I am doing maple with a glaze and the black distressed island, countertops the same on both. We are not building yet but already have the cabinets designed and picked out. I like the look because I want my island to look like a piece of furniture separate from my cabinets and I think it will look more distinguished. I will also have a separate hutch in black and my hood the same. I think it is a personal preference but I personally like it! Go with your gut-

Hi Chocolatebunny, I like the backsplash. I think it looks simple and lovely. I have the same simple white sq tile backsplash. And my granite counters were installed right up to them. I kept the backsplash because I could not find something I liked better. I thought about white subway but then my DH said. "Won't that be too similar to what you already have?" And so I kept the sq white. And 1 year later I am so glad I did. I like it. Granite or Quartz or Corian or even laminate can go right next to the old backsplash. And with new counters you won't even notice the backsplash. It will be simple skirt with the beautiful blouse. The simple side dish to the rich meal. I know there might be issues of height and having to cut. But this is what we did. We put plywood on top of the cabinets. It was a support system for the upgraded counters and it brought the level of the granite up to the space we wanted on the BS. I had ugly thick white tile with white grout before so there was a thick backing but still not high enough to meet the BS. There are many things you can do. I wanted to raise my counters as I am fairly tall and like it up 1/2 inch higher. Have you visited Dupont's site? Not to buy Corian or Quartz or even granite but to see the different colors available and how they match up to similar cab colors. I loved this little tool to play with while I searched for what I wanted in my own kitchen. I think an exotic granite might be different than your neighbors. Something with movement and yes leather them or honed the surface and get some fun. And lastly what about white Marble. Marble would look yummy with your cabinets. And white would match those tiles and go with any color. ~boxer A granite with great movement Copper Canyon Golden River Honed Granite with beautiful movement Eco Counters with great colors and this is NOT granite. Quartz white and pretty Copper might be a fun different counter... Marble

Yes, the easiest way is to use the same paint color on the ceiling as the trim. However, the sheen for the ceiling should be flat while trim is better in a semi-gloss

Yes, you're all good with the outside as-is and the interior being only the door. Live with it for a while. If you decide you want the inside and outside to match, then paint the trim and side lights on the outside white again. Thankfully it's just paint so it's not too hard to change :)