I think you made very nice choices in the end. I like the backsplash you picked, because as others posted about the glass.... it brings down the quality of the kitchen..... The flooring...I think it will work out fine. We are having the same problem. I actually like the wider plank but either would work. I do like the color you choose and it was my first choice....then it would have been a brown picked up in your original flooring. I hope you post pics when you are finished! Oh just as an afterthought....did anyone suggest you do the backsplash in the same countertop granite? That might have worked also, but it's a different look and maybe an outdated look also?....I think you chose a good product...bet it's gorgeous! Best wishes on it's completion!!!

Owls4me-- Thank you! This is a great suggestion. It seems like that section of countertop space (aside from the sink in the middle) does not get used hardly ever. The microwave we have now is 14" square. (Its in that 3rd pic I posted...looks like a bread maker.) A lot of people laugh at it but I like the space it saves. It would be great to find one to put under the 13" cabinets someday. Hi Circus-- You bring up some very good points about "straight, level, even" tiles & grout lines...I am at work under the scrutiny of corporate internet use...unfortunately this keeps me from viewing the pics you've posted. I can imagine that the minute grout lines might cause an illusion of wavy appearance. I'll take a look at all your photos when I get home! I also like your idea of bringing the backsplash to a stopping point above the bottom of those upper cabinets. I don't know the tile term for it, but I like the "molding-looking" strip that some people are using at the top of the backsplash as the "crowning" piece. It actually reminds me of crown molding on a ceiling! Anyhow, I figured I would need to go higher for a couple of reasons. If you take a look at the pics I posted earlier, you'll notice (in the 1st photo) a deficit of lower cabinets to the left side, towards the window/bar area. This is actually where our cooktop and vent-a-hood are now installed. Somewhere beyond the edge of the vent I must choose a height to stop at, right? As for the other edge, I plan on tiling to the window frame in the pic. ((This house is so funky! Notice the bar area is built into that window...ugh what a mess.)) I'm hoping if I run the backsplash to that window frame it will look more deliberate? BRING ON THE OPINIONS for this one PLEASE!!! And then there's the other end of that section of cabinets...you'll see the beautiful vintage rose wallpaper in the photo and my embarassing renovation mess in the dining room ;)> I guess after I figure out how high to go near the vent-a-hood on the left, I'll follow suite here. If I use a tile accent like was mentioned, I can only showcase it on the wall at these 2 high points because the kitchen sink window is literally sandwiched between those upper cabinets. Do you think it will be enough to bring some extra visual interest to this wall? And "raise it up a little too? Speaking of symmetry and placement, I am excited that I can carry the tile (and possible accent tile) across the room to the new section of cabinets/countertop (shown in pic 2 & 3). This would be the 3rd area of higher tile. Maybe this little workspace area will tie the knots all together?!?!

Most definitely pause. It's marble often enough that I wouldn't dream of proceeding without checking it out further. Good catch nebster! Thanks, Karin. Being married to a geologist, but nevertheless not knowing anything about rocks, I appreciate your contributions to the forums here over the many years. I have spoken with the gal at the slabyard, and they say they've sold tons of these slabs over the last few years and have never had any complaints, so she felt like they would have heard if people were getting etching and marble performance instead of the expected granite/quartzite imperviousness. That sounds pretty rational, but better safe than sorry! What surprises me is that the arabescato is so consistently visually similar with itself. (Especially versus all the other "whites" that are out there.) So I am surprised that a slab would ever look like this and be of a totally different composition. Unless it turns out this stuff is always marble; that would fit with my simple mental model of the world. :)

Here's a white 4x4 tile from Daltile, available at Home Depot for a mere $4.49 per square foot. If you want white. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Daltile-Semi-Gloss-White-Hexagon-4-in-x-4-in-Glazed-Ceramic-Wall-Tile-3-sq-ft-case-010044HEXHD1P2/206623193