I like the look of the travertine tile but think there is too much variation in color on the tiles. What are they? I know ther is many colors of rock but these look a little too varied in color. If you could incorporate a darker liner in the travertine to tie in the dark countertop perhaps it will help. I would make sure it is right before you start! You don't have to have our/GW approval, just your own assurance it is what you want!

Thank you so much for all your feedback and for the photos.

Ellendi and rookie, I love the green; I think it would probably look better than what I've shown you with the trav. But several things make me steer away from green: Our kitchen, dining, and LR are virtually one big room, and the LR and DR are a sagey green. I couldn't find a natural stone tile that looked green to me; there were grays, but they looked blue and weren't warm. I know I want a natural stone; I've tried all kinds of ceramic tiles up there and, although I have seen photos of your gorgeous kitchens with many finishes that aren't natural stone, I'm just a nut for stuff that's millions of years old and which has gone through the fire, so to speak. I should have been a geologist I guess.

DH does not like subway tile or even 2x4 shape, he thinks it makes the kitchen look too "industrial". I rather like the contrast of earthy with the shinier granite; when I put glossy-finish tile up there it was too much shining going on for me. I love the variation in slate but after hearing from you guys I could see the granite and slate together were way too busy.

This is Vino Gold by Emser, peytonroad.

I'm hoping that new paint may pull it all together, rookie.

I am going to tape a board full of tiles as you suggest, nursetammi, and take a photo of that. There are pieces which have a lot of gray in them, but I'm not sure that will look at all green if I use them.

Thank you again, everyone. I'll post some new photos tomorrow and will be eager to hear what you think.

When I was making all of the zillions of choices necessary when doing our full kitchen renovation, it was so helpful to bounce questions/ideas off everyone on GW. If after debating a decision I still wasn't swayed by other people's input, then I knew my choice was sound and well thought out and the right one for me. It sounds like you really love the travertine for a few different reasons, and can't be swayed. This whole process just affirms your choice. Don' you just love Garden Web! I look forward to seeing what a board full looks like tomorrow.

It is hard to tell form the photo, but maybe the tiles with the gray will connect more with the counters. I am glad you are considering them and will see if it works.

It sounds like you probably did tons of research on slate tiles with some green. Here are some cute small mosaics I saw (not subway so your husband might like.)

"Green Slate" - http://www.mosaictiledepot.com/2x2-China-Sea-Green-Tumbled-Slate/M/B002ARGJWE.htm?traffic_src=froogle&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=froogle

But it doesn't pick up the warmth of the cabinets.

This one has the gray, green and warm, but again small mosaics, but the colors look like they would compliment your kitchen. Probably the dark problem you are already struggling with.
http://www.mosaictiledepot.com/1x1-Golden-White-Tumbled-Quartzite-Mosaic/M/B002ARC77A.htm

Good luck.

With the travertine tiles, you could mix in some darker ones to pick up more of the color of the countertop....like in this photo below:

And of course this one I always think is beautiful...isn't this the fire and ice?

{{!gwi}}
Photo is from this site

I love the Travertine Tiles and think they look great.

judydel, I'm not that confident, frankly. I think what I have will probably look all right, and it's better than the dark slate from the light-and-bright-kitchen-I-want standpoint, but I do think it would be better if I could tie in the counter color somehow. It's that the travertine does solve some of the problems. I brought home so many different slates from the nearest medium-sized city. I'm pretty sure the gray in this trav is not going to look green either. I'm going to spend time online tomorrow looking for accent tiles in green, although I tried mixing trav and slate in one mix I brought home and it didn't look right.

And, sparklekitty, you're right, the China Green I brought home looked too dark and gray instead of green, and the Golden White quartzite I thought was going to be perfect looked blue and not green at all.

By the way, I forgot to take in my hummingbird feeder tonight and just heard a clatter outside this window. DH ran out and brought in the remains of it. If we got a photo of a bear on our stealth cam I'll post that too. I forgot once before a month ago and we did have a yearling cub here. Not good, and my fault. Just realized I could post a photo of the cub, so here it is. The vertical line in the middle is the post supporting our deck, with stairs and the patio below.

