I agree with florantha...open shelves or a cabinet on the end would look more intentional and appropriate. Why this is difficult for you, is that it looks awkward, and unfinished the way it is... Unless of course, you have something with visual weight that you plan on hanging in the unused space on the right. As for tiling behind the open shelf above sink... if you don't put a cabinet to the right... And fill that gap with tile - I would skin behind the shelves with the same material as the cabinets. You will have a nice visual line of cabinetry... making it look less choppy. A small contemporary crown will also tie in cabinets, and give it a finished look. If you decide to put some open shelves on end or another cabinet.. I would tile the back of the shelf area above the sink - this will be your focal point of the kitchen. Hope this gives food for thought! Good luck on your final decisions! Linda Berg - www.acwkitchens.com Here is a link that might be useful: ACW Kitchen & Bath

I haven't given much thought to a wall color yet. My kitchen is an L as you undoubtedly figured out from the pictures I posted, with an island. The L cabinets are natural walnut and will have the Madre Perla. The island will be painted and will have a walnut wood top. I need to pick paint colors for both the island and the walls, our house is an open floor plan post and beam. Since it is very open, the colors need to be fairly neutral. Before I fell in love with the Madre I was thinking about Cambria Torquay, but I kept thinking the kitchen felt too sterile. It turned out it was that I needed something warmer and when I saw the Madre I fell in love. The stone yard actually only had small piece so now we are hunting slabs, but I know they will turn up and I have time. I am a little reluctant to lock in to colors until I have the actual slab, but I do feel that the Madre has a greenish undertone. I may do something like a very light sage for the island and an almond for the walls, but it also has a goldish cast and I could go in that direction too.

I agree with Errant. I almost always prefer the tile to die there than carry around the side wall. I've been living with painted backsplash area for almost 3 years and haven't needed a touch up in paint except maybe where the raging flame from my CC rangetop has discolored the are directly behind the center rear burner from my extremely high heat searing and stir frying.

I am leaning towards bringing it around to the window wall at the same height but I do have a granite riser/sill under the window so will this look okay? Absolutely fine. I love the the look of a herringbone backsplash in a solid neutral color but is that going to be too busy for my kitchen? It will be lovely with the right tile and grout combo. What is your tile budget in $/sf? With your cabinet and granite neutral is key, but lighter neutrals are going to be better choices than more saturated hues. The images below are from Fireclay Tile and show Feldspar, Gardenia, and Tusk. Gardenia is one of my favorites, as is Tusk, and both are part of the Foundations line that runs $15/sf for several sizes including 3"x6" tiles. You can order samples from the website, or look for tiles of similar shades at local tile showrooms. Keep in mind that you will likely want bullnosed edge and/or trim pieces available for whichever tile you choose.