Pics???? I'm not even at the cab stage yet so no comments from me.

Yes, I have felt that way and you may not like my answer. I put in granite when I wanted marble (move on, those of you who have heard my biatch about this a hundred times!). It was almost 9 years ago and no one was doing marble.

I chose the granite that went best in the kitchen, and everybody loved it, but every time I saw it I wanted to change it. I even bought extra backsplash tiles to make it easier to remove the granite. Never got around to it, and still lived a full and satisfying, well fed life in my kitchen. : )

Turns out im moving instead. (not because of granite)

Here's a picture even though the range is not really installed yet.
{{!gwi}}From Kitchen

Really two forms of regret -- not getting what you wanted (or thought you wanted) and then regetting it, and, second, getting what you feel sure you wanted, and then second guessing it. I've done both, and I don't know which is worse. But time has a way of muting these things and you do move on. It is hard to imagine a project as complex as a kitchen without some bit of shoulda/coulda at the end. Fix what you can and be philosophical about the other stuff.

Well, all subways would be a clean, classic look. But your glass tiles are very pretty. Are you planning to do floating shelves, or put some sort of art on either side of the range? Because I think that will help balance it out a bit.

I actually really like the backsplash...with the cabinets and counters. I think maybe changing the paint color would make a great difference. Just a thought.

There will always be something that you wish you had done differently but the feeling doesn't last when you realize that the "regret" is still 100 times better than what it replaced. We have an 8' ceiling with 36" uppers. We ordered trim from the cab supplier....a spacer and then the crown molding. I thought the trim piece would just be a flat board painted to match the cabs. However it had some nice detail work like the crown molding with glazing in the lines that matched the cabs. I thought that this would now look especially nice. Now that everything is in it looks a little detail heavy.Still nice but now "too" nice if there is such a thing. But all I have to do is look at the before pics to realize that it still looks better and if we ever get tired of that extra detail we can paint the glazing out.

Your kitchen is really pretty! I especially love the small subway b/s ... i think it looks nice to keep it low.

I understand what you are reacting to about the range. I have to say, it looks like a small area to re-do. Id like to see the same subways, and maybe a shelf or alcove.

I feel I didn't take enough time on researching and shopping for my granite. I have a lovely kitchen, but at times the granite and the backsplash still look off to me. But, as one sales woman at a tile store told me "At some point, you need to make pease with it!" And she was right. Either stop obsessing, or change it, which of course I did not want to go through the expense of doing.
But, enough about me, I agree with the above post. Looking at your range, your eye has nothing but the block of glass tile to look at. Shelves would be a great idea. There are few great kitchen here that have done open shelves. Hopefully, they will step forward with pictures.

I like the backsplash tile but if it is supposed to be a focal point I don't think the paint colour is doing it justice. My opinion is opposite to others. I would consider putting the subway tile to the top of the range and really framing that tile. Between the too low (I think) placed subway tile, paint colour and the backsplash behind the range there's a lot going on and nothing is taking center stage.
Do you have a bigger pic of the stove wall you can show?

I'd change the paint and keep the tile. I'd try for a pale silver gray tie it in better. The paint color is not harmonious with the tiles and counter.
If it were possible to darken the grout by the subways to a more silvery color, I think that would also help.

1. I think the area behind the stove is unusual and great with your counter top. From the little I see, the tiles are unusual and the color great with the counter top.
2. Do you mind telling me your wall paint color and Brand?
3. I, too, would prefer a larger photo, especially to see how the range wall integrates with the rest of the kitchen. I'm not sure about the distribution of the subways, which is primarily my reason for asking.

Thanks for the comments...I think I need to live with it a while before I would remove it. I think shelves would help. What color shelves? White? Or Stainless steel?

We are also planning on putting a wall clock somewhere nearby and perhaps a small art piece like the ones in the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Haitian steel drum art

By the way the rest of the kitchen has white open cabinets, like below. The paint color is Straw by Benjamin Moore and it is a lovely warm yellow which I love and goes well with the rest of the house (painted a paler version of the yellow in the entry leading to the kitchen and past our red living room...I don't think I want to change that).

Although the glass tile looks very steely in this picture, it is actually a bronzy color close up. I'm wondering if white shelves nearby will make the backsplash look less stark. I will post more pictures later this afternoon when the stove is installed and the contractor cleans up (last real work day for him). {{!gwi}}From Kitchen

I love those tiles. Yes, don't think about it until you've got the whole kitchen put together and have started living with it.

