Just found an inspiration photo we loved from the kitchen gallery, the link to just backsplashes is in the menu to the right. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Gallery

I'd be looking at something in the way of a cream colored tile or or light travertine tumbled marble.

What a great link! Thank you!!!

Bill, I was thinking about tumbled marble this morning -- would it look good in an oak kitchen? I don't know much about it - are the little holes filled in with grout when it is installed? What type of cream colored tile are you thinking as far as the finish goes?

Thank you both for your suggestions. I really appreciate it.

would it look good in an oak kitchen?

You might be asking the wrong person about that. Far as I'm concerned, using the right color of tumbled marble looks good in ANY kitchen! :-) Even if I weren't a tile guy, it'd still be my favorite backsplash medium.

are the little holes filled in with grout when it is installed?

That depends on who you talk to. Most in the tile industry will tell you yes, me included. But there are several people in here who've gone with "groutless holes". Not something I agree with.

What type of cream colored tile are you thinking as far as the finish goes?

I was thinking something either in a subway tile, or a diagonal "pillow" tile (heavily cushioned, or rounded edges), using some sort of either brown or metallic accents. Same on the accents if you go with the tumbled marble.

4x4 tumbled marble (mexico)

alfagres and mexican tumbled marble

Here is a cream tumbled travertine.

I really like the idea of the pillow-top style of porcelain - maybe with a crackle finish.

Someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong -- I cannot get my photos to insert. I'm following the instructions of (back arrow)img src= "location of photo"(forward arrow)

Here is link to the photo of my granite sample with cream tumbled travertine.

Thank you for your help.

Here is a link that might be useful: travertine with sample

Try without the spaces.

I do like that travertine but I'd be really, really careful. We had picked out a marble tile (Botticino) that looked a lot like that on the sample board. We ordered it and about one in every 20 tiles looked like that. The rest were awful. Fortunately we were able to return them (after some wrangling).

Thanks for the warning. By "awful" do you mean the color or the condition?

I tried without spaces and got nothing.

Here is the cream tumbled marble with my granite sample

They were dark, dingy and a lot more "tumbled" than the samples. Some were almost black.

The only thing that saved us was that we paid extra for "Italian" botticino. The Italian ones were individually stamped and what we got was not stamped or labeled.

Glad you like the link. We too have oak cabinets, and have decided to do a lighter colored quartz/slate called Boading Creme. It's got some of the same coloring as the cabinets do and really pops when it's sealed. Here is a link for it. Keep in mind this is prior to sealing so the colors are much more tame.

Here is a link that might be useful: Baoding Creme from The Tile Shop

Lukkiirish - what is your countertop?

We installed Verde Peacock. It's a very different type of stone than the one you are getting, but I think it might work well with the sample of granite you posted. It's desert colors. Comes tumbled or not, in mosaic or larger and brick patterns as well. The 4x4 tiles don't look as busy as the mosaic, but I love the mosaic so we're incorporating it by installing 3 rows of it at the bottom of the back splash and putting 4x4's on the diagonal for the rest. To add some pop, we're going to put a thin pencil of noir black travertine were the diagonal meets the mosaic.

We went with tumbled marble, Chairo (we chose this over the darker Noce)

Close up with decorator tiles

and

I got a box of the light travertine tiles and they look like chalk. Too white but mostly consistant in color and look. I'm going to wait until the granite is in and then decide. I hope the tile installer can work around the corner sink without causing any damage.

Try getting them wet and see if you like that look better. What that will do is mimic the look of the stone with an enhancer.

If you're going with the tumbled travertine, what about adding some glass inserts for a little extra detail? When is your granite going in? I'm looking forward to seeing it!

I tried wetting it and it still looked very white. I'm making a leap out of my comfort zone by putting granite with any movement. I'm sort of go toward solid rather than pattern. So, I'll have to wait to see ab out the inserts but it is a good thought. Diagonal tile doesn't appeal to me for this kitchen.

Granite should be in a week or so. YIKES!

I've changed my mind - again - and am back where I started. Now I'm considering "Copper Brown" granite.. Any thoughts?

Here is a link that might be useful: {{!gwi}}

I love the first granite you picked as a granite, but I think the Copper Brown might look better with your cabs. Have you been to the granite yard with your door to see how they look together? That's really the most important thing.

Had a question for you: do you have any info on that limestone tile you were trying out? A stone tile that is white and stays white is what we'd like to have for our kitchen. We gave up because we just couldn't find one.

Yes, I did take a drawer and paint sample to the granite yard today. It looked much better than the other granite. Thanks for your opinion. I'll find out the details on the tumbled stone this weekend and let you know.

The tumbled stone was from The Masonry Center. I had written down "Noce Azteca."

My grainte (copper brown) is installed and I've selected a copper slate for the backsplash. It looks better than these photos: