I'm going to suggest you post your questions in the home decorating forum. I think you'll get lots of help there. to post pictures you have to upload them to a pic hosting website like photobucket. once they are there, copy the html code for the pic and paste it into the body of your message. It will just look like a bunch of text, but when you hit preview, you should see your picture. The folks on decorating forum will want pics for sure.

mpagmom, I have only decided to put a stainless steel sheet behind the stove for now, and planned to paint the walls. But,with the white cab/dark grey counter scheme I have been thinking that I might run a strip of tile in a soft blue, grey or sage green, instead of counter materiel, for a small backsplash for now. I don't like the look of a 4" backsplash; it will have to be either minimal or the whole wall eventually. I saw a kitchen (linked below) that started me on the blue/gray/green color idea although I wouldn't go exactly like it, I like the feeling of it. Thanks, justmakeit, I will search out that color tomorrow at BM! We have a shop a quick bike ride away! Here is a link that might be useful: one inspiration for backsplash

The small brick half-circles are basically flower pots in the yard. Suitable for annuals and the occasional perennial and that's about it. Whatever suits your fancy. If you want to do landscaping instead, you need to make a 6' depth bed across the entire front. We don't know what the bed would do at the ends because we can't see them.

May not be enouigh sun for Dianthus. The Liriope you tried was evidently L. spicata, a species that spreads by rhizomes. Get Big Blue and try again. Or Armeria might work.