I would do a glass splash back [ this can be painted in your color choice to suit the decor ] - taking from the bench top up to the bottom of the range-hood on the wall of the stove. The window is beautiful and I would give anything to have them in my kitchen. I would probably paint OR stain and apply marine grade vanish to the would so that any moisture would not be able to ruin the wood. I would also put herbs or flowers there. Could it be made into a servery for outside maybe ???

Rather than removing the edging, I would add to its width and this wil make the cabinetry look custom and paint it white. I would also keep the corner shelving and replace your accessories - one item/shelf and related to each other. You could add a great fixture instead of the pot light, change the faucet and hardware. Suggest carrarra marble backsplash (don't put the rack back up behind stove) and there are so many pattern choices. It's also interesting how they have laid the tile in the last picture, which I think would work really well with your set up and will save a bit of money on marble. A dark quartz or granite would be complimentary and warm up all of the white. [houzz=]; [houzz=https://www.houzz.com/photos/6-via-aragon-san-antonio-parade-of-homes-contemporary-kitchen-austin-phvw-vp~1042542];[[houzz=]

The taupe countertops are nice. Have you seen all the new choices of backsplash tiles that are available currently? There are so many beautiful ones, there isn't a need to settle on white subway tiles. Venture out to the big box stores or flooring showrooms and take a look... There are tile caps of all sizes to finish off the ends. A nice one is called a tile liner, and it's about 1/2"-wide. There's also metal strips that can be laid in to finish the tile, it looks very nice. They are called: Schluter Systems 0.375-in W x 98.5-in L Aluminum Commercial/Residential Tile Edge Trim and can be found at Lowe's. They come in different colors.

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