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!

I am planning a small kitchen going in this summer and am having the same debate. For cleanliness, I struggle with no backsplash whatsoever. We slop around too much or someone spills and I am always wiping the countertops back to the backsplash. My painted walls would not hold up. You have a better chance of getting away with it with your prep area and sink on the island. I am going with Cambria and what I like about them is they offer a thin backsplash. I am seriously considering the thin Cambria behind the range and 4" up all the way around. I like the look of the thin backsplashes vs the chunky ones that come with granite. If I do decide to tile it is going to be a simple solid, probably small brick pattern that highlights one of the colors in my Cambria. Palimpsest - interesting idea back painting glass especially behind the range. How did you attach it to the wall?

It depends on a couple of things - your personal taste and your intentions for the home. Backsplash can be tricky - depending on what you put in, it could become outdated and make it harder to sell if that is your intent. On the flip side, if this is a home you are in for the long haul, do what makes your eyes happy! The great thing is you could start off without it and add it in after. You could go to a Lowes to pick up a couple sheets of their peel and stick backsplash just to get an idea of how it will look. Hope that helps! ~Rachel www.homesweethomestore.com

I wouldn't fixate on this aspect of the backsplash. It's not ugly, just not au courant. *shrugs* Better question is: how does it relate to the rest of the kitchen? As @barncatz noticed, the tile seems to fit the style of the house. That's a good thing. On my monitor, as @palimpsest pointed out, it's the colours that don't harmonize. Sometimes, it's a lighting issue that skews tones in a space (and in pictures). Pictures from further away and of the whole kitchen would help us give you better advice.