Maybe what I say is miss info, Mater of Fact just rename me Miss. Info. I put cactus in my north window since that is what I have. They don't grow in the winter so I think I am safe. TRUE , my winter is not as long as yours and they are right back outside very quickly. I have heard of some storing cactus in a dark garage during their dormant period.My epi is back away from any window on a high shelf , but they get light falling some of the day from a tall north east clearstory. They do not grow in the winter either. I am very careful about watering them in the dark. Now that is the kiss of death.

Island hoods are 28" deep...and probably another 1" to keep it off the back wall. Unless very high, you are going to be taking it in the forehead. Is this chimney hood requirement driven by your dislike of the wall hood design, or because you don't have cabinets or a soffit for hood support? If the looks of the wall hood are acceptable, you may want to look at making due with a 12" stainless steel chimney cover off the top (either made or sourced from another hood company) if that is the look you need, or with full width (48") stackable chimney covers. Here is a link that might be useful: ApplianceAdvisor.com

Napoleon makes OK fireplaces, but their efficiencies are terrible. The P4 Energuide efficiencies of their Luxuria Series of linears range from a low of 38.8% to 52.5% Which means that in the case of the LV38N 61% of the gas you pay for is wasted and the best LV74N almost half is wasted. The Valor Linears range from 66 to 70% P4 Energuide efficiencies. The Heat Shift allows TVs and other heat sensitive items above the fireplace as well as combustible wall materials up to the fireplace opening. Here is the Heat Shift Video.

I can see why white glass tiles wouldn't work because they are generally more green than white when applied to the wall. Sure you could do plain white porcelain tile if that's what you want and think you like. I think the issue you have is trying to match the white of a porcelain tile with the "not white" of the whitest of your herringbone. That's why I suggested the same marble as the herringbone but in a larger format tile. If you like a glass tile, you might try looking for a light grey glass tile that would come close to the greys in your marble ( I keep calling your herringbone marble but maybe it isn't). Here are a few samples....some of them I think are too dark but you get the idea... These first few are from Tilebar and you can get samples for $5 so you might try ordering a few to see if anything works for you. These last 2 are from Emser. These both are the same tile but two different colours of grey. You can see that the lower one is much more blue than the one directly below. You won't know until you can see them in person if one of these might work. If you are going to use glass tile, pay careful attention to the material used to set the tile and the grout to be used. The manufacturer will have specific instructions on those things. I cannot comment at all on the waterproofing questions that folks above are asking you....but the point I'm making is if you put a glass tile over that red waterproofing, you're going to see the red through the tile if it is light coloured and I don't think you're going to like it. So do your homework and be sure you know how to proceed if you choose glass in the end.