Got cats? I have open shelves above my sink now and some of my cats will climb in the sides and sashay along them. Aside from the eeew factor -where were those cute little fur-paws five minutes ago? - it also is hair-raising as they wend their way through my crockery until I can get a clean snatch on them and yank them off without pulling down a whole stack of plates! I finally got fed up and taped cardboard over the ends to see if that kept them out. It did! So my new open shelves will be closed-ended. I think the thing that makes closed-end shelves look different from cabs with doors yanked off is the absence of any of the residual face frame on intentional closed shelving.

Stainless the entire section over the range or replace the entire wall.. And call the idiots who "helped "you determine how much material you needed to do the task at hand. If you purchased from a slab yard, and were armed with a kitchen plan and elevation, and all dimensions? I would make them pay. There is ZERO excuse to discover this at INSTALL. Repeat ZERO.

Well, 3/3 comments to keep it at the same height. I clearly bought too much tile! ;) Thanks very much. As for lighting, although the pics looks like it's insufficient, there is actually a lot of lighting (most of it just not on in the photos); pot lights in the ceiling plus large pendants over the nearby island. But I do feel that the light just gets 'sucked in' to the dark backsplash so would like something brighter and more reflective, especially given NE exposure. Thanks again for your thoughts, appreciate the input!

Yes ideally I was wanting to tile all the way to the shelving because of my hope to add a flat top stove. It made sense. Then the tile guy said no because only a backsplash was possible. Which got me wondering what to do. But others on houzz have agreed with me that the vintage shelving is darling and I would like to keep it. The building is so old there's no need to add a big vent because we don't have access to ventilate out of this 1939 condo building. Best could add is a hood,, and I dont like the look or space they take-up at eye level (I am tall) There are challenges here but we aren't blowing holes into the roof for anybody. So I wanted to both get more esthetic but also more function with tile. If makes no sense to do anything with this old electrical system please let me know, but if it is an electrical hazard I would appreciate knowing that from anybody who knows anything about this thing because nobody has ever informed me that that is a danger. I was just looking for the estetics of it. And again the tile guy was not going for the idea. I suppose I could remove the bracet from under the shelf and then he could add a better finished edge to the tile on the right side, but of course I must advise him what to do with the Box. Build a door for it? Move it? Thank you again, all of you pros!