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.

I can't comment on the pearlescent question, but I can say that it took us a long time to find our backsplash for Taj Mahal. We ended up choosing Crossville Market Street Ashbury Collection 3 x 6 tiles in the color "Fleece Crackle." This collection has lots of colors, shapes and sizes, and there were several light neutral colors. There are so many zilions of tiles, it can be overwhelming, but this is the one we finally settled on. Crackle finish doesn't give you the pearlescence you are seeking, but it does give a little bit of visual dimension while remaining a smooth surface. When we were searching, we wanted a calm backsplash that wouldn't compete with the Taj.

We were considering this for my Dad’s kitchen but he changed his mind to tile. I really wanted him to do the Taj for the backsplash! While deciding I met with the fabricator to discuss the plan and we worked carefully to avoid any Sean’s in the backsplash. A seam will be more visible and obvious when its vertical. Since you say it’s a small area, hopefully it’ll be easy to accomplish. Just something to keep in mind as you move forward.

Wow the black and soft white w the Taj is going to look amaaaazinggg!! I use black as accents in the kitchen as my center island is a deep Tuscany green and cabs are White Duck. I racked my brains for months looking for backsplash and then I remembered in one of my bathrooms I used this oyster color very elongated subway tile with a soft wave. Went out to my storage to get a few pieces and laid it on there and it was perfect. It was this very soft and neutral greige color. If he’ll go back through my old post you should see pictures of my cabinets Taj Mahal and backsplash as I just cannot remember at this time. after the fact I wish I would’ve brought the Taj all the way up the wall but I’m glad now how it all turned out. So exciting for you in this phase-Good luck!