That is a busy pattern (very pretty) so I would stick with something plain....give quartz a look---Caesarstone, Silestone, Cambria..they come in whites, blues, creams, grays, etc......you could probably also find something in Corian that would go....granites might be too busy unless you found a very plain one.

I think white would look great with that tile. I occasionally watch the preschool kids of an acquaintance. They have a nice home, upscale IMO, but their countertops are white laminate. I don't know if they plan to upgrade later when the kids are older, but the laminate doesn't detract much from the total look and is super kid-friendly. I've cleaned everything from wine (from the parents, not the kids!), spaghetti sauce and kool-aid to paint, crayons and markers off the counters. And since laminate isn't as cold and hard as stone, it makes an inviting surface for kids to work on projects, too.

I'm posting your photos to see if that helps get more feedback. People generally dislike have to click away to see photos.

Joaniepoanie and jessicaml, thank you for you input on color and material selection. We are somewhat leaning towards corian rain cloud as our top choice. We are not very good with coordinating colors so I appreciate your feedback.
Thanks jessicaml for embedding my pictures into the post.

Dianalo used Rain Cloud in her kitchen and loves it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Can't find her finished kitchen, but here was a sneak peek

That was not the link I intended to post.

Here is a link that might be useful: sneak peak at counter install (the right one this time)

That rain cloud Corian is GORGEOUS! And I'm a marble fan, so it's huge for me to find something that looks so pretty and similar! I would highly recommend something like that to go with this blue & white tile. Another thought I had - I'm not sure what color seashell is and what it will look like with the pewter glaze (any pix of that?), but I wondered if you could find something to pick up on the kind of peachy color in the tiles if that matched your cabs. After looking at that Corian though, I'd say definitely look for that!

With all the other solid surfaces out there...Why would you want the worry involved with keeping Corian scratch free? My friend won't even put a can of soda on her Corian countertop. Would you be happy using placemats all the time? We just recently installed Silestone Quartz. Trust me when I say it's practically bullet proof. Granite is great as well.

Colletteone - It's very difficult to find a white piece of granite with no movement. I've looked for several years and that's why I ended up with marble.

A blue would be my first choice - laminate or solid material.

Second choice would be a solid or very subdued pattern in something that exactly matches the creamy white.

You will have to be VERY careful about matching undertones on the blues and whites. Do the matching in the lighting you plan to use, not at the store with alllthe flourescents.

I love your choice of Corian. We've had it before and it is a very nice surface to have and feels so nice. I pretty much never worried about it at all. Since it's a white color scratches won't show as much as if it were darker. After awhile it just doesn't bother you. To be honest I have granite now and I'd give Corian another shot if I had to do it over again. Everybody has their preference though. I would not give one worry about scratches.

I love those tiles and can see why you plan on keeping them!!

And I agree that matching to the blue or the white will have to be done carefully -- you'll have plenty of choices if you look at laminates and corian-type solid surfaces.

Perhaps a wood countertop?

What is the aesthetic you are planning?

Your tiles are beautiful and will definitely be the star of the show. Everything else should take a back seat to that IMO. So, depending on your cabinets, you might do best with a solid, soft white (completely agree about the undertones -- be careful). What kind (color) floor do you have? Can you post a pic of the cabinets, or cabinet color?

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions. We really appreciate it. I am going to try and embed an image of our cabinet color with the pewter glaze. We will probably change the type of door style but will stick with the color. We are also replacing our parquet oak flooring with an engineered wood type in a espresso color

Oh, I wish I could take the parquet oak off your hands!