I'm leaning towards shelves that match the other white ones. That makes the range/backsplash more of a focal point. You have enough stainless on that wall--putting more would just visually pull that wall apart from the rest of the kitchen, whereas white would tie it in better.

What kind of hood is that? A Kobe?

Yes, it's a 36" Kobe RA9436SQB.

it looks 'stuck out there' because of the wall color I think.
I would have suggested a silvery grey also, but you say the BS is more bronzy IRL? bonze tone to go with your SS stove and fan?
maybe it'll need a different color then but I think the yellow is just off with it. I think yellow is a very funny color sometimes in how it connects to other colors.

I think the Haitian wall art may balance it well. The issue to my (admittedly untrained) eye is that the range b/s reads as large block of dark color. Something dark to the right and left may balance it.

Such a pretty kitchen!! I think the b/s is fine...but I really do think I would do the subway higher on the wall. It looks a little bit disconnected or something to me. I feel like the beauty in subway is the pattern the "bricks" make as they go up a wall. I think a couple of rows looks a little unfinished. The yellow is really gorgeous!

I really like the backsplash, but I think, as has been stated, the problem is the paint color. It kind of, clashes maybe is the right word, with the other colors.

Maybe repaint? Perhaps make the white subway tile higher on the wall to calm the paint color?

Thank you everyone for the advice. While I know the yellow paint doesn't suit everyone, I'm beginning to realize it is really hard to evaluate color using online pictures. While the yellow is probably not the best color to match stainless steel, it really does suit our whole house. And a grey color in the kitchen would not give me the warm sunny feel I love in a kitchen. I'm hoping that some white shelves and art and accessories on the counter will make the range wall less stark and if I still don't like the backsplash in a year, then maybe I'll change it. But I don't think DH will approve any modification now that we are so close to being done.

Here is a final pic with the red living room in the background and a close up of the tile which is trying to show it's bronzy tones. This tile is a bit hard to capture properly in a picture. {{!gwi}}From Kitchen
{{!gwi}}From Kitchen

I like it so far! Wait til you have the Wolf in place with the grates and knobs on, and some things on the counter (a crock with utensils, etc)... and see how you like it. Then you'll be able to really decide if you need to change the wall color or hang anything on the sides of the range backsplash. I think it's gonna look amazing! Keep us posted with pics, please!

I like the color; I like the tile; I like the subways. I think the balance is wrong. The subways are too low and look unfinished. They are in a higher row under the window and then lower elsewhere, leaving the outlets to stand out and be noticed. There is no edge to them to separate them from the wall. Similarly, the tile above the range appears to be just stuck up there under the hood. It also needs some sort of border to help it graduate to the wall. Contrast is fine, but things have to tie together. If color and texture don't do it, then you have to figure out something else that does it.
What would I do, what would I do... I would take the subways higher. Maybe the shelf idea on either side of the back tiles would soften the impact of the back tile and let it mesh with the wall. It is the straight matching of the sides to the hood/range that is the thing to try to modify, I humbly propose. The tiles are not such that you can just try to center them a bit and discard the edges...but still, I don't thing the tile rising from the range to meet the hood pleases the eye.
Anyway, I love the components together, it is trying to achieve a balance that is needed. I wouldn't discard the back tiles for the subway at all; I think you can have your cake and eat it, too!

HAHA I think we were posting at the same time... I just saw your latest pic. It looks really nice. I still would live with it for a little while, see if you like the paint color or think maybe you'd like it better with the subway tiles higher up the wall. The Wolf is so awesome to look at, you'll probably forget about everything else around it anyways!

Forgot to mention that putting the white tile higher would amount to redoing the backsplash since the top row has a bullnose edge. So, that will have to be done later if I decide to change things next year. I actually kind of like the low row of white tile...it doesn't take over. And I much prefer outlets in the wall than the tile. I don't mind seeing them.

I think that the texture of the backsplash is interesting and tactile and all that. To me it's the best thing in the room. But there's not much else in the room to continue that theme. The white cabs, white tile, and yellow walls make it look lonesome.

Find a paint that matches the backsplash color, perhaps a metallic paint. Work up a stencil or a set of varying width straight lines and paint an visually interesting border about 2 inches from the white tile. Also run it around the doorway and perhaps somewhere in the corner between the window and the range or around the window or on the trim for an upper cab.

