It seems like in the kitchens where the tile doesnt go all the way up, it works best when the cabinets (surrounding the range/hood) also dont go all the way to the ceiling. But, in your case the cabinet to the left of the range does go all the way up to the ceiling. So, I also vote for tile to the ceiling. And the staggered brick, but like steph said the stacked would also look nice, just a different "feel".

I have a similar question five years later: Is the 4" matching back splash now out of style? And how long will it stay out of style? Doubt that it would be possible to get a full matching back splash 14 years after the home was built. I am considering removing the 4" back splash and going with a complementary tile or, perhaps, a colorful wallpaper. Thoughts as to how long the short back spash will stay out of style? (I'm old enough to remember bell bottoms - the first time they were in style.)

Here's what I would do, though a lot of this is just personal preference (and budget): •To the right of the window: I'd take tile to the edge of the counter and same height as the bottom of the cabinet. Going all the way up would look nice too but more costly. •On the peninsula: Either stop the tile even with the edge of the top cabinet or go to the edge of the wall (in both cases, up to bottom of top cabinet). Pros and cons to both since you have that sliver of wall that runs up next to the cabinet, so just see what looks right to you. •The stove wall: Stop the tile in the right back corner. Wrapping the corner introduces a whole new set of decisions to make and I don't think you need to. (If you decide to, though, I'd run it to end at the edge of the counter.) •To the left of the stove: Stop even with the bottom of the hood since there's no counter on the other side and it looks like your hood edge is flush with your stove edge. Move the light switch over to clear the backsplash (or maybe somewhere else entirely, depending on what lights it controls). •Tile inside open cubby where microwave is: Just the back, or no tile at all. Wrapping the side is going to leave an odd slice of drywall between the tile there and the tile above the stove. Some of this you may just need to figure out as you go and see what looks right--dry fit everything before you start so you can see what is looking off to your eye. Good luck!

Please tell me how you’d design the backsplash in this kitchen. I need help picking tile and layout behind the sink. The floating shelf is temporary and can be taken down or moved. Thanks for any input!