I think the easiest path to loading pictures on this forum is thru Photobucket.com. After you get your picture uploaded to your Album in Photobucket, which is easy because it shows you step by step what to do, you simply place you cursor on the picture and a little menu pops up. Click on "HTML Code" and immediately a yellow box pops up that says "copied". What you have done is parked your picture on Photobucket and copied the address where it *lives*. You can then open a "Message" window here on this forum and PASTE in the HTML Code which is the address where your picture now *lives*. Becareful not to delete any brackets or details from the HTML Code. Leave a couple returns (lnes or spaces) above and below the HTML Code. You can type your "Message" above or below the code. Or you can email me and I will post your pic here. It's not like who I am or my email is a big secret so here it is. :) lori@colorstrategies.net

Thank you for the thoughts. I have searched and found some images, but most are more rustic or very grand, at least not in line with where I think my kitchen will end up. After posting yesterday, I searched high and low for inspiration. I love the Tabarka tile but the price is beyond our budget for a full back splash. I am not sure I can commit to a full Mediterranean back splash either and was thinking perhaps of accenting with a decorative tile- perhaps above the stove. I don't typically love accents but found an inspiration that I do like. Although this is way more grand than I will have, it's a mix of the tile style I like with a subway tile and a marble countertop. I do like these tiles from Somertile/Merola. I am ordering a sample of this and a few others to see if the quality is OK as they are easy on the budget. I found a kitchen that has similar features to what mine will have- white cabinetry, white countertops with walnut countertops mixed in and I did a little photoshop of this tile above the stove. I do like it but I'm not sure if having it in that one area is enough? My hood would be a different style, but my range will only be 30". I am having cabinetry built to look like a hutch off to the side of my kitchen where a desk currently is and I'm wondering if I should pull the tile over there or just leave it in one area? As far as doing away with the marble like countertops- I will think on that. I was thinking of a subtle quartz, just enough gray throughout for some variation.

No, I didn't forget, but it doesn't really compare. Gold isn't brass. Gold reflects mightily in low light and glows in a way that brass can only stand in the corner and envy. Purple was reserved for royalty, not because it looked good with the other colors, but because it was very rare and very expensive. The point is that there are exceptions to every rule and contravention for every blanket statement. There's also the rule that 2 reds might clash but 20 reds don't, which often works, but when it fails it's really really bad... Look at the things together. Look at them together with different lights. Choose what you like. If you're colorblind you might make choices that don't make sense to others who can't see what you see, but if it's for yourself, go for it. If you like aubergine and brass, please don't let me stop you! (Anyway, it's meh, not shudder-worthy.)

Yeah, I'm also worried you might be looking at lights that are too small. What's there now is definitely too small! When you look for new outdoor lights, choose fixtures that are a quarter to one-third the garage door's height. They may look a little large when you're close up, but remember these lights need to be seen from far away too. (Advice comes from our light sizing guide.) If you'd like to look at some lighting recommendations once you've determined a good size range for your lanterns, let me know!