I like your choice of green. Good luck.

I think a nice gray subway would look great with the teak cabinets and countertop you have selected. I like the idea of the oversized subway. Here is a line I like at Ann Sacks...
http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=268204&prg=272004&tab=1&startrow=101

They have a few different shades of gray, color "Flannel" is attached. Good luck with your project. Charmean Neithart

Thanks for the suggestions!

You're very welcome. Keep us posted on your progress. Charmean

I am more towards glass tile. There alot of colors to chose but i think its up to you. Another suggestion do you plan to stay at your home , if so go with your gut. your favorite color. Think to yourself what do I want to see everyday in your kitchen. good luck!

We also struggled with this very question for our recently (almost) completed kitchen renovation. We have flat panel painted cabinets in Sherwin Williams "Agreeable Gray" and arabascato marble countertops - like carrera marble but with a combination of traditional gray veins and taupe colored veins. I wanted glass tiles with texture and some color to complement the cabinets and countertops, but also to pick up the amber accents in the rest of the kitchen/great room area. We chose Oceanside Glasstiles, their Muse collection in the color 'cane iridescent'. The backsplash will go up soon, so I will post a photo once completed. Good luck, Elizabethj! Selecting a backsplash can certainly be a daunting process!

i think it's easier to choose a child's name than to choose a backsplash :) i don't want to disagree with designers (or maybe i do:O) but i hate subways and i hate gray!! :)
i love the warm colors because they are colors you live with and feel better around (oh no that's not grammatically correct!) you end up just taking the plunge and picking what your heart tells you..(i know, i'm a huge help!)

I think you are on the right track. As a counterpoint to the backsplash discussion I don't think is in mandatory to go to the cabinets or full height with the backsplash. Often the tile work can overtake the kitchen. I also don't like it when the tile does not have a reasonable location to terminate or when it is terminated without the proper end pieces either bull nose or metal edge. I suggest you know how the tile is going to end if out in the open. I am glad you are planning and drawing it out. Good tile work will come from that effort.

I am with mousemaker, do what your heart tells you. However, as a designer I love grays. As a person, I hate green, which has been very much in with designers because of their use in the Arts & Crafts bungalows. I love stone backsplashs (use the same as the counter). However, it is boring. Try warm colors, your cabinets are very dark. Try orange or red!

Do as many trials as you can with photoshop. Put them on your kitchen table for a few days. After looking at them for endless hours, DECIDE!

I would use the black and silver/stainless glass with some alternating colors of your room to tie it in.

I love glass and plenty of it if you can afford it. Have it painted on the back in a very natural blue-green colour (as close to the clear glass you can buy that has a green tinge to it). This colour will work with any other colour in the room, especially paint and kitchen joinery which may be changed over time.

whoo hooo!! someone agreed with me!!! :) thanks usha digiacomo!! when we were deciding on countertop and backsplash, we had samples that we looked at in all lights--day, night, sun--and it makes a difference. we chose warm sandy quartz and Jerusalem tile and we love it.

When I work with a client in selecting a backsplash I find that some clients are green people some are blue, oddly a rarely find someone who likes both colors. I would recommend painting the walls the color you want the whole space to be (blue, green, grey etc)then use the glass tile in a elongated subway in the closest to clear available. It will add that unique change in color and texture from the paint but flow seamlessly together. Make sure you pick a color you can live with. Good Luck!

I was just about to settle and you all have motivated me to keep looking until I feel a spark :)

Some amazing suggestions - thank you all for being so generous with your time. It's been a big help.

I'm going to experiment with paint and glass tile if I can't find the right hand crafted ceramic colour (looked into Ann Sacks but doesn't look like I can get it in Toronto).

As for colour, I'm actually a teal person, and love the colour with the cabinets but worry that it might get dated fast. But maybe going with a lighter shade would be neutral enough. I like the idea of almost a water element being introduced through a blue/green colour or even a grey that has enough movement and undertones.

And I can't find the one, I'll probably go with a statuario tile and try to liven it up through accents.

Thanks also the consideration around finishing the edges, I might have overlooked it and kicked myself after.

Either white or grey would be a great (and safe) choice.

I like what you are thinking. You will find that tile with the blues, teal and greens. Just keep looking. I love those colors myself. Its out there.