The backsplash in this kitchen was cut from a 12"x12" honed statuary marble tile into a custom size of 4"x8". I liked that it was a different size than normal and I felt that the 4"x8" size was more proportional to the surroundings. The countertops are actually a granite/marble mix called Super White Extra. They are polished and have minimal veining just like a calacatta marble, but with more grey in them. The grey helped the cabinets to "pop" more.

As it relates to your backsplash question of whether or not to extend the subway tile up past the bottom of the range hood, here is my recommendation: Large range hoods flanked by cabinets on either side (like the one in this kitchen) will create a very dark, shadowed area between the cabinets and the range hood. So here I specifically designed and installed 4" directional can lights on either side of the range hood and aimed them into these "nooks" to keep those areas from appearing dark. Literally these can lights were installed to just light those specific areas. In addition, the marble tile is light in color (which brightens the area more than any paint color would do), which is why we decided to run the subway tile all the way to the ceiling.

For this kitchen, I think that a paint color in between the cabinets and the range hood would have been a distraction to the real focal point in the area, which is the stone range hood itself. So that's my reasoning as to why I did what I did. Hope that helps and good luck with the kitchen!

Thank you for your detailed answer! It is generous of you and helpful!