The first one is called long marfil crema herringbone! Second might be better with no other veining involved.

Thanks Leelee. I appreciate the suggestion. I had thought maybe a herring bone but thought it would be too busy with the movement in the granite. I see though that your photograph shows that it can be interesting without being overpowering. So you think it is better to blend the backsplash color to the granite rather than contrast it? I appreciate your feedback!

A travertine subway would look nice. Not pure white anything, but something on the creamier tones.

Selection will depend on your overall style. Casual, rustic, elegant, classic ---- a different splash selection for each one.

Thanks Carol. I hadn't considered a travertine in creamy tones. I don't know that I have a style per se but I like clean simple lines. I will take a look st some travertine. Thanks!

Hi---looks very nice so far. Here's 3 for you... Good Luck!
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I like your initial idea of glass with your more contemporary cabinets. Consider a subway tile in a larger size like 4x8 or 6x12 for a fresh look. On your question about contrast I would pull a light color from the granite like leelee's second photo.

At this point your kitchen is timeless.
Whatever you use as a backsplash has the potential of overwhelming what you have already done and making this space seem dated very soon.

If it was me, I would paint the backsplash with a honey color to pick up the color of the cabinets.
This will allow the countertop to be the star of the show here.
I would lean a couple of galley trays on the big spaces of wall.
Trays are multifunctional and they can be moved around and changed out.
Cool stainless, warm brass, abstract colors, chicken or horses, whatever you are feeling at the moment.

But backsplashes can be fun too.

Whatever you do, to me it looks like you upper cabinets are levitating.
The color between the upper and lower cabinets can tie the top and bottom into one piece visually.

I love leelee's second suggestion. Even if you don't go with the herringbone pattern, I would suggest using that color of tile rather than a glass tile. I think a glass tile backsplash is a "look at me" attention getter, which would compete with the counter.

It's not always best to blend or contrast--depends on the granite. Yours is so special that contrasting would just be overwhelming. You want to compliment without competing. Usually keeping the backsplash lighter than the counters opens the kitchen rather than closing it up.

Bring home samples of beige or gray/beige and see what works best.

Whatever you choose, keep it simple as your counter is so busy, you don't want a busy backsplash in any color. Take home samples of the tiles you like and lean them up against the wall for a couple of days. See them in different lighting situations. You will be surprised that something you think will go in the tiling store, wont do it.

I know subway tile is the "in" thing these day but it's VERY busy. People tend to tire of busy and it's not easy to change.

Thank you all for the suggestions! I will consider them all and hopefully pick the one that works best in this situation. It is certainly daunting. Thanks again!

what did you end up doing?