i_luv_my_dog (My Page),

Looks fine to me. Check the end of your original thread, I provided a link to the similar kitchen with the white tile backslah.

Place your sample tiles over sink (i.e. make a long stripe), you will see how nice they look. That was a turning point for us.

Ok, here are 3 shots of the venatino over the sink per flyingkite's suggestion

And one with the white subway board (ungrouted)

@ellendi - was it srg215's kitchen with the stingray tile? That is very nice, but you are right, a bit darker.

I was thinking of removing the gray pieces from the tile slabs (will cost a bit more) to keep the color more white and ivory. It will be more like the sheet on the left side (when looking at the 2 venatinos next to the sink) or the one that is hanging up on the wall with the painters tape. That might cut down on the busy-ness, but keep it warm.

My favorite is still the plain white ceramic tiles. Bianco has such personality and I think tile with movement will compete.But that is me and what I like. What some might find boring is someone else's favorite.

We did BA counters last year with the existing white cabinets. I was all over the place with my bacsplash with the help of GW, and in particular Bee, we ended up doing a white crackle subway tile with stainless mini accent bricks. Love it and have had so many compliments. That granite is a show stopper all by itself. Also it is glossy and I like the sheen of the backsplash against it.

I posted pics. I can post them again when on my computer.

i_luv_my_dog,

While it's not advised to use "rich" tile for your backslash, there is one exception, the area under your range hood.

Just look at some designs, maybe you find something interesting.

Here is a link that might be useful: [109,953 white kitchen Photos[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/white-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~a_88-9)

i_luv_my_dog,

That what I meant when I asked to place a tile stripe behind the faucet:

Another similarity...I love those venatino tiles (Lowes?) I'm using them in my backsplash, and I particularly loved that you can see the stock selection and pick the ones you like best for your color preference. Plus the price is so right.

That said, I think they might be slightly busy for your BA...but having looked at them all in the store myself, there were so many square feet that were quieter...whiter...with just slight variation. If you tried those, they might strike just the right balance.

Looking forward to your reveal!

I do not care for the marble with BA, even a quieter marble. It is apples and oranges, and clashes to my eye.
There are so many better choices to pair with your BA. Taupe, gray or white subways give you the most versatility as to wall color and accents. You can go with crackle, smooth, the handmade look, glass, stainless, etc...

So, it sounds like you went with a white subway. I think I'm going with Custom Platinum grout, the brand my tile setter uses. It's almost exactly right. I gotta get this right.

Do you have plans for adding any other textures besides the tiles? This room has a lot of same textures--long stretches of the shiny countertop and long stretches of plain paint.

Your cabs are very white, yes? And the woodwork matches them? The sink is dark brown? And the floor? And your countertops are near-white and brown if I read the photos correctly. The wall paint appears to be whitish also. Can you find a way to integrate the very white with the other colors?

I don't think I would add expanses of gray&white to the mix and you already have a lot of white. Unless you're tiling a large area, I'd look for a way to add brown and to make the tile the mediator. Let the countertop be the star, but add a little more firmament. I would consider larger tiles--you don't want any kind of tiling grid that competes with or matches the scale of the "movement" on the countertops. What if you used an almost-chocolate brown grout with warm white tiles that pick up some color from within the light portions of the countertop? Artsy type tiles with some surface ripples and edge irregularities, perhaps?

Another idea would be to emphasize the stainless steel somehow. A listello in a decided metallic grey? Stainless steel tiles? A sheet of hammered stainless metal behind the range and behind the sink?

Do you really need a backsplash anywhere besides the sink and range areas? What about a big old 2.5 inch stripe of warm brown paint running horizontally all around the kitchen somewhere between the uppers and the lowers?

Here is a good model for a backsplash with a granite like yours...by Sophie123. She's got that band of chocolate that brings the dark color upwards, and that is despite having dark cabs also. The band has smaller tiles within it, making a change of texture, sort of.

Here is a link that might be useful: scroll down to Sophie123

I think the BS is perfect! The granite is fabulous and the BS has subtle movement which looks beautiful with the granite in MHO.

So very gorgeous! Try not to second guess yourself. (Easy to say----hard to do!)

I must have missed these responses earlier, my apologies.

Linelle - yes, I went with the went subways. I finished the tiling job yesterday and as of tonight, they will be ready for grouting. I haven't made my final decision, so I might not grout until later in the week. Will post my sample boards later

Florantha - thank you for the thoughtful post. Cabs are off-white color and the trimwork molding is a bright, shiny white. I love how they are not the same. The sink is stainless and the paint is a grayish color. While I like my granite, I specifically do not like taupe for some reason (maybe too many years of living in apartments), so I wanted to play up the gray color that existed ever so slightly in the granite to de-emphasize the tan/brown in the granite. I had a budget constraint because of the construction required on this home, as well as other projects we still needed to do (attic insulation, install a fence, and new porch and sidewalk outside). We bought it for $168K and tried to stay around the 10% rule on the kitchen remodel. Of course, it ended up being just under $21K after all the construction (e,g, soffit removal, removing a door to add loads more linear feet of cabinets), new electrical wiring (suprising we didn't have a fire with as many things, including the fridge, on the same circuit), and flooring issues. As much as I would have loved to do a more expensive tile, I couldn't justify the cost at this time, especially considering the modest neighborhood we live in.

White subway tiles were ultimately installed and even the darker shadow lines that exists in its pre-grouted state. I have sample boards and am leaning towards Mapei Silver right now. So I am thinking something along those lines, but am planning to do a sample board of the tans and chocolates later today to see if I prefer that too.

I do agree that there needs to be something to break up the galley style as it is long stretches of walls and items. But I have to tell you, if you saw the before pictures of how crammed and inefficient (e.g. I had 5 actual cabinets that I could use), you'd see what a welcome joy the kitchen is. It feels so much larger and we love it. It is the place where I want to spend all my time. I understand it might be boring in some people's eyes, but it makes me happy and calm. I love cooking and prepping there. I plan to add in open shelves around to be able to add some dimensiosn and notice. Just haven't gotten around to building them yet.