First, take a deep breath. This problem comes up here a few times a month! Step back and look at how the over all color "reads"in your kitchen. The reason why Laurie's looks so good is that it not only blends with the St Cecilla but it also blends with the cream in her cabinets. What color are your cabinets? If your cabinets are white and the counters read more grey, I would try to find a white tile with a grey undertone. Or a very light grey. Can you post your kitchen? It is funny that you mentioned no backsplashes shown with your granite. When I was having difficulty finding a backsplash, I went back to see my inspiration kitchen pictures. (They were white kitchen) Not one had a backsplash! I was so involved in the style and the color of the cabinets, I did not think ahead about the vision of my backsplash. There are a few directions that you can go in, but if you post a picture it is easier for us to help you.

maxiepines, I didn't follow your thread about cook tops so maybe someone already mentioned this. A downdraft set within a gas cook top pulls at the flames. This isn't an issue with your old electric cook top - no flame. I have a pop-up downdraft for my island's gas cook top. Even though it rises 7" above the cook top, it pulls the flame when turned on high and even on medium, it pulls on the back burners' flames more than I'd like. The downdraft blew out (would that be sucked out?) a burner when it was on low a few times. Today's gas cook tops generally come with automatic re-ignition, which is good, because the only way I know this has happened with my old cook top is when I smell gas. Anyhoo, a downdraft set at the same level as the burners will do this even more than my 7" pop-up does. Can you add a pop-up downdraft, preferably one of the newer models that rises more than 7" above the cook top instead? Stunning photos, as usual, boxerpups. You rock!

Well, it's half-impressive. I got the painters who did the whole house to paint out the cabinets. I hired professionals to manufacture and install the marble countertops. And the floors were installed by professionals. But we raised and moved around cabinets, did the demo, clad the island and added new toe kicks and end panels, etc. We're the IKEA tung/linseed oil actually. I read up about it online and it was really well reviewed by finishing carpenters who were surprised by the quality of the product when they tried it out. The island is a custom hard block maple though. We used the IKEA solid oak butcher block in the laundry room, and it's not super great quality. I'm glad we didn't use it in the kitchen.

The one that comes closest to everything on my checklist is the bottom one. One thing that I have found with some square seats that swivel, is that sometimes the corner of the wood base extends beyond the seat when the seat is at a quarter turn.