Instead of white glass tiles you could do a timeless subway tile, or even marble would be quite neutral and versatile.

This is an easy one to update to a more modern look.I would remove the rangehood to a modern stainless and glass one after you retile the backsplash. A subway tile in glass or ceramic or a mosaic of your choice all the way up.Change the cabinet hardware to a sleek chrome ( the round ones are in the wrong spot-up too high).I would remove the crown molding from the cabinets - crowns are traditional. Find some lighting that is more modern also. Don't make the light over the sink a hanging one. Add some red accents to go with the red knobs on the stove - for fun .That should do it and it should not cost too much.

The white subway tile would look nice. Maybe you cold use a thin strip of black somewhere toward the bottom, maybe a few tiles up. That would look nice with your crown molding and your door and drawer pulls.

I would consider a whitewashed tin backsplash

Consider a stainless steel backsplash from the counter to the bottom of the cabinetry. It is very neutral, ties in with the stainless appliances and is so easy to clean. I had flat sheets fabricated to fit my kitchen. You can also find them with a quilted pattern or other embossed designs. I think they can be interpreted as either traditional or modern , depending on the surrounding cabinetry.

I think a creamy subway tile would look great, your counter tops are busy something with too much pattern would create a mishmash feeling. Stainless steel would be difficult to keep clean behind a stove, I would not take that suggestion. You could have a solid border at the bottom the same color as the border on the upper cabinets. It would pull everything together and look lovely. Have fun!

Love your shelf above stove . You need a pop of color. Not sure what I would do.

Mirrored glass and clear colored glass tiles picking up the colors of the granite. Not a fan of the hood, but, you could cover the range hood with the same, adding a horizonal outline. Or you could have a stainless steel cover made for the upper portion and cover the bottom with matching tile. The area needs a reflection of light and a suttle glitz. And, I would change the burner dials on the stove to black.

Perhaps consider a classic subway tile pattern, but instead of the traditional white or off white, maybe consider picking up the taupe or cocoa color from the granite. This color way will read more contemporary, but still have a nod to the classic. Use of light grout against a medium/darker tile is also more contemporary. I would steer away from a busy mosaic as your granite is quite busy already.

Removing the hood and replacing it with a pro style hood in stainless steel is easy to do and would make a big difference. I would change the cabinet knobs an pulls to brushed stainless as well. I wouldn't paint out the dentil mould, it adds a nice punch to the tall cream cabinets. Instead, I would use that as a jumping off point towards a more dramatic backsplash idea. Perhaps a dark espresso ground with glass mosaic accents of sage green and light amber with cream grout to complement the countertops.

I agree on removing the hood and replacing it with a stainless steel one for a more contemporary look. The hood that you have is really setting the mood/feel. You might also consider a quilted stainless steel backsplash.

Patcreel - New paint, new hardware and new doors will change them up a lot - you don't have to remove the "boxes" just replacing the doors with another style.

Consider changing the hood to a contemporary upside down "T" shape in stainless steel and continue the backsplash behind the hood all the way up to the ceiling. I just did that in our kitchen and used small square stainless tiles as the backround. The transformation was remarkable.

I wanted something a little different, yet classic. Here's the way we went...

You could get some thick clear safety glass made to fit, and put photos, paperclipings, or whatever you want behind to decorate the beauty of this idea is. When you do update your kitchen you just unscrew it and change to suit. Hope this gives you some ideas.

Consider replacing the backsplash with mirror or mirror tiles, ditto on the tiles of the hood if you are not able to replace the hood with a stainless one. Another hood solution is to remove the molding and wrap it with a sheet of steel or covering the hood extension with drywall or mirror to make it disappear. A third is to remove trim, paint and add a utensil rod on the lower portion w/or w/out ledge and rework the top in any number of ways to make the current shape go away. (see range photo). I recommend removing the crown and dentil entirely if you really want contemporary and place contemporary containers atop the uppers in bright contemporary colors or stainless. Consider replacing the hardware with contemporary. Mirror can inexpensively add a contemporary flair while visually expanding your space as well and is easy to clean and cheaper than stainless. You may also want to put mirror on the sides on some or all of the cabinets...like the one to the right of your range. If the cabinets are too traditional for you consider adding an X in the insets using paint grade lumber and paint to match the cabinetry. A contemporary pendant light or an easy to make hanging shade fixture would be a nice contemporary touch over the island as would a stainless pot rack. Best of luck and sned us your "after" photos!

love what you did!!! That backsplash is moder yet warm and super interesting!!
Did u change out door pulls and lighting? That's an easy fix!!
Congratulations it looks great!

Thank you Betsy! The photos are actually examples of what I am recommending. I can usually change a style quite easily by adding, changing, or removing trim, changing out a light fixture, hardware, colors, textures. I thrive on finding creative solutions that will fit within my clients' budgets and timeframe. I hope she will send photos of what she actually does with the kitchen. Thank you again!

I design backslashes for a living - there are infinite options for what you can do. I think one nice option for this space would be to use a handmade subway (Sonoma Tilemakers or Encore Ceramics) in a more modern size (2x8 instead of 3x6). Encore has crackle glazes in their line that are gorgeous and add just the right amount of delicate movement within a solid color tile. I have used them in modern spaces and traditional spaces and both are stunning. I also think you can easily change out your hood to a more contemporary/all stainless one and that would really change the space with the new backsplash.

I hate cleaning grout so when we redid our kitchen I used 12"x24" porcelain floor tiles for the backsplash. The tiles have a rusty/brown base with some coppery tones and what looks like splashed on silver. This ties in with our copper table, stainless steel appliances and our beige, rust, brown granite which has a lot of movement.

I agree with a previous respondent and think a dash of color would be wonderful.
Attached are examples of my handpainted tiles used in settings like your kitchen.
The last image has subway tiles used in the installation.
Annette Kearney
www.majolicamosaics.com
www.annettekearney.artspan.com