One thing that caught my attention is that the heights of the cabinets, is there a reason why they are so low? Am assuming there is a reason for it.

Since you did not mention anything, I am going to assume the cabinets would not be moved or replaced, in which case how much space do you have between countertop and bottom of cabinets?

The ceiling is 12 feet tall, so the cabinets look lower than they actually are. That awkward gap between the cabinets and the ceiling bothers me too, but my husband had them put in before we met. We're not going to move or replace them now.

There's 18 inches between the countertop and bottom of the cabinets.

got it. Because of the way the hood is, I would not put it floor to ceiling, because that would mean you would have tile "backsplash" above the cabinet and that would look odd to me.

The existing 4" backsplash should certainly go. Besides aesthetics, am not sure if there is many other points to bring up for to convince your hubby.

Do you have any specific tile in mind?

Here is a picture of a job we did, and client decided not to have the 4" backsplash.

Thanks for sharing the pic of the job you did. I definitely want to take our the 4" backsplash and will have to convince my husband.

We've picked out this tile. How far up the wall do you think is best to tile?

Love the tile!! I would do up to the bottom of cabinet and where the hood is, up to the hood.

Just one more question: the wall on the left, is it a long wall? Is there anything on that side at all? just wondering how you would end the backsplash on that side,

Up to the level of the bottom of the cabinets all around, up to the hood in that area.

Seal that well, I think the pieces with the cleft face especially will stain easily. You may want to test that out before committing to it.

eld6161 - Thanks for your input about the BS height. I think he did a good job on the kitchen too!

Trinity Builders & Design, Inc - There's nothing else on the wall on the left. The cabinets end where the knife block is, so I will end the backsplash at that corner.

palimpsest - Thanks for the sealing tip and height input! I've warned my husband about the need to seal the split face backsplash every year or so, and he's committed to it.

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.)