I would go with B, because I am a chicken and that seems more neutral. The orange is lovely, but scares me.

I would choose B. I think it goes well with the wall and cabinet colors.

Hmmmmm I think there are too many areas that draw the eye to it. You need one that stands out, either counter top OR backsplash and both of these look confusing to the eye in the tiny picture, I think the whole span of it would be too much.
If I were to use the first one, I'd keep the orange counters and the travertine above it but replace the upper part with a more neutral unlined color from the backsplash so the counter is the star.
If I were to use the second one I'd do a solid travertine countertop and use the the travertine backsplash and pencil line and find a solid color like the pencil line for above it. A muted gray blue would look great above the backsplash in the second picture.

I like #2. Loving the blue glass pencil. With the grout a soft neutral it won't seem as busy as the pic.I would suggest using larger slabs of trav for the countertops, like 24"x24", with the smaller tiles or counter rail for edge.

Definitely B, my eye was drawn to that 1st. The peach is something I would tire of too quickly. I also agree that more of a solid travertine countertop would look nice.

I go with B as well...

I know you know stone better than I .
How will the travertine counters hold-up
especially next to a laundry room utility sink ?

Guess I'm the odd ball, I love A!

Another vote for A.....from what I remember of your house, it seems A has the same feel. Not a fan of B, just my opinion, but too busy and not as bold and strong of look.

I like the color....

I'm sorry, but I don't like either choice...too many colors and too many competing grout lines. However, you should trust your judgement because you are seeing the choices in your actual room which is always different than looking at samples on a monitor.

Too many patterns in both choices, imo. Plus I think the thin blue pencil line will get lost in all of the busyness, and really doesn't make any sense with the rest of the tile of either choice.

I would prefer to see a solid countertop, the brick pattern for the backsplash, then the blue glass pencil, and then the diagonal tile above, but in the scabos, not the peach.

In addition, I would want to see some blue glass here and there among the diagonal tiles, perhaps 4 smaller blue glass tiles set to make up for one scabos diagonal tile.

A. I love peachy tones and I find colorful laundry rooms invigorating and fun!

Sorry, but I don't like either combo. The blue does not belong in either setup.
If these are the only choices, I'd do the simple peach trav on the diagonal with the plain peach counter or the same counter tile in B as the bs too. Skip the embellishments.

Sorry, don't mean to offend but i agree that there is a lot of pattern and busyness going on there but it's yours to live with at the end of the day
I prefer a simpler,calmer look

One thing I learned about tile when shopping is that those boards made up are beautiful and small works of art in of themselves. It's quite another thing having a whole splash done up in it all. As much as I hate to say it less is more in these backsplash arrangements. I fell in love with the artwork of tile on a sample board installed it and after some years tore it out. I ended up putting a neutral 6x6 on the diagonal with an accent tile of same color every so many tiles and love it to death. It was still an exquisite handmade tile with lots of detail in the accent tiles but it was all of the same color and much fewer of the accents. I did the same over the cooktop in some quilted tiles of the same color and lots of border pieces of the same tile family. It had all sorts of accent pieces with it I wanted to use them all but ended up using some of them but not all. It all blends together now. Before the tile was asking for way too much attention, was too colorful and looked too done up. It was making me crazy. Your mileage may vary. Good luck!

Sorry, but I don't care for either of them. Both are very busy and my eye doesn't know where to look. Either your granite OR the backsplash should be the focal, not both. But, I'm more prone to neutrals since they tend to stay in style longer, and other colors can be incorporated through accessories.

Sometimes less is more, I think. I love the colors you've chosen in #2, but I believe it will look best if you go with a solid style counter and only one type of backsplash pattern.

Have to totally agree with Les on all points.
The pencil line appears too light and small compared to the stone and I would use something with more substance in it's place in the second option.

DIL used a scabos pattern and I can vouch that it's a very busy pattern. If anything else were put with it, other than edging and trim, I think you may tire of it over time.

of the 2 i like b. better...i don't care for the peach travertine with any of the other elements. but i also don't like the countertop of b. particularly--would choose a solid counter with either of the backsplashes (rather than tile).

Thanks everyone for your responses. I should've taken a picture of the real stuff from the beginning. Here it is:

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I think the peach travertine (on the right) is much warmer and not as orange in RL. However, I'm leaning towards the scabos but on the diagonal (the top tiles).

I guess I should have said from the beginning - I'm not really into "safe" decorating. I love mixing really bold statement pieces with neutrals. To me, the room, including the green cabinets, are neutral and I want the backsplash to be more interesting. Doesn't sound like the pencil is winning very many votes. What other type of liner to use? The above pic has some plain travertine pencils on the left. Maybe one of those?

For some background, below is a link to my house.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kelly's House

I am glad you posted the pixs of your lovely home, I remembered it but from the responses, it seemed most did not have that reference. That said, I like the pencil liner, especially with the w/d color......

We built around the same time and our houses are more similiar than many on this site. We have some of the same or very similiar decor items (the black hammered PB metal pots/urns above your TV area, the dark breakfast room chairs, the same w/d, and the small tile in your hood if very similar to some of our pool tile.

Hope you post a picture of it when its finished!

I think that the strong pattern of the granite and the strong design of the backsplash with multiple types of travertine diminish each other and in effect are going to start cancelling each other out.

I think you could do something colorful and bold, but in my opinion this isn't it. To make a fashion analogy, it would be like a woman dressed in animal print from head to toe. The pattern of the granite and the natural texture of the travertine are too similar in scale. Why not a random checkerboard in the colors that you like?

These are just kinda random colors but something like this would be bold without being similar to the granite.

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I like the colors on the right better, but done in a more simple pattern.

I realized after I posted that the granite is not part of the mix but my feeling is still the same: too many different elements with similar characteristics.

Well, after looking at your pictures, it seems like you have a pretty good sense of what you like and pull it together. I'm sure you will pick out what works best in your home. I noticed you seem to use a lot of warm tones. Good luck:)

I'm wondering how a sample of this would look with your cabinets:

(Green onyx with a rusty mineral mix, from a source called Oracle on ebay.)
Another question: How do you use your laundry room. I thought mine would just be for laundry. However, DH turned it into a bit of a hobby/craft/project room, and I now regret having tile counter tops because of the mystery products that he has gotten on the grout. If this is a consideration, you may want a counter top that does not require grout, e.g., honed stone slab or the like.