The color of your granite goes wel with the tile. I like simple and vote for the subway tiles with the diamond border.

Subway tile with diamond border looks good.

subway with diamond. Will the diamond be the same tile as the subway? I like that look.

I like the glass tiles idea, but I would do three rows, and no liner. The one above it is also nice.

I like the diamond pattern with the long tiles. It won't be dated in ten years and it's clever. Lots of work to install the cut pieces, but it might become the most distinctive and endearing part of your kitchen.

Thanks for the demo that shows how effective this mock-up technique can be!

Thanks for the comments everyone. Interesting that the majority like the diamond border and not many care for the first two with the stove accent.

For those that asked this is the diamond border I was thinking of, actually one of these two. So same type of tile but probably a different color as I was thinking a lighter/ivory colored travertine maybe? I have a sample I should take a picture.

eastbaymom, I was also thinking about this glass idea but didn't draw it up.
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Florantha, I was originally going to sketch out some designs on graph paper but then though why not do it right on the wall. I had the paper laying around, I use it when I paint to tape off the floors and such from splatter, that way I don't have to worry about the drop cloth getting to close to my work.

Now only if I had colored markers... hrmmm

Here is the tile I was thinking about. IIRC it was called Ivory marble from Home Depot. It's not tumbled so it's smooth and polished on top. I'm not sure if it's the right color, I'm terrible at picking things like that.

I can't see your pictures.... :-(

I think you may be putting too much in the space having both the framed area and a border. I personally think the 2nd choice will eventually date itself. My sister has the same design and although it looks very nice she already feels like she dated it. The first choice with the bigger diamond seems a better choice to me out of the first two, although I don't think I'd do the border on the bottom. I think it will add to making the space look small. I would then center the framed area. I like the bottom two but again you don't want to make the space appear smaller. I think the subway is a good choice because it will elongate the area. Try looking at it with or without the bordered area to see the difference.

I would like to see what plain ole running bond subway tile looks like with no accent, just for completeness.

I like #2 design.

eastbaymom: I think I botched the URLs. Here are the direct link to the photos above:

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nursetammi, I was wondering the same thing if I was putting too much in one area. This is where I got the idea from #1 and #2.

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I also don't want it to look dated but do want to be a little different so why I tried the 3x12 longer tiles. I do agree any framed area would need to be centered, I was just freehanding so the sketches aren't perfect.

palimpsest, coming up!

Those two kitchen pics you posted are really nice. Isn't it amazing how nice your kitchen looks just by going from white to stainless and not having the top of your range there anymore. I'll be interested to see what everyone else chimes in with. I put a framed bronze plaque above my stove because I didn't want it to be too busy and wanted to appreciate the tiles in the backsplash. I went with the Stabos subway and wanted to make sure I didn't detract from it's beauty. I also wanted to make it me and I loved the plaque. It has an old world feel to it which is me. So what are you? I know its such a hard decision but you have to go with your gut and what you like because you will be the one looking at it everyday. The glass with the bigger square of it in the middle is really pretty. That would also look great in a bathroom. Let's see what everyone else says. Marybeth just posted her picture in another post and she did a mosaic along the bottom which looks really pretty too. I know she'll chime in.

Those links are taking me to an evernote page, and saying access denied....

eastbaymom: I don't know. :( It's a shared notebook and is supposed to be viewable by anyone. I can move them to my other album but I'd hate to keep posting the same photos in this thread.

As requested here is the plain subway:

And for good measure plain 3x12:

nursetammi: thanks for the compliments. It was a big change with the appliances and cabinet hardware. All of a sudden the kitchen didn't look so bad.

Oh to answer your question nursetammi, I don't know what I am. LOL
I saw you photos in the other thread and your backsplash is great looking! I like the piece over the stove, simple yet decorative and you aren't staring and a huge wall of just tile. The subtle diamond accents are a nice touch as well.

I'd love to have a kitchen like that someday.

Trying to stay with the subway/running bond theme but trying to be different.

I'm not sure if this pattern has a name but I'm calling it a running bond with alternating tiles. The pattern is using 3x6 and 3x12 tiles alternating.

