In my opinion, photo #1 is the most beautiful and seamless, but it should be noted that the soffit on the right seems to necessitate a shallower cupboard.

The first picture looks like a fire hazard. A cute fire hazard.

I also thought Photo #1 was a fire hazard, until I realized it's not a floating shelf, it's actually a built in ledge and the items are sitting behind the stove.

This is a great idea. I'm thinking you would have to be careful about what materials you used and what you stored up there, but it's very practical and cute.

The ones that are just above counter space are cute and practical. The ones anywhere near the stove are gonna get splattered, greasy and dusty SO FAST.

I have a small glass shelf above my stove. It holds my salts, pepper, and bottle of olive oil. It keeps my commonly used items at hand without cluttering up the counter space beside the store.

I like the look of back-splash shelves in kitchens with no upper cupboards.

These (esp #1) look nice, but when paired wiith the upper cupboard, wouldn't the counter feel too crowded for comfortable work?

Does anyone have a source for the backsplash?

For that third one, augh no! You should never store oils directly above a stove, they need to be kept somewhere dark and COOL!