Here's a picture of the other side. This is as good as it gets later in the summer.

The countertop is a composite-stone imitation.

It's my first genuine DIY, hence quirky errors here and there. What's the aesthetic argument for doing tiles all the way to the ceiling?

Here's what the kitchen looked like right after I got started.

As for dark cabinets: I dunno. I originally settled on something very light, but decided that wasn't particularly bold or masculine and I was going to be using artificial light most of the time anyway.

White glazed shiny tile will reflect the most light onto your work spaces. The more tiles you have the greater will be the reflection.

Nice job. Go with a wall of shiny white tiles. I’d stay away from subway tile if you can - classic, but way overdone.

I grew up in Anchorage, Alaska (same latitude as Oslo), so I feel your pain about the light. :-)

I agree with white tiles -- if you don't like subway pattern then maybe square tiles on the diagonal? I wouldn't go all the way to the ceiling, though, since that would feel too much like an office tower restroom to me.

I like your idea of an open shelf on each side at the top of the tile field with the bottom flush with the hood, although I'd probably go with a thick, beefy shelf -- not just a skinny 1x12 -- in a natural wood no darker than your floors. Maybe with the brackets on the top, to avoid having to drill through the tile.

Do something that will reflect any light that you will have and we agree with tiling all the way up to the ceiling. That will help with reflecting more light. You want a shiny/reflective tile. Here are some ideas from our designs that might help you:

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