.

I wasn't necessarily favoring the fridge and freezer on the back wall, but taking a suggestion and offering another functional option. It offers more counter beside the stove, but I could go for either my last plan with the sink on the right (with windows), or your plan with the stove on the back wall (with the right oven). They each have their own sets of plusses and minuses. I wouldn't want the range on the righthand wall, because I can see snackers and others tromping through the cooking area to get to the fridge and pantry, and that defeats the purpose of separate zones...and the cooking zone is the most important one to protect from interference. Because it's a busy place where timing and maneuvering is important, and because you are moving quickly, wielding sharp and hot things, injuries are most possible. That kind of cross-traffic is sometimes unavoidable, but not in a kitchen like yours (new and big with other options). It is something I worked very hard to prevent in my kitchen, and I am so very glad that I did. (You definitely wouldn't want seating on the stove side of the island where you can trip over or back into it, and will be blocking your access to workspace.)

For the last decade, I have used SW Westhighland White throughout my house -- all trim (semigloss), all ceilings (in flat), and closet interiors (matte), and even my exterior trim (exterior semigloss)). I think it looks fabulous with everything. I have all sorts of wood tones (natural oak, medium cherry, many antiques), grey paints (including Mindful Grey), and lots of colors (cottage-y colors of blues and greens yellows and even some brighter colors in kids' rooms, etc). I haven't found a color it doesn't look great with. I also have some (cheap) white big box cabinets in laundry rooms, with Westhighland White for the trim (including baseboards) in those rooms as well. This is actually the second house I used it in throughout for trim and closets, and it looked great in my old house, too. Great color, IMHO. Not yellow, not beige, but not cold white, either. I used SW Extra White as my trim color in my first house (over 20 years ago), and, over time, I didn't like how cool it looked, and it also didn't cover very well -- I think because it is just such a pure white. It looked almost purple in some rooms, especially when I used a cheaper SW line for some rooms (never again, but I was a poor grad student back then). Westhighland white has just enough pigments to cover really well in one or two coats (one if repainting white trim or primed white boards, two if being really picky or covering a color). Check out Westhighland White. It's a great color IME, and as my go-to white for 11 years, I still love it and can't imagine not loving it. (FWIW, I use Duration for walls and have recently discovered Masterhide -- tinted to my color -- for ceilings. Great coverage and much cheaper than the ceiling paint.)

@Rho Dodendron I get the concept of picking wall color last. You can get any color you want. However, I am a strong proponent of a whole home color palette. I decided on a whole home color palette based on the colors in my slate entry and worked with many of the things I own. Everything I buy and each room that I renovate has to work within the confines of my selected color palette. I have a system for selecting colors that starts with what must stay (expensive items that the owner cannot update or change ( kitchen cabinets, countertops, flooring, expensive furnishings) or items that the owner doesn't want to change (art, furniture, things that they love). Then I find out what colors make the owners heart sing. Those colors that will bring joy to the owner every time they see them. Then I work out a plan on how the colors will flow from room to room. Less expensive items like towels, shower curtains, bedding may be changed out numerous times before the walls need to be re-painted. I buy a new bedspread every year and change them out based on the seasons. Am I supposed to re-paint my bedroom every 3 months or should I look for bedding that works with my smoky purple bedroom?