pussuskattus - I'm glad you knew. We knew, too, and decided to tackle it, anyway. It worked out OK, but there were/are some issues. We had trouble with the consistency of the first batch of thinset (DH mixed it, so I don't know what actually happened). So the first sheet was really smushed into the stuff -- deeper than succeeding tiles. Also, you'll be doing the bottom row first, then the next row, etc. There needs to be a mortar line between the rows that matches the line on the sheets. I would suggest getting some very small spacers, or something to act as those spacers. I thought we could hold the sheets in place fairly well, but they still settled down more than I would have liked. You'll need to get special cutters designed for glass. You can get them at a craft store in the mosaic section. They have little wheels on them. You'll have cuts to make and they won't always (ever) be perfect. Plan to order a couple extra sheets of tile just for spares. I figured out that it was best to cut out the edges of the sheets in little crennelations (sp?) to match the stagger of the tiles. That way you can see the actual edges of your tiles as you are butting that sheet up to the next sheet. We were afraid that the pattern of the large "tiles" might be visible, so we staggered the second row in a brick pattern above the first, etc.. This worked out pretty well. It will work much better if you have two people. Once can focus on keeping the thinset mixed and ready and the other can set the tile. And whoever is free can be working off the paper when the time is right. We didn't get the paper off soon enough. I think if we had I would have seen some of the alignment issues. We also wouldn't have had the problem of bits of brown paper stuck in the thinset between the sheets. ___________________________________ Do you know if you are going to end on a full tile where you meet the crown at the ceiling? If not, that will be an awful lot of tile cutting all the way across the wall. I don't know how to remedy that especially, but it's something to think about. As for the cabinet crown, are you taling about just where it hits the wall? Because I'm thinking that it might be easier to pull the crown off, then tile. Then you can just trim off the very back of the crown and reinstall it. Cutting glass tiles to meet crown is going to be an inexact science. As for install, we covered the cabinets and range with cardboard, and then with a big canvas dropcloth. Then we stood on the countertops to do the work. You're probably going to want to do this, as a ladder might not get you close enough to the wall to do what you need to do. As for tiling behind the hood, I had planned to do that, too. But I miscalculated the amount of tile and we were short about 2.5 sheets. Rather than have to wait and order those sheets, this was our ad hoc solution: But you'd never know it (don't tell!):

We debated long and hard about having one BIG island, or two smaller ones. Finally decided on two smaller islands, and they ended up working very well. The island with the range has a big Vent-a-Hood over it. (The range is a 6-burner Dacor Epicure, and we stir fry a lot. So a downdraft vent would have been marginal, at best.) To balance the look, we put a cabinet over the other island. It has fluorescent lights under it for task lighting. It has a smaller footprint than the island, so there is no possibility of 'head banging'. Here are a few photos. Our house has a mid-century modern feel to it, so our cabinetry is intentionally ornament-free compared to others you will see here on GW. (And sorry for the lack of 'staging' in the photos... :-) Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen photos

Is the window up for changing? It is accenting the height of everything. And I know DW are 24" - is that how much counter is between the fridge and sink or is there more? Over the fridge - you could do 30" and then beside it over the dishwasher do 45". (15" above the counter). Does that make sense - it's getting late I might be screwing up my numbers) Can the window be made shorter and wider - unless that's the look your're going for. When you talk about artwork - is that kids artwork or adult permanent artwork. Because you can always use that to balance the other side of the window. Can you put an open shelf on that side plus artwork or no. that would add interest and texture to that side. Nothing to say that artwork can't go on shelves. For the range - I don't know.

Greenhaven, yes I should really hold myself back from insanity when discussing lighting with my husband! Those are pretty track lights that you posted. Robotropolis - I thought track lighting is rigid track, while monorail is flexible curvy track? But yes, same concept. Thank you very much for the Canadian lighting online store - I will totally check that. So tricky finding Canadian sources sometimes. I do like the idea of wall-mounted articulated sconces as an alternative to ceiling-mounted lighting, at least on the long part of the perimeter "L". I may have some open shelving on the wall on either side of the range - TBD. Dh knows there are recessed lights designed to come in contact with insulation - but the boxes that go into the ceiling are apparently *huge*. So each one would require cutting a big hole and then a lot drywall repairing. We will hire out the drywall repairs, but don't want to incur unnecessary expense there. I'll definitely try out an LED E26 that you've recommended. EAM44, there *were* upper cabinets on either side of the window before. I agree the window size/proportions really leave a lot to be desired. I *adore* your inspiration photo. Unfortunately, this is an exterior load-bearing wall, with a walkway outside (fire regulations), in a condo building, with a moisture envelope. I've learned the hard way that standard solutions for openings in load bearing walls don't work in this building because replacement vertical studs can't be tied into joists in a structurally/seismically acceptable way due to difficulty accessing the locations where those tie-ins would have to happen. I'm going to add curtains and hope that that visually widens the window a bit. Here's a very crude mockup (no counters, fronts, curtain rod, etc.): Edb2n, I think a small lamp or two on the counter might end up being a good solution for me. Dh will complain about it most likely, but I hope he can compromise a bit there.