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!

Yes, it's "possible," but probably a lot of work. If installed over drywall, chances are that you;ll damage the drywall though. You would need to use a utility knife and dig out the grout surrounding the tile to be removed. This will remove some of the lateral forces around it to minimize chipping any adjacent tile...then start tapping with a hammer and use a small chisel, from the center out to remove the broken pieces. Again, likely that the force needed with the hammer will damage the board behind it. If this starts happening, expect to pull the whole thing down and install new drywall or backerboard and re-tile it all.

No one would notice that tiny crack in one tile, in a very nice kitchen. Put your soap dispenser there, or a kitchen towel, or a small plant. It is too minor to worry about.

If you google, you can buy custom cut tempered glass relatively inexpensively. Or, if it fits, check out IKEA tempered glass tops/shelves. Many of their dressers, credenzas, tables offer tempered glass tops.