UbaTuba is an old color that hangs around because it works well with many things. It is darker color with greens and black, it works well with greens and wood tone cabinets. It balances very well with wood tones cabinets, brings in warmth, blends and grounds the cabinet color. I love green, one of my favorite colors, but I think a natural stone, either limestone or tumbled marble in a square with a diagonal pattern. If your stove or cooktop is under your cabinets you can change the pattern just over stove with a straight border out lining it. Add a stone shelve out of the same stone. Place olive oil, balsamic vinegar a few spices in simple clear and thin taller bottles, add fresh green basil potted in neutral natural pots. It breaks up the look rather just using the same back splash through. Adds more interest, adds to a different look but still keeps blending together smoothly. I think what you are having a hard time with is you are looking at just a few things instead of the big picture. It’s helpful to blend as you and not worry about a few things. I think if you keep the green paint out of the kitchen, use it in the rooms that you can see off your kitchen, a darker green with black granite and the paint in the room off would tie it in and compliment each other nicely, both would pop more and not compete with each other. Remember everything should work together, not compete.. When you finish with your basic house the Accessories,Art, lamps, rugs etc, window treatments, fabrics are important this pulls everything together. If you are on a tight budget Lowe’s has 6”x6” tumble stone in a creamy taupe with a hint of a light golden tone, neutral that would blend would blend and complement your wood cabinets with a darker granite. Soap stone is nice but there are several other med to darker greens to. UbaTuba is a classics color, nice greens with black, it’s not a busy stone its quite but a powerful look to pull things together. Hope this helps you think about other options. Pick up stone samples bring them home and look everything in your room with your cabinet, paint and flooring. Good luck, don’t get frustrated have fun once you start work through it you will know if you like it not keep trying..

We used pine treads and risers from Lowes on our stairs. I painted the risers white to match all the trim in the house and stained the treads with a cabot stain that I don't remember the name of. You have to use several coats of poly over the stain or so I was told. I think I used four coats, sanding lightly between each coat. They turned out nice but pine is soft. The dog's claws have left some scratches but it still does not look bad at all. I see it has been a few months since you posted. Did you finish the stairs yet? If so, how'd they turn out?

Boxerpal, thanks so much! We did change the floors out on the whole main level — they are a luxury vinyl product called Smartcore. We wanted the look of wood, but without the risk of water damage (we have a very aggressive ice maker, lol, and cats and kids who spill things). I’m really impressed with the product, you’d never know it wasn’t wood if you weren’t told. The shoelace is actually to keep a curious kitten out of the liquor cabinet; he’s obsessed with knocking over anything glass with liquid in it. As for the light fixture, I have the replacement ready to install, just haven’t swapped it out yet. I’m replacing the fluorescent fixture with a modern/abstract flushmount that coordinates with the dining area chandelier. Herbflavor — thanks! Honestly it helped that we did this during COVID — the sales were insane. Ac Lb — yes, they sprayed the base cabinets too. The base cabs are Stardew by SW. Thanks!

I don't think the question is whether there is a minimum level of flooring to pass inspection as you could theoretically have just dry wall in a bathroom and cheap vinyl tile - the caveat being that the shower needs to pass inspection so it has to be properly constructed - at least in my location. Like others have posted, I don't understand what you would gain by not selecting the finishes you want and having them installed by the builder. This would be especially true in a bathroom where there is presumably a shower of some kind which requires waterproofing of some kind and has to remain intact in order to preserve its integrity as a waterproofing system. Also there are "finishes" in a bathroom (and elsewhere) that also are generally categorized as low end builder grade - e.g. counters, faucets, sinks, shower fixtures and even toilets - why the focus on the tiles specifically? As others have posted, finding skilled tile workers to properly build a shower and even just install is hard and presumably your builder is skilled and hires skilled tradespeople so you would be better off using his expertise and labor base and then also being able to deal with any issues direclty with him rather than chasing a tile setter/tradesperson you located on your own.