I just want to update for 2019 and say that Marazzi has moved to new ownership recently, and I've seen reviews around the web about people complaining that there is an increased grayish tint to some of the tiles with more recent production beginning around 2018. @bill_vincent stated back in 2009 in a previous comment in this thread that the Marazzi tile he'd used wasn't always square, but we had tile layers this year who recommended it as a good-quality tile, so your mileage may vary. Upon visiting a Marazzi showroom in my area, I was very impressed with the variety and style of the tile on display. Thanks for all the comments here on Florida Tile. I believe I'll avoid it based on these reviews. We used Italian-made Happy Floors tile for a recent master bathroom project and are pleased with it. The installers said it was very square, and the style we chose was a through-body porcelain. Every word-of-mouth recommendation and online review I've read about USA-made Crossville tile has been good. Apparently they have a strict system of quality control. The one complaint is that it can be expensive compared to similar tile in other lines. However, the finish coating on some of Crossville's products is supposedly high-tech to make it more cleanable and long-lasting, so maybe it would be worth it. We've found that our area ProSource seems to offer the best price on Crossville and runs periodic sales on it. Note that there is more than one tile company with the name "Crossville," referencing the location of the city of Crossville, Tennessee, where these companies are located, but I'm talking about Crossville Inc. also known as Crossville Studios. It appears that Dal-Tile's quality is across the board and varies from style to style. Thanks everyone for the input.

@erinf8 - The crown molding detail in our house is very odd. It is actually 1-3/4" picture molding mounted approximately 1/2" from the ceiling. Since the house is so old and the ceilings far from plumb, the 1/2" space can vary in dimension in any given room. The kitchen ceiling was terribly out of level as well. We feathered down the plaster as best as we could so the variances wouldn't be obvious. The final crown detail was actually a big disappointment of mine in this room. I could not get the cabinets guys or my carpenter to come up with a solution where we could get that 1/2" reveal at the top of the cabinets. We would have had to create extremely long scribes and had we not been running out of time, they might have figured it out. So at the cabinets the shadow line you see at the top is because the molding doesn't touch the ceiling there. It is a big compromise but when I look at the whole room, I try not to dwell on it. Sometimes working in an old house can be really challenging. I am glad I stuck to my guns and kept that little molding when I got a lot of unsolicted advice to use something larger. It just would have looked SO out of place next to the other rooms in our house. The space between counters and uppers is 18". The light colors make it all appear more airy, I think. Don't you love that salt box? I just got it two weeks ago at Crate and Barrel (Homestead Salt Cellar $9.95). It is the perfect size and it has a lid.

Aww, I had the post almost finished and then pressed the wrong button and poof. To all those who said no to beadboard, I think you are right. Dh didn't like it either. To those who said the tile in the first picture was too dark and too busy, I don't think it is really. But as I said there, it's hard to tell when the photos aren't taken at the same time and in the same place. And since it was a sample, with no grout, the shadows there make it appear even darker. Here is a photo of the same tile. But on this one I took a photo of the tile next to the counter and then edited both of them onto my photo and I filled the grout lines with a lighter color from the tile. The dark areas are shadow so try to look past that. This one is #8 which is a very light gray, also with grout lines filled. This one is supposed to be crema marfil though it's hard to tell on houzz if it really is or if someone just makes a guess. A white deee, I think you are right that a solid cream would look good. That's what I wanted and when I couldn't find it at big box stores, I got all these to look at. Yes, all these have the same color tones as the counter with either the yellow gold or grays. Annie, I thought I bought a crema marfil, but I guess I put it back because it was marble. I'd rather have a ceramic than a natural stone that has to be sealed and shows food stains the way marble can. The one I keep editing into my kitchen looks like stone more than any I've seen, but it is ceramic. Tile #4 has the best colors for my counter, but I don't like that the pattern looks like a screenprint. Oaktown, when I found this counter, I got the last 3 pieces of this particular color, and after that I couldn't find enough even for a small cabinet. I don't know if it is easier to find now. Maybe they found another pocket or whatever they do - I haven't looked again. But when we did the counters, we briefly considered putting it on the backsplash, but it was just going to be too thick and the edge would show on each end. mtnrdredux, thanks for the link. There is one bisque color on there that I think would look good. There is a DalTile in Dallas but I'd rather not drive that far if I can find it locally. I'll look on their website and see if there are any local stores that carry it. You'd think that would be common everywhere. Sixtyohno, you're right, and every monitor probably shows color differently. And as I found this morning, even cameras don't show colors the same. Even with the good camera I have to look at it twice to see why it looks more yellow in photos than it does in person and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that in person, the eye picks up on all the colors where a camera merges them all together into a single image. mdln, yes the cabinets are custom; they were here when we bought the house. Several of our neighbors have the same cabinets and even a friend in Dallas has them. Maybe that style was popular around here in the early 80s. We added cabinets last year and had a hard time finding someone with the right bits and willingness to make more doors. Evidently putting them together is a little tricky. I wouldn't choose them if I were building, but I like them. They are one of those things that belong in that thread about things everyone used to have but couldn't afford it now. hhireno, what I have no is not enough - it's still bare sheetrock that hasn't even been painted. lol I need something that can take some scrubbing. I thought about glass behind the stove, but it's just too modern looking for my house. Do the above pictures appeal to anyone or should I keep searching?

Meg711, Thank you for being "long-winded" You have been incredibly helpful. My husband has been telling me that I am expecting too much from my installer and I guess he was right. I guess I will have to do a mock up myself so I can be certain of where the deco tiles land. I am looking at things like my coffee maker and a vase that I always have out and don't want to spend the $22 deco tile if it is going to land behind one of my appliances. My installer doesn't care how much they cost and just wants to do it mathematically! Thanks so much for all the information I am grateful for people like you!