And then to mix it up a bit, I thought maybe I could transition into just 3x6 tiles over the stove. It would be a subtle change and not as bold as a framed out section. I could also do a transition like this with a field of just 3x12 tiles as well.

I like the 3x12s with the diamond accent border, 2nd choice is just the 3x12s. I think the accent area over the stove in choices 1 & 2 looks too busy. Just my thoughts!

I like that last one, with the transition from running bond with alternating tiles to the 3x6 only tiles behind the range. Subtle and classy.

Thanks for the opinions... I think I'm close still have a couple of other ideas going through my head I'd like to draw out.

Snowjay,

Having a backsplash that makes a statement will make all of the difference in your kitchen facelift--the appliances and countertops look great--check out our website for "readymade" kitchen design ideas Design in a Bag.com for galleries and ideas. There are plenty of alternative tile resources available for Home Depot type prices which will make a big statement and tie all of your improvements together.

Good Luck!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Design in a Bag

Thanks for the link, a lot of nice combos on that site.

I went to the tile store today and looked at hundreds of tiles and patterns.

One of the women working there helped me out and thought something like this would be nice instead of a standard running bond, a similar look but a more modern take on it. Something like this could stand on it's own with no borders or anything. I actually like the idea and style.

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She also thinks trying to do a framed area above the stove is probably too much for the space (if I went with a standard 3x6 or x12), it's not like I have a huge opening to fill.

I took home about 6 sample tile colors to first pick something that goes. I also took some photos inside the store of some other designs I'll try to post later.

Everything is a matter of taste. But imo, the tiles have a modern feel to them while your kitchen feels more tradtional to me. The color could probably work with your cabinets and granite.

Before I saw that tile in person I thought it was more modern, but it didn't seem like that in person in the natural stone. But it's just one of my options right now, I need to decide color first.

Here is a photo of my 5 choices I liked and thought would go well...

Left to right: Ivory, Choc Walnut (tumbled), Seagrass Limestone, Emperadore, Berkshire Beige

The limestone is neat because it has fossils in it, although there isn't too much green in my countertop. The Berkshire Beige has some red/brown veins in it which might bring out some of the garnet color in the granite.

My vote for materials is the B Beige. It will bring out the granite. I think the marble emparador will be way too busy with the granite. Can you find a 3 by 3 metal accent or icon to put every so often in the subway 3 by 6's? I would turn it diagonal also. It would look good and you could do bigger accents say 6 by 6 is behind range? Just a thought but the 2nd picture above was my vote(though I thought it was not quite rightly centered from top to bottom.-some of the tile was cut above and not below evenly.
good luck- Love the faucet!

I like the layout of option #2 of your first set of pictures and the Berkshire Beige.

Wow you did a great job...the stainless makes your kitchen look bigger too. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

snowjay, can you tell me the brand and model of your slide-n cooking range? I want to upgrade my 14 year old GE electric smooth top range when I redo my kitchen. I like the look of your range. Can you also share the price and where you purchased it from?

Thanks in advance!

Sure thing!

It's a GE Profile range model JS968SKSS. It's about 20 months old and they don't make that model any more. IIRC retail on it was $1800 but believe it or not I bought it used off of Craigslist for $950 from a couple that was remodeling and converting to gas. It's in near new condition and was a great steal. I even had a professional mover pick it up for me and deliver it for $100.

The new model is PS968SPSS with a retail of $2200.There is also the PS905SPSS which looks the same but has some different/less features for $1800.

Had I not found the used oven I probably would of bought a Frigidaire Galley model FGES3065KF for $1600 at Lowe's. It looks very similar to the GE models and has all the same features (both are also convection) as the more expensive one if I remember except for the bridge burner. The Frigidaire also has a neat rack system.

There is a huge price markup for ranges with front controls. A comparable Frigidaire (or even GE) range but with rear controls was about half price so I was having a hard time justifying the cost (I really hate rear controls and reaching over hot/boiling pots) so finding the used GE range made it a no brainer decision for me. I've only had it for a couple of months now and it's been great. The burners heat up FAST and the glass top is so easy to clean. The only downside is that the black top shows dust really easy.

Good luck let me know you decide!