Here are my "tile boards". The trav will be filled with linen grout, an off-white, so it will be smoother than shown now. I can't say I think this is perfect but, given my wanting natural stone and DH's aversion to subway tile I'm afraid this may be the best I can do. Do you think it's at least okay, or no? I'm also not sure I want it in a diamond pattern; what do you think? I thought I didn't like squares, but I'd like advice diamonds or squares if you think the tile itself works. I can't find a listello that's the right colors and narrow enough, given my constraints with measurements between outlets and cabs. I do have my antique Chinese cooking pot and my stoneware that has some of the countertop colors and tile colors in it that might provide a visual link. Unfortunately, the tile in this light looks black or gray and black, but it's light and dark green. We took the tile boards apart already too. The last photo is a better one of the granit, although it's from the island, where thereh is much more movement than on the countertops.

I only paid $118 for 40 feet of this; I could start over, but I'm not confident I can find a better natural stone.

I'll really appreciate hearing what you think, everyone, and thanks for your wonderful help so far.

I have been following your threads over this for awhile but never felt that I could offer an opinion. But today is a new day!

I prefer the square pattern on the left. I think this can work for you as I see some gray tones in the tiles that are complimenting your granite. I think they go really well with your cabinets. Good luck susan!

KA:)

I don't know...there's something about it that bothers me. not sure what it is tho. how about putting a darker row at the bottom to transition from the granite?

I also found these - even tho I really don't like smaller tiles. more grout you know ...

more green -

{{!gwi}}

http://www.mosaictiledepot.com/1x1-Light-Green-Onyx-Tumbled-Mosaic/M/B001F8R5Y0.htm

this one is darker - but I don't think it'd look as dark as your first tiles did.

some charcoal looking ones to pick up the granite and some brownish ones to pick up the cabs -

{{!gwi}}

http://www.mosaictiledepot.com/2x2-Indian-Autumn-Tumbled-Slate-Mosaic/M/B002ARA6QE.htm

kitchenaddict, thank you. I think too that they go with the cabs. I saw that I missed putting a closeup of the diamonds in the photos, so here's one. It's all the same stone, Vino Gold trav from Emser.

desertsteph, the Indian autumn slate was one I already brought home. It's mostly dark gray, at least the box I had, and wasn't enough of an improvement over the slate I already have to make the change. I'm not sure about mixing slate and trav, either; something didn't look right.

Anyway, here's the closeup of the same stone arranged in diamonds. Thank you very much for helping. I'm in a real quandary.

Did you by any chance show your husband the fire and ice? I have never seen it in person or with oak color cabinets but every picture of it looks so pretty. It seems to me that it would blend both your granite and the cabinets. It would bring in a little shiny look and earthy look as well as bring in some colors of your granite. Of course I'd have to see a picture with your cabs and granite to be sure. I am definitely a picture girl.I just asked my DH if he liked it and he said yes, then showed him your pic with both the squares and the diagonal and he said definitely preferred the square look with your kitchen. I also like Monkeymo's first pic also. Putting in the accent pieces takes your eye away from the movement of the diagonal and if you could find pieces to bring in your granite color that would be nice too, kind of like doing your own fire and ice :). I used Scabos in my kitchen but if I had seen what fire and ice looked like I'd have a big decision on my hands.
Maybe you need to sit your DH down and look at some pics. Sometimes I think the guys offer their opinions not knowing what's really out there. He might change his mind after looking at some of those gorgeous kitchens on the finished kitchen site or the backsplash site. He needs to get TKO like the rest of us :)

nursetammi, I got really excited there for a minute. I love the fire and ice, but DH, who has looked at the finished kitchens blog with me and has gone to more than one tile store, also has said he doesn't like glass squares. But when I told him just now I thought we ought to consider little glass squares scattered in the backsplash he said he was WAY beyond caring, so I thought maybe I could find a way to do that that he'd like also; maybe even little pieces of my countertop granite. The guy never cooks a thing, but our kitchen is so open to the rest of the house he really has to at least tolerate what I put in there.

But then I realized that there would surely be a problem with filling in the trav with grout and having glass also; how would one avoid making a mess of the glass? I'm just about ready to give up the whole thing and keep the dark backsplash we have.

