I like this arabesque shaped tile in white for your traditional kitchen. White or cream subway tile would also be a nice, simple option.

what is your style? would you like a unique eclectic style? or do you want more traditional or neutral? a subway tile like the middle picture could be more traditional in a neutral shade, or could have a pop of color

What about something similar to this tile? It has a hint of the red terra cotta tile color and it works well with cream colored cabinets and darker countertops. Best of luck!
-Chelsea Construction

Your kitchen looks beautiful as is! I love the terra cotta contrast with the white cabinets. Also love your cabinet hardware. If it were mine, I might not even bother with a backsplash, but if you feel you need it, stick with something solid in one of the colors of your other materials: cream or terra cotta tiles, or even just a small strip to match your counters.

If you like the earth tone of your kitchen and want warm colors, consider glass/stone mosaic tile that pull colors from around your kitchen or pairs well with them. You can do an accent of the mosaic tile with a more neutral subway or wall tile, or do the whole thing in mosaic tile. See below for some thoughts I had. My apologies though, because these are photos I just took with my iphone from our selection here at our design center.

1st photo: One of the bottom colors perhaps?
2nd: Middle right, or any of the ones with the auburn tones
3rd: Middle right or top left
4th: that one 8)

With such striking walls, you might want to go neutral with your backsplash. Consider a monochromatic tile that matches the existing cabinetry.

To compliment the colors of your cabinets, you could consider this glass mosaic tile for your backsplash.

Thanks for all the feedback. At first we felt there was no need for a backsplash, but now we've got our house on the market and our realtor suggested we add one. The paint is chipping around the canisters. We want to do something we like, in case we stay, but something contemporary since we've been accused of being too traditional! I like the idea of a mosaic, because aren't subway tiles getting boring? I love the arabesque suggestion, that looks really interesting.
She also suggested we change the hardware, we copied a designer kitchen 5+ years ago with those knobs, so I'm glad someone else out there likes them!

Sorry if I offended you with the traditional statement. I surly didn’t meant to. I myself have a traditional style and struggle with contemporary suggestions. Whatever you decide I’m sure it will look beautiful.

Gina, you did not offend me, as my style is traditional. When we bought this colonial we decided to try to make it look like a much older home. Now we are trying to add some contemporary touches in order to sell it. Maybe that's a mistake, that is my quandary! We might want to just keep it traditional or go for neutrals. Actually, your first photo with the mix of various sized subway tiles is one of my favorites, the glass tiles in cream. Our counters are soapstone though, so would glass be too shiny?