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!

sskit, I agree with Live Wire, while the concept is not new, hanging large format 2cm stone on a vertical wall should be taken seriously. Any well thought-out stone installer will know to ask the right questions and they will make certain other tradesmen are not left holding the bag after the stone is installed. Just make sure the obvious utilities are accessible and the rough in is complete and most importantly identify who is responsible for each task. Another option for the stone installer is to install mechanical clips around the exhaust opening. It�s another way to help pin the stone to the wall without having to worry about hiding the anchors. Something similar to Hohmann and Barnard #432 would work great (again I am sure your stone installer can also provide alternate options). All the best Caayu

@diane7151 Thank you! We actually just went with the stock white through the semi-custom cabinet manufacturer, there was a warm white (too creamy) and ice type white, I wanted it crisp and didn't have a need for a custom white because the ice white sample looked good with all of our other swatches. The wall color is BM Pale Oak, with bright white trim, which helps the cabinets pop. I do think a custom paint job can provide a yummier texture and finish, just something I've thought about after the fact because we have a custom vanity in our master that seems smoother, but it's a rich blue gray which might be why it feels more luxurious? With white kitchen cabinets and two hound dogs...I'm sure the cabinets will need to be repainted at some point anyway LOL, so we'll see if a custom white feels any different.

You will never regret having the extra storage space in the 42" cabinets, especially with a small kitchen. They won't look "looming" because they are not wider, just taller. The 36" would look too short and cheap with a 9 foot ceiling if you can't add the cabinets above. You may be able to add a flat panel above the 42" cabinets to reach the ceiling and give it a more custom look while still looking modern. Take the backsplash tile to the bottom of the vent hood, not above, unless you have cabinets or trim to the ceiling.