I think they sometimes become even more busy as an accent strip, because instead of countertop material and one backsplash material, there is now Two backsplash materials. Plus if the backsplash stops at a certain height with no cabinet above there is a wall color. So the vertical surface becomes 1)cherry, 2) stainless, 3)wall color 4) backsplash and 5) accent of backsplash, --more really because the accent is often multi colored and patterned If we were talking about a 5-or-more-colored pattern of wallpaper for another room many people would run out screaming. I've seen the 5-6 total number of finishes look fine as well, but why does everyone want to add more and more and more, in a kitchen that will also have a bunch of things on the countertop, and yet other rooms have to be so limited in palette? This is a point of discussion that goes beyond this thread and I am not trying to single out this backplash in particular but it's a esthetic disconnect that I've noticed before.

lazygardens-my layout is not totally disimilar from what you describe. It won't be angled but the basic ideas are the same. I love your idea of separating things based on how often I use them...I have done this to some extent, of course, but not to the degree you are describing. I can have a lot more oft-used items at arms reach if I think about splitting stuff up even if it's in the same category. I will plan to put my most used pots and pans under my cooktop and put the ones I use less often a few steps away. I find that I need a little saucepan at the last minute but never my 16" frying pan that I pull out only for specific dishes/situations. That will probably free up a huge drawer under my cooktop for items I want close by... I have had good luck with some selective duplication with measuring cups and spoons so that I have a set in my baking area and a set in my prep/cooking area...I need to think about how to incorporate more of that. Right now my cutlery is close by my prep area so it's easy to grab a tasting spoon or fork to test doneness. I think I need to have a few spoons and forks in my new prep area so I don't have to keep cutlery close to the prep area if it isn't convenient etc. I am worried that I haven't put enough thought or found a solution to the problem of having the fridge accessible to both me and others while I am cooking. It hasn't been too much of a problem in my current kitchen but as my family grows and grows up it may be a bigger problem... Cloud_swift that was so very helpful... and not only because we have such similar layouts-I like to look out when I prep and cook! An island cooktop presents a few challenges one of which is not having upper cabs to increase arms-reach storage... I am excited about the possibility of using the prep sink cabinet to store a few prep essentials. I knew I couldn't fit a trash there, but I was writing off potential storage space...I've been food processing in a different area, but it would be so awesome to pull the food processor out and have it in my prep area next to my cooktop! No more carrying hot steamed cauliflower across an aisle to where the food processor is for pureeing! You also gave me another bright idea: I am going to put some flour in a small container and store it with my spices/oils/vinegars! I am always annoyed when I have to walk all the way over to my baking area just to get the 2-3 TBL of flour I need for bechamel etc. It's one of the only times it's inconvenient to have my baking stuff in a totally different area. I have already done this with cornstarch, why the heck didn't I think of it for flour?? I love the internet :)

Thanks for all your comments. So far 'Moonlight' has won the top of my list; for scent and beauty. Plus it is an Old Rose from 1913 and is one- half Tea rose, (bred from Sulphura) and I collect Teas and Tea-Hybrids). So there is a lot to be grateful for, I wish Pemberton were still alive so I could thank him for his wonderful roses. Here's why I've chosen Moonlight over the others; I bought 'Jim Henley' at a Sacramento Cemetery sale a few years ago, it blooms more pink than white for me, it does gets a lot of attention for such a small blooming rosebush, the foliage is glorious, it appears like something tropical to me, but I can't detect much scent from it. I have it growing up the back and trailing out of the front branches of a peach tree by a sidewalk. I adore Secret Garden Musk Climber' but had to get rid of it due to the fact that I don't spray and it always looked as though it was frosted with powdery mildew. Great fragrance, though. Kew Gardens is such a Beauty! Listed as having little to no scent. Bother! Sally Holmes is great for landscaping but the blooms are a little to big for what I want in bouquets. Grace Seward is a little treasure!, but not greatly fragrant I believe. It reminds me of another mini I had years ago called 'Simplex', which died in the drought, I'm sorry to say. I love single roses. LIsa, thanks for the info about Boule de Neige,at High Country Roses, Again, thanks to all, Lux.

Ben... I know what you mean... these days for practical purposes I use lightweight resin pots... they are not glamour pots like the ceramic ones, but they suit my purposes.. they are all straight sided, no curves or bulbous shapes... if I had those I would have to use a shovel and get right in there and dig it out... with straight sides they should pull out easily enough... although my 'Marie Pavie' shown above is in a rounded pot but the sides are straight within.. and that rose will be going in the ground this winter.. ..another trick with these types of plastic pots is that I can cut out the base... here's an example of a climbing rose 'Ballerina' planted in one of these... I did not want to dig a hole here, so the pot was necessary.. obviously I planted it up in situ because the base was removed... so the roots if they want can get out the bottom into the ground below... but again I may not keep the rose that long, but if those roots have gone down into the ground and I want to discard the rose, I would just tilt the pot, sever any roots going into the soil, lay the pot on one side, and pull Ballerina out of it... then start again with another rose... but I reckon this rose could be kept going in this pot, this way, indefinitely... ...this is my Lichfield Angel trough just after I planted it... my Benjamin Britten was in this for 5 years and I noticed signs of deterioration.. it wasn't flushing so well or so often.. I used to get 4 or 5 flushes a season from that rose... so I used a shovel and dug it out... very easy to do.. then replanted with LA... ...some pots I have I think will only serve for 2 seasons, but by then I shall just remove the rose completely... and move on to something else... ...it's the regular watering I dislike the most... I never have enough rain water, and they hate my tap water... that's my biggest issue with pots really...