In case we want to make sure we have looked at these – glass subway tile, installed horizontally:
Coralbrook, what material are you considering for the countertops?
I have been lusting after the Crystal Acido Porcelanosa tile for a long time. What a hoot it would be to have you install it in this kitchen!
I’ve seen discussions about mounting outlets on the underside of upper cabinets to avoid interrupting the backsplash, but haven’e investigated.
zipyourliops, I like that tile a lot! I think it will go well with Mr.'s favorite bathroom mirror:
http://www.electricmirror.com/project/silhouette-lighted-mirror-tv/
I agree - electric outlets are an eyesore. Here is a few handy tips on outlet hide and seek:
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/495253/list/How-to-Hide-Those-Plugs-and-Switches/
@BunsenBurner–nice article, photos and ideas. My friend used many in her kitchen remodel. Its very elegant. She has brass outlets that can be completely hidden. The first few times we visited, we had trouble figuring out where the outlets in her kitchen were!
Many of her outlets are in hidden behind brass plates, very tastefully. Sorry, haven’t been able to figure out cutting and pasting links on this android phone, but the have these on Amazon and many other places. Costs more but adds a bit of sophistication.
HImom, are you saying the outlets are behind brass plates? Do they flip open to see the outlet? I’m not sure I’m understanding. Thanks.
Well…I haven’t won the lottery so I’m not buying this house.
But…I can’t stand the color green. Period. If I walked into a house with green tile in the room used most (the kitchen), I would walk right out.
No green for me, either!
Doesn’t your lead guy normally do your rough plumbing? It’s not rocket science to hook one of these tanks up. Although venting it may be a challenge, unless there’s a vent stack already down there that you can tie into.
Yes, I’m leaning towards using my carpenter to do the rough plumbing. I may have to find instructions on the Internet on how to install the sump pump thing. That is all new to us.
The glass will not necessarily be ‘green’ but clear glass takes on a bluish hue naturally
Countertop is going to be quartz in a neutral color
Bluish would be fine with me…but not greenish!
It’s all individual taste – I for one love the greenish hue of the glass tiles in the photographs!
Some folks do love that green tint to the glass. But doesn’t CB want to cater to the largest audience possible? I’m a sample of one, but green tint anything would cause me to leave the house…and especially a new tile backsplash in the most prominent room in the house.
She doesn’t want to lose potential buyers because of a color choice.
I did a solid surface backsplash in a previous kitchen and used plugmold outlets to keep the look clean. It provided far more than the typical number of outlets for the main prep area, which I also appreciated.
http://www.houzz.com/photos/kitchen/query/plugmold/ls=5
Here is what the brass plate concealed outlets look like (I’m doing the cut and paste with the iPhone). Further down on the page shows other ways to conceal outlets. She used all of them in her remodel.
http://www.amazon.com/Raco-6239BP-Hubbell-Concealed-Receptacle/dp/B0044FDIN8
Thanks HImom. I’ve seen these used in floors.
The other concealed plates were used by her around her kitchen island and living/family room. It provides a nice clean look.
Color and finish choices are personal. There’s nothing that everybody will like. To me it makes sense to choose finishes with a nod to the locale, i.e. a watery glass in a neighborhood near the ocean. cb’s horizontal wood grain cabinets may not have been my first choice but they make a statement which is a wise goal here IMO. The way she pulls things together would sell me on her houses even if there are elements that I would have done differently. cb, a neutral quartz countertop sounds great.
I adore green. 
H has been heard to say: “No more green!”
Here is an incredible house that has just been redone by a kind of cousin by marriage:
http://schindlergoodwinhouse.com/
He’s selling it and buying another by the same architect to work on. (You should see his place in the South of France, in a medieval town overlooking Monaco. Incredible.)
@Consolation, thanks for posting that! H, D and I toured the Schindler house in Silver Lake a couple of years ago and it was pretty bare and still in need of a great deal of work. But it was great to see his outdoor sleeping “pods” among other innovative ideas.
It’s fabulous to see another one of his works.
ETA: here’s the link to the Schindler house: http://makcenter.org/
In our house previous to this one, we had a backsplash + wall that was entirely built out of glass blocks, so there was no room for outlets. In that situation, the plugs were built into the under-cabinet light fixtures so one could plug things anywhere along the counter.
The only drawback was that the cords then dangled over head rather than being hidden behind the appliances. The side benefit was an incentive to keep countertop appliances to a minimum so it did prevent the inevitable accumulation of machines.