If you mix some drywall mud in with the paint and if you use a thick material when you cut the stencil so that the you get the paint to stand proud, you get a painted pattern with some texture to it. You can even mimic the pattern of the backsplash, if you're very dedicated.

You may need to get someone who knows color to help you choose a less frosty yellow. There's a red undertone in the backsplash.

We all have a million different opinions, huh?
Personally, I think the tile is great! Very eye-catching! I would agree with Kay and allie in that it's unbalanced. To me, it's the low subway tiles AND the lack of uppers in that area. I was trying to figure out what looked different to me, and it was that the hood and tile are just sitting in the center of a blank wall, until your eyes move downwards and see the subway backsplash. Maybe more open cabs flanking the hood, like the one by the sink?

But again, that's just one opinion. It's a gorgeous kitchen!

Thanks florantha...that is an interesting idea about the stenciling.

I have been thinking about the paint color too. I might consider changing it later (not now as DH did the painting and he is too busy putting in crown molding and floor boards now...plus he'll be the one putting up any new open shelves). This yellow is actually "orange based"...the pictures don't do it justice.

Thanks again to all who posted advice and comments about my kitchen!

I love your backsplash! I think changing the paint to a very light slivery blue or blue/green, and putting stainless shelves to the left of the range and a nice piece of art to the right will make that wall look finished. The yellow is pretty by itself but just doesn't go with the BS, and paint is relatively easy to change.

Looking at the BM deck, I think the Straw is fine in your kitchen, including with the sensational backsplash. The mass of the backsplash does look a little stranded on that wall, however, so you may want to think about shallow open shelving or maybe a large framed poster to the left of it.

I would just try every piece of art you have or can borrow in the space, or cut faux shelves or other bits out of cardboard or posterboard or even tack pieces of fabric or clothing to the wall to try to gauge what scale of thing might work for the specific goal of balancing the backsplash. When you have a scale that works, you can explore for color or texture of design.

I am mindful of an alluring poster that mtndredux and marthavila both have a big crush on. I went to the site that sells it in reproduction, and now I have a big crush on it too, as well as on several others offered on the site, although I have no wall space.

Anyway, you soooo did NOT make a mistake with the glass backsplash. Just take your time figuring out what will make it look less stark in situ. Best of luck

Here is a link that might be useful: bath house poster and its kin

hi itsallaboutthefood!

being decorating-challenged, my opinion is only worth a half-tuppence... but i'll give it anyway. ;)

i really like your backsplash and the straw paint. and i think the haitian wall art will give it a nice balance.

my observation is it's not the paint that's wrong, it's the stark white in the subways interrupting the soapstone to the backsplash.

at least on my monitor, the straw paint, range backsplash and soapstone look really nice together. (and i actually prefer the low subway tiles on that wall as opposed to making it higher.)

so anyway, maybe the tile along the base is something to consider. would it too odd to have a different tile/color just along that base and meet the white subways at the corner?

okay, i'll shut up now! good luck. :)

Thanks ironcook. The subway tile is low since I wanted my kitchen to look "unfitted" or like furniture. I did not want to run the tile up to the bottom of my open cabinetry. I'm not sure about using a different color on one wall than the other. I'm going to wait until my DH puts the craftsman crown molding in (white) and a little white shelf and see how things look then. The range backsplash is growing on me and I am beginning to remember why I loved that tile so much...it's kind of like a stainless steel backsplash behind the range but much prettier.

ooohh, i like it! the back glass tiles are v. cool and fun! Love the yellow paint with the gray too - right up my alley.
I agree with someone else who said you may just need to balance out such a heavy square of gray w some shelves or something on the sides... maybe thin stainless shelves?

Another vote for it being a balance issue. I've thought about avoiding exactly this behind my range for awhile, since I'll have no uppers there either. I decided that my hood surround would have to have corbels or something to sort of frame the area, and then the tile wouldn't just be stuck there in space.

Even having two rows of open plank shelves to the left would help solve the problem. It would tie the backsplash to something (anything) and retain the unfitted look you're trying to achieve. I don't think the problem is the color or the tiles. It might be less off with a lighter tile, but it would still be off. You want it to look unfitted, not unfinished. My vote is for some shelves or even narrow upper cabs on either side of the hood.

Good luck, and update us on what you decide to do!