Hi, i would suggest a tile backsplash all the way to the wall cabinets. For more inspirational ideas on choosing a backsplash, please feel free to read my blog : http://bit.ly/1reZQzp. Good luck!

Yes, it is still “in”. If you want to give it a little punch run some up the wall over the stove. Great Look, IMO.

I think the look is a little dated, but it really just depends on what YOU like.

Out of style in my area. Tile backsplashes are in. Pencil tile backsplashes are fashionable here (in mid range, not upper range kitchens) and will look dated in a few years, like all fashionable things. Choose what you really enjoy if you are not selling soon.

3-4” back splashes are not dated but it may seem that way since they have been around for so long.

Sometimes owners will go without a backsplash when they have installed various hard surfaces on the wall such as tiles or even granite and marble etc.

It’s not advisable to butt a countertop against a painted wall.

I am almost done renovating my kitchen and I’m going traditional. I don’t want to commit to tile on the wall so I am going with a 3” back splash.

Sometimes it’s best to go with tradition when there’s reasonable cause to suspect a trend might turn out to be just a fad. Ever see tile patterns of the eighties? Yuck!