Anything with lots of nooks and crannies and wide grout lines will be hard to clean, whatever it's coated in. BUT - that depends on how you cook. For my mother, who does lots of things in the oven and is the maven of steam and boil - not an issue. For my husband, who is always pan frying, searing, sauteing, etc... it would require a power sprayer. I won't have beadboard anywhere near a kitchen he cooks in, either. I have nothing against beadboard - I actually like it and it's cottage feel. But I've been around the block with HIM enough to know that I'll never keep the grooves clean. (Tomato sauce that gets slopped down the side of the cabinet... and into the grooves. Been there!) So, when you get opinions, see if they jive with your lifestyle, too. A lot of the kitchens we saw in upper level houses at the local parade of homes last weekend are clearly for show and have no relationship to a working room. Think about the way YOU cook and they way YOU live when you pick both your finishes and your layout. Not just IF you cook, but HOW you cook. The hubs was incensed at one kitchen that had the double wall oven around a corner from the range. Because he likes to sear things on the stove and finish them in the oven. For people who never do such a thing, that might not be a problem. For him - huge safety issue. If you don't like subway tiles, give some thought to arabesque tiles. Or maybe a pretty porcelain? It think the reaction you got has more to do with things not meaning the same thing to different people. Pinterest-based trend words aren't really accurate style descriptors. I find it frustrating, too, from the other side of the coin. When I search for "farmhouse" I don't mean JoAnna Gaines-esque, I mean actual farmhouse. But that's not what I get.

My concern with a black and white scheme and the look you are going for is this: the typical "modern farmhouse" or other white with black window houses generally have pretty balanced massing (if not nearly symmetrical on some elevation), and a uniform window size and placement. Your house, a 1970s rancher has a functionalist window placement, sizing and placing the windows based on the inside needs first, rather than the facade, and the windows are kind of small compared to wall area, which is also typical of the style of house you have. I am not sure but I think a pure black/white scheme would emphasize some things in not such a good way. I would consider reversing the scheme in a way and doing a grey house with white trim, unless you are going to enlarge the existing windows and add more. Or a white house with grey trim, not something so high contrast.

I think you will want to reconsider any white flange... any colored flange really, other than stainless steel, which won't scratch off. Like you I'd thought to use brass to match our 'kitchen jewelry' but then read too many reviews of those flanges going bad (scratching up, peeling, etc., within a few months) Decided to match the sink, then read the same about those. I emailed Kohler and asked if any of their flanges other than stainless steel were solid material all the way through - answer was no. I'm going with stainless steel. The sinks, after all, will have stainless steel grates as well.

We have Norway Narvik Bronze in our new build and love it! https://interceramicusa.com/products/detail/norway/252115 We choose wood look tile because of our large dogs and children. We've been here 2+ months. Plenty of spills, one tummy virus, and drool spots - all cleaned up perfectly. It's throughout the house and bathrooms with the bedrooms and office carpeted.