Thanks for the idea Dreamweaver!! I didn't use PowerPoint, but I did "save" my word document to my iPhoto (yes - I'm a Mac user), and then I was able to upload to Photobucket. Here are the 2 pictures I worked on: Now I realize this doesn't look very pretty here. I'm sure scale is way off; neither the beadboard nor the tile are the correct color; obviously when I was playing with copying and pasting pictures I didn't do a great job of getting the tiles lined up correctly. This is just sort of a "rough draft" of what I'm envisioning behind my range. Now this one has the correct color on the tile - it's the ORB, and that's a picture of my pendant (I actually have 5 of them) in the ORB. I think what I'm trying to do is pick-up and play-up the dark brown in my floor. This picture has my definite 2 cabinet colors and my definite floor color. The granite is still being "worked on" (we looked at more this weekend.) Whatever we ultimately go with will be very, very similar to this picture. One of the issues I have with all of this is the matching of my backsplash to my granite. Because I think all granite (even the ones that I'm looking at with no real "swirls" or movement) STILL has a pattern...and that means that I have to be extremely careful with my backsplash. I just don't like the look of granite with a backsplash that has any real pattern of its own. I think the beadboard will accomplish this for me, and also give me the simple country/cottage look I'm going for. I'm hoping that adding the ORB tiles behind my range can give it a little something special without making it too busy. Make sense? Again, I'm trying to imagine what actual backsplash would like "in real life." Any thoughts? Thanks - SQ

Manchester tan from BM

Most who get stainless counters opt for the integral backsplash of at least the 2". Many opt for the 6". Putting beadboard above that should be fine, but I wouldn't forgo the integral backsplash with stainless at all. It's functional.

"I suspect that in those $$$ kitchens with "professional" ranges without backguards, they just toss in a few metal studs behind the cement fiberboard/tile." -- The clearance requirement is usually greater than 6". Technically, on a 2×4 wall, with a metal stud as a thermal bridge, the OTHER side of the wall would also have to be cement board... Now that Chess has tried to make everything clear as mud ;) the OP still seams confused. "Either way, apparently I need to be very aware of safety issues in whatever I place behind the stove area." - It is not about "whatever" you place behind, but maintaining the clearance DISTANCES mandated in the installation instructions, regardless of which material you use as a surface treatment to the wood studs. It makes no difference "what", be it shiplap, beadboard, drywall, stainless steel, or tile.