Yup, I agree with her.

If I am going to be honest, panels behind the stove were trendy back in probably the 90s. I am no kitchen designer however. I really like the backsplash tile with the gold stars. Just my personal opinion, not a fan of the hood choice. You have some pretty neat tile and counter choices, in my very personal opinion, the hood might be way too much.

@J Williams ty. Hood is already in production so no changing that or hubby will have heart attack. I actually feel a lot more at ease picking just one tile for entire backsplash instead of multiple designs and trim pieces.

So .you have your answer : ) And you didn't "have your heart" ( and mind ) set on it. Yeah.

Your granite is ALREADY the star.Don't even think about competing. Get the girl who stuck her nose up like smelling bad eggs, and have her come to the house when the granite is INSTALLED. Let her help you select the splash. Because that is when it makes SENSE to select. It can't be installed until you have tops. Trust me on this. Pick it after top install. You'll avoid the tears of GOOFED. She already gave you good advice.

All of your potential "entire splashes" are too busy for the granite.

@Jan M granite is already installed. I brought a piece of it to the boutique so we could match it . After showing her all photos of my kitchen she really loved the 6x6 cream relief tile with a tad of bronze glaze for entire backsplash. She said it would tie in my antique White Island with dark chocolate cabinets. She suggested no trim pieces whatsoever. Even the areas where tile stops near sink with nothing above it . She suggested a clear Schlueter or just have my tile guy use extra grouting on top of the tile to create a slanted edge towards wall. That sounds crazy to me ! Haha.. but she’s the expert.

Here’s a better pic of of island and granite.

I can see why she chose the lighter coloured tile, but the fleur de lis pattern seems at odds somehow with the other elements, and the texture is a little much, this is just my personal opinion. I personally prefer the more Mediterranean feel of the other choices, but am not sure how they look with everything else.

Jan actually this is the design I chose on hood.

TOOOO much going on. Go back, and simplify. It isn't a thing you can do online. Look at ivory tones in ceramic. Something with a hand cut feel...........SIMPLE. No contrast grout either. Then take several home and stand them up. There is no other way to do it.

A "Mediterranean" kitchen is already by definition.......one with a lot going on. Your eye must REST somewhere.

I'd want more this feel.......but allllllllll whites must be a test on site experience,

Personally, I'd have put the light cabinetry with copper hood on the perimeter, ( your goal was to highlight that ) and done the island dark. But what do I know : ) I like light kitchens.

Do you suppose a cream or gold shaped tile might be nice, simpler, but still giving you a pattern?

Jan Moyer, I LOVE the advice you give!! Always spot on!

I get hated for that advice, quite often, lol

Your Kitchen ..you can have what you bloody want !

That is true. But sometimes we get caught up with the details of each element. Sometimes more is more, sometimes it makes it harder to appreciate the nice things that were chosen. As with anything, if everything is the same decibel, same strength, it becomes noise, not music.

I agree that a framed mural behind the cooktop is from the 90s, maybe early 2000s. However, something like what J Williams posted above is more current - i.e. not framed, not a mural really, more a decorative pattern. Having said that, regardless of what is current or not, sometimes you need to know when to stop decorating. You have to decide which will be the star of the kitchen. You may be able to get away with two stars (or maybe not) - say the counter and the hood, but that's it.

What will happen if you keep on making everything a focal point, is that then nothing is a focal point, and they are all competing, and it ends up that none of the things you chose so lovingly looks good, because they can't be seen against the cacophony of other decorative items you've installed.

I respect the boutique owner who advised you. Sometimes they'll say yes to make the sale. Kudos to her that she was honest with you.

When you said backsplash mural, I was totally excited to see it. I thought you were talking about the actual murals made of tiles that they sell on Etsy. I would love one of those, but have no place for it.

boils down to size of the area. You don't need a mural but a large expanse under a good looking hood might be well served w field tile of your under cab splash with a different size/configuration placed there . Hoods have evening dimmable lighting, so having some element there is not over the top. But a set in mural isn't likely the right way. Id keep thinking and looking at the tile boards you find from the pictures on line etc. Who actually knows the dimensions you are talking about? For example those rustic cream tiles jan shows are rich and simple and warm: If they had a subway pattern and then something under the hood...basket weave /chevron/ hex/ or what is available[unknown]

Art is also editing. I paint from photographs, but I am not a machine, so I edit every single time I make a painting. Sometimes I add shxx in that was maybe never there but I think it might have been, sometimes I mute stuff right down because the human eye is captured by certain things and lets other things fall back. Gardening is also editing. If a garden is full of precious things, like a million poodle topiaries, it can end up looking frou frou, there will always be supporting players, strong in their own right but not holding centre stage.

Jan I love the Handmade tiles like that ivory but there is Noway I can go that simple !! I’d have to throw in some of the more decorative designs like on my design board . I totally love all the Mediterranean kitchen designs on Pinterest and I don’t see too many simple ones. I want a luxurious kitchen . But that’s me . : )

Go with what you love. The styles being pushed on here are the "current" popular styles that will be dated in the future. If you love something that is not the current trend, to me that makes it more classically attractive with lasting power. I like a focal point behind the stove. Though admittedly I went with no backsplash and just painted walls since I couldn't make a decision.

Going with 'what you love' might work well for stocking a consignment boutique but won't necessarily lead to an aesthetically pleasing kitchen.

Maria Killam:First Rule of Design: Boring Now Equals Timeless Later

How many kitchens in our lifetime do we get to renovate and then choose exactly what we want?
For some of us one, if we’re lucky.
So then we think EVERYTHING THAT WE LOVE has to go into it.

That’s when it gets crazy and we end up with a look that we don’t love because we did not follow the simple and boring rule.

I could just sleep on these kitchen islands! These are some of my inspiration pics of my dream kitchens.

Are you a cook? I can’t make sense out of the middle kitchen. The bottom one has no windows. If I had to pick one, it would be the first one, dark windowless kitchens are a no go for me. Winters here are dark and dreary enough. I also don’t know why they stuck the sink in the end of the island like that, and they seem to have missed out on the opportunity for drawers over cabinets in some of these spaces. How much does your space, resemble these spaces? I guess I am very pragmatic, kitchens are only good when they function.

I do like the warmth of the first one, the middle one seems almost funereal. But the lights are too too much, one might be exquisite in a regency bathroom, 3 in a row is like a cupcake with too much icing, in my opinion. I love the potential for raw, earthy rustic ness with kitchens like this, it can look homey and classic if pared back just a wee bit.

@J Williams do I cook? Does a bear s*** in the woods? I cook almost every night and love it. It’s one of my passions and I’m getting better and better at it. My husband comes running so fast into the kitchen when I ring the dinner bell, he’s almost fallen a few times. But anyhoo, I actually put a extra sink and dishwasher in my island as well. But will only have two chandeliers over it. : ) My kitchen is huge with windows everywhere so it gets lots of natural light . Hallelujah!! I want my kitchen to be a chefs dream but most importantly my dream. Heart of the home they say .. I just love the warmth of Mediterranean designs and not a big fan of modern cold sterile designs.

I only ask because that middle kitchen seems to be big enough to run a cooking school, and the last one is so dark. I am glad to hear you have lots of natural light, makes it so much easier and more pleasant to cook.

Yes J W! I agree . My kitchen has so much natural light I don’t even think I’ll need lights on during the day. And since I live in FL I might need sunglasses while I’m cooking.