My ancestors came over on the Mayflower, we've been looking for those family heirloom cabinets for centuries!

Tile? You might be able to DIY if you're handy and you can get very inexpensive tile at HD. If you are looking for really easy, a sheet of stainless steel behind the range and beadboard everywhere else.

It seems that with the cabinets and counter you have chosen, the sky is almost the limit with the backsplash, depending on the impact you want it to have. Clean, simple, and classic?...You could use white subways. For classic, but with a little more drama, maybe subways in glass or olive...or other deeper color of your choice. (I keep saying subways, because nice smooth subways are usually consistently sized and of consistent thickness which makes for an easier installation, and since they're relatively large, fewer of them are needed). If you want a backsplash with more pizazz, there are glass mosaics, etc. For very simple, maybe beadboard.

To give you more help you need to help us more...Colors you like or are in the house, the style and feel you're going for, etc.

Maybe start with flooring, which generally has to flow with the rest of the house somehow, then let that narrow your backsplash choices. Also, look at stores, and look at magazines and on-line photos to see what you like. You can start with the Finished Kitchens Blog, which has kitchens, as well as backsplash pictures.

Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Kitchens Blog

Okay here is a little update, I picked the floor and changed the counter top to Wilsonart Bella Noche (high def). here is a picture of the wall color (red) and backsplash color (hearth). The red is a little more red though...I was having a hard time with the flash making the colors off. The others in the picture are the flooring sample and cabinet color/finish. The light color will be the ceiling (off the same swatch as the hearth color).

My dining room vallances are striped they have the red in them and the curtains are the hearth shade...so I think it carries over nicely.

What do you think???

Is that tumbled marble for the backsplash? I would love to see just an accent of glass tile in a reddish tone to tie into the wall color and highlight the reddish variation in the granite. Or even a ceramic accent tile in that color if you feel glass is too contemporary. What material hardware did you choose?