Maybe this is too far from "simple" but the fact that you have a tin ceiling in other parts of the house, reminded me of someone who posted a tin backsplash product. They looked pretty cool. You could do them in a pewter color to set off your granite and provide something other than white in your kitchen.

I'm doing a similarly white shaker style kitchen and I'm hoping to do a celedon green subway tile, because I too want some color.

Your countertops will look terrific with white cabinets. For the backsplash, I would think in terms of a tile in a color that complements the countertop. By the way, you haven't told us about your kitchen floor. I think the floor, countertop and backsplash need to be in colors that harmonize.

I've had the same vision for my kitchen. We bought all white appliances and white shaker style cabinets. I wanted white countertops and white subway tiles... the monochrome look.

The idea was to "punch it up" with easily replaceable accent color...fruit bowl on counter, wall paint, artwork, kitchen towels, throw rugs.

But as we move along in this process, we've decided on soapstone countertop in island and Stainless steel around the perimeter. I've had the same doubt about the 'whiteness of the kitchen. I am considering varied green tiles (mostly lime green) to add texture. But I keep coming back to the white on white "clean" look.

Sorry that I don't have an answer for you but I'm glad that you posted this topic since I am grappling with the same thing.

I just saw a friend's entirely white kitchen. White shaker cabs, white marble countertop (although the island does have butcherblock) and white onyx subway tile backsplash. It's stunning!

For me, I prefer more contrast, but having just seen it- I can tell you that even all white can be amazing.

Haus_proud -- we have tiger-wood maple floors in the kitchen and throughout the first floor. What does that do for you? That's in large part the reason we went with white and not cherry for the cabinets (our first thought), which we were planning to do with a white subway tile backsplash. But white cabinets seemed to go with the period of the house, and they work well with the white tin ceiling. So, we're happy with the cabinets but less sure about our original thought for subway tile. We used to live in NYC though, and really like those white 3x6" tiles.

We have some colorful items for the countertop -- blue fruit bowl and blue bread box and robins-egg blue mixer -- and we're thinking of painting the kitchen a bright green. Not that there's a lot of wall space (lots of doors).

So, that's we're were at. Have probably a month before the counters are in, so plenty of time to decide and change my mind 18 times.

I think putting the tin on the backsplash in pewter would be beautiful. Too much white comes off as being "sterile" and cold. I like mono, but too much white just screams "sterile."

I'm doing white/white also. We'll have soapstone island, stainless perimeter, white shaker cabinets and white backsplash, neutral porcelein tile floor. I was going to use subway tiles and I also considered white painted bead board. But just last week I decided to use nothing (just sheetrock). I'll start out with it white and I think I'll hang some colorful Fiesta plates on the backsplash. If the all-white ends up being too much white I'll just paint it. Over and over in all different colors, I image.

I say go for it. You already have the colorful accents you need to liven it up.

Check out Bon Appetit Jan. 2008 "kitchen of the year" -- white cabinets, blk granite countertop, white subway backsplash, SS appliances, no other colors. Go for it.

Too white? Maybe, maybe not. Is the silver pearl a small patterned granite or the big chunks of color I saw in one called blue pearl? That would add a lot of interest and you would need to be careful with the type of backsplash you used. If it's a simple, not busy granite, with just small flecks, I think that it depends of the overall effect of the room. The wood will certainly warm it up and it may just work. If you're considering color at all, you might want to take care of one of my favorite kitchens on this board. It's not anything like mine, but that doesn't mean that I don't love how it looks!

Here you go!

Here is a link that might be useful: Hoffman's kitchen