BTW, what is TKO the acronym for? I only know "technical knockout". Maybe that's me, just knocked out with all these questions. I'm going to post on a tile forum and ask how we'd do little 1x1's in glass with a trav BS, but I bet it won't work. BIL would have to make all those extra cuts too which I have no idea if he has the skill for. And I don't think I'd like the trav in 4x4 squares and then occasional 4x4 glass in green. Maybe a listello made up of two rows of 1x1 green glass a row away from the bottom. Good grief. Do I sound like I'm spinning in circles? I feel like I am.

Tile forum person says my BIL can grout right over the glass and it will wipe right off. Now I'm going to go to the Big City again to look for green glass (I guess). Thank heavens I'm not doing the whole house over, I'd be really crazy. Thank you so much, everyone, for all the help you've been and tried to be despite my jumping around on this decision.

How about a ming green marble or a jade green marble? You could use a sealer with enhancer, which makes the marble stay shiny looking to match the sheen on your granite if you wanted to. I think it would be neutral enough to go with whatever greens you have in the DR and LR. After all, no matchy matchy these days.

Ming Green

Jade Green

TKO totally kitchen obsessed.
I have a 12 inch strip of glass mixed with other tiles in my master bath and he is right, it wipes right off. I had really good luck going to tile places with a piece of my cabinets and my granite and listened to everyone's ideas. You may get some good ideas that way. I know we drive our husband's crazy but it is well worth taking the time to get it right. I know some of them do really have a sense of decorating but most do not really care once it is all done. I always say and I am really only kidding "If they are not Gay, they don't have a Say". I lived in my previous house for 10 years. Had a lot of wall paper back then, that I put up myself over the years. I had a book with all my decorating in it with pieces of all the wall paper, paint swatches and fabrics that I used. One day, after we moved, I pulled it out and asked each of my son's (now 26 and 24) and my husband if they remembered what rooms these wallpapers were in. They could not remember anything. It was as if they never lived there. It was quite comical. I tell you this because I think guys render their opinions but we as females are so much more aware of where we live and what it looks like. I know there are exceptions to this and I don't mean to say men shouldn't get their say but I think it's really important for you to be happy. My husband and I did our kitchen together but when it came down to the finer details he was not the one on Garden Web all hours of the night and in the kitchen hardware books over and over again, and going back to the granite places 100 times to make sure I was making the right decision, and stressing over the backsplash, like you are doing right now ... anyway I hope you get what I am trying to say.

I'm not a big fan of glass either, it's a little cold for my taste, it has to be the right color and size, but I love that fire and ice, at least in the pics that I have seen. It may be very expensive though. The reason I love my bathroom tile is because it is mixed with stone, like the fire and ice appears to be.
I hope I am not rambling, I just wanted to give you the confidence to keep looking until you are confident that you will BOTH like it. I drove my husband crazy (just about where yours is at now) that he finally said that anything that made me happy made him happy. That's exactly where you want them :)

nursetammi, right you are. Loved your last lines. I guess he's cooked.

I'm not going to do the fire and ice (which I think is gorgeous), I've gotten this far and think I'll just see if I can get a little green mixed in with the trav somehow, whether it's glass or the slate and marble that you show, judydel. I'll go to the tile places again this week and see what happens next.

Thank you, all you TKO friends.

Sorry, but I am with rookie in not loving the trav with your counters. They do not complement each other well at all.

I would rather keep what you have than switch to the trav tiles.
I think you need to keep looking. Maybe take a break and come back to it....

Do you have a Tile Shop near you? Take your granite in and they have tons of choices. I found this for a friend recently who had a gray/green granite, and she loved it for her backsplash.... but it really helped to have the granite with us when we shopped.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mosaic from Tile Shop

We can't keep what we have -- it's already in the demo stage. I did take the granite in with me (a very small piece) and this is the best I could do in natural stone. I'm hoping the trav will look less rustic since it will be filled in. Anyone know, is that true, filled is less rough and rustic?

I didn't like the trav in your first picture, but in your latest pictures it looks like some of the tiles have colors that relate to the granite. The travertine certainly goes with the cabinets. Can you do a sample with color enhancing sealer on the travertine? That might take away the "chalky" look of the trav that doesn't seem to go with the granite. On the other hand, it might make it too busy. You never know until you try! If you get extra tiles then you can select out the tiles that are too white. Travertine is relatively cheap.

I did Uba Tuba with travertine and used a liner of the granite as a transitional piece. I really liked the play of textures, personally.

You should go to a remodeling place and ask for expert help. I work with people all the time on their backplashes, but I have to see the space. Nothing shows up right on the computer, and even tiles that look good in the store take on a whole different look in your own kitchen, based on the light and the play of other colors off of it. Go to a Florida Tile or DalTile or someplace that has really good mock up boards of backsplashes... even Florida Tile has different colors of travertine, and there's also limestone or tumbled marble that has that same natural stone look.

Also ask to see the color difference if the stone is sealed vs. sealed/enhanced. Natural stone takes on a totally different color sometimes with the enhancer than with just a sealer. All of that makes a difference. Lots of options, lots of questions to ask... don't settle. There's more than one natural stone solution to your dilemma. I work for a remodeler and I have gone out more than once to the client before assuming something will work based on what she's telling me... let a "professional" (i.e. another set of eyes that may know something to help but they should listen to what you want) go to your house. I'm not an expert by any means, but I would think that having to talk yourself into something can't be the best solution. There are TONS of tiles out there.

"Maybe take a break and come back to it...."

I agree with this. take a break for a few weeks. it's all going in a circle for you. when that happens to me I set 'whatever' aside for a time and then come back to it. By then the solution is usually a lot more clear.

I love the travertine tiles, SOOOO much nicer than that dark slate!!!

I think you're heading in the right direction. ;) The trav certainly lights up the space, especially compared to the slate. Matte backsplash and polished granite can work well together. And it looks like the trav goes well with your flooring too.

It's hard to tell on a computer screen whether the trav is too variable in color and will be too busy with your granite, but if you love stone and that's the best you've found, go with it. I doubt you'd be happy with glossy ceramic tile if you love stone. I absolutely love the look of natural stone too, and I work with pottery. ;P

*If* you're trying to avoid the overly busy look in your kitchen, be aware that adding accent tiles *will* make it busier than otherwise, even if the accent tiles are the same as your granite, it just breaks up the space for your eye and calls attention to itself. Which may be what you want, but you did make a comment about wanting a less busy space where the eye can rest.

As for diamonds versus squares, the squares are calmer, more peaceful with the lines echoing the granite surface and cabinet underside (and the horizon for that matter); the diagonal lines in the diamonds are more dynamic and lively. With a fairly busy wood on your cabs and an active, multicolored granite, you might want the more calming option of horizontal lines.

OH, and if I had bear cubs outside my window, I don't think I'd be offering the hummingbirds a feeder at all. =80

Yikes!

Hi again, everybody. I went to the city again today (too early to see your post about having a professional come in, st_judys_comet, and found what I think will work. I also didn't see your post about a stripe matching the granite, trixie, but was thinking of that myself. So here's what I brought home, pasted up with the trav.

The one with the single line of green would make a stripe something like trixie shows; it has the virtue of matching the granite pretty exactly.

The other one does make the look busier. It has green that comes close to matching the light green in the granite; not quite. It has trav in it that matches the trav I've picked exactly. DH prefers this one, although he pantomimed hanging himself when I asked him about it again a few minutes ago.

What do you guys think? I believe I can settle on one of these, and I'll do squares, not diagonals.

And thank you again to all of you who have come back over and over again to help me with this kitchen.

Now we're talking! They are both really, really pretty but my favorite is the one on the left with the plain dark green piece. Now your backsplash is relating to the counters and the cabinets! And my favorite thing, the granite hardware :)
I really like the way Trixie's backsplash switches from strait to diagonal above the strip piece. You can't go wrong either way, straight or diagonal.

I think you'll really love this one and even more so when it's grouted. I just had a bathroom done in limestone 4x4s in a similar color as your stone and I almost had a heart attack because all the tiles were different shades. Once they were grouted, the variation turned out really subtle and pretty.

I'm sorry we all gave you such a hard time with this backsplash. I know it's stressful and costly but I think you've got a real winner now! Thank you for letting us help! I can't wait to see the finished result and especially hope that you love it!

Thanks, rookie! My favorite is also the one with the single dark line. DH though says the dark stripe looks "evil". (He does have an imagination.) He likes the lighter one, which I think is a little bland but will be okay. I'm going to show him trish's photos and see if that impresses him favorably; if not, I think either one is a good choice and I'll probably go with what makes him happier.

I looked on the Bellacor website, where I got my granite knobs, to see if they had any in your granite or marble, and didn't find any, but maybe you'll find them somewhere else. They could be a birthday present?? I bet calacatta knobs exist somewhere.

I really like the last picture on the LEFT! All the rest didn't do enough to tie in the beautiful granite. This backsplash compliments BOTH the cabinets and the granite. it is neutral and cohesive. The last picture the backsplash on the LEFT is my choice!

I agree. DH still can't warm up to it. What the photos don't show well is that the edge on the granite happens to have some light green that shows quite a bit and will tie in perhaps with the multicolored glass on the right. The colors in that glass also will go with my antique Chinese cooking pot which usually sits on the counter so there is kind of a gradation of color from the granite to the trav. I still like the darker one better, though. Why couldn't I think to only bring one sample home? All these years of marriage, and still dumb.

Hi Susanka,

I too think I like the one on the LEFT but you definitely have a better view as far as the colors in the granite. I agree with Rookie that it brings your hardware out too. But we don't want anything evil in your kitchen (lol). I think both will look lovely. Can't wait to see the final pics.

The left!!

So I've made the decision, everyone, I'm going to go with the lighter inset. BIL is set to be here July 10th to help DH do the installation. Thank you so much to all of you who spent so much time helping me work through this. I'll post pix when we have the finished kitchen.

I actually like the one on the right, but is it possible to find a little darker glass in that shape? Not as dark as the left but something in between?

I've looked for a darker one but the trav doesn't match ours and there is dark brown glass in it that throws it off. I too think darker would be better.

when you talk about a stripe on the right, you mean just a stripe of the green that's in the horizontal skinny tiles - right? not one multi color running horizontal thru the 4x4 multi color tiles?

will it be that skinny or a bit thicker like the dark on the left?

I think why the one on the left might not be agreeing with your dh is because the way it is setting there it runs into the dark of the tiles you already have put in. when put in there it won't be dark on the sides of the square tiles - just the dark 'band' running horizontally thru them. the dark 'band' will have lighter tiles above and below it all around the BS.

Well, I had DH look at the dark green tiles close up, far away, and at trixie's photo of her narrow stripe, and it's just no sale. I should have brought only that one home, but it's too late for that. It will be the multicolor stripe, but I'm going to order extra 12/12s on mesh so that we can choose stripes that have the most green in them. I know it's multicolor and multicolor, but unless he's had a change of heart when he gets up in two minutes, when I'm going to have him look at them one last time,I'm going to order them this morning. It will be a big move toward the lighter kitchen I want,I think.

They could be out of stock... ;-)

Congrats on reaching a decision - I bet that feels good.

willis, you are very bad. I see I desperately need coaching!

willis - LOL.

susanka - If you look on the web you can find entire meshes of just the slim colored glass tiles. Perhaps you could find some of those with a color you like better and replace individual glass tiles on the 12x12 with a different color. Like this website - They have a large selection of bricks and sticks style glass mosaic.

Could it be that he's objecting to the glossiness of the glass and not the dark color? I ask because from what you've written, it seems he prefers matte over glossy. Perhaps a frosted glass tile might be more to his liking.

I'm not trying to muddy the waters but I figured now is a better time to consider this than after it's installed.

susanka, to me it's not just about the granite and the backsplash, but the grain in the wood cabinets.

There's a lot of movement there. I still think it will be more pleasing to have the backsplash quiet, super quiet, between the cabinet wood grain and the granite grabbing for visual attention.

I like the travertine, but I think it will still compete with the two other major players.

I agree with Karen. I'm really worried : (

If you really want more natural stone in the kitchen . . . what about putting travertine on the floors and then going with a quiet, ceramic backsplash? Or very quiet green marble?

I think you need to look for more photos of what this combination will look like before you jump in. I liked everyone's advice earlier to put it aside and come back to this decision a couple of weeks later. