Calistoga, I know I wont get a full coverage in only a year I just want it to look less like an empty lot and more like a recently planted semi-cared-for area. Empty spaces will get filled in (mulched!) with fallen leaves. If I start seeds now (I actually do have some creeping thyme and rosemary), IÂll have 4-5 months to grow them out in flats. Isn't that enough time? Or are you saying I should be planting outside from flats right NOW? That would be difficult, because the "soil" stays pickaxe hard until it starts raining regularly. Cagary, I briefly looked into hydro-seeding, but it would be quite expensive. A homeowner a few miles up my road did it last year and I didnÂt really like the effect it looked vaguely industrial/unnatural somehow. Besides, I love to garden, so that would take all my fun away! (And believe me, until we get to interior decorating, this will be the ONLY fun part of this project for me.) SusanC, indeed, when I realized how overwhelming the eucs were, I started to do research on eucalyptus understory. (The Australian National Botanic Gardens website is incredible!) I found a lot of promising plants, but most of the seeds were really hard to find, and I donÂt know how successful they would really be. If we were going to stay in this house for longer, IÂd be more willing to experiment, but at this point I think it's safer to go for plants IÂve seen growing well in the area. BTW, thanks so much for the referral to the Winter Sowing forum! I didnÂt even know it existed. IÂve been gardening my whole life, but grew up in NYC, so IÂve never had the seasons (or the space) to try winter sowing before. I'm inspired! Thanks to for taking the time to reply you guys; I really appreciate it!

You guys are terrific, and I really appreciate your input. You have definitely helped me settle on grout the same color as the tile. So, to follow-up, yes the shelf I was thinking of was the Grundtal shelf, and yes, I was thinking I would install it so as to hide the brackets behind the tile, which is why I'd need to decide in advance. This one has separate rails that make up the shelf (see link). I was thinking a solid shelf might interfere too much with the venting and lights. I'm still not sold, and I hadn't thought that it could potentially look cheesy next to the range and hood. I think I'll go ahead and get one to check this out. I could always use it somewhere else in the house if it doesn't look good over the range. If I do decide to use the shelf, do you all think it should align with the bottom of the adjacent cabinets? The large pot in the photo is my tallest stock pot. Would that leave enough room to put things on the shelf and be able to lift pot lids comfortably? About the tile next to the window, I just checked and it looks like it's about 1.5-1.75 inches between the window and cabs. Do you really think that's too much of a sliver? I suppose I could mock up that section too see how it will look before committing. Fori, the range is an AGA Legacy. Here is a link that might be useful: IKEA shelf

When I read your question and saw your counter, I was prepared to say stay with just the trav tiles. Then I saw your proposed bs and liked it, so... thought maybe the best move would be to use the tile inserts but only 1 instead of the 4 for each spot. Then, looked at it some more and realized it was the trav that was not working for me. I think it is too busy (and too rough a stone look) with your pretty polished counters nearby. How about a plainer field tile and use the glass inserts (1 or 4)? If you used a light color drawn from your granite for the tile, then it would all flow smoother for me.

Thank you all for your input. Why do we obsess over these things? Blondelle- I agree with you on going for the cleaner look for the reasons you mentioned, but am trying to make DH happy too. He would be happy with a rainbow for a backsplash (in various patterns and sizes), so I am going for a compromise with the somewhat muted colors. jules1906- the walls are pretty long and while I love that tile, I am also thinking it might be a bit much over the full length of the room. I am leaning toward the onyx. I had not heard of using this for a kitchen backsplash until reading postings on this great website. I guess this is becoming more common? Thanks again all and please, any other words of wisdom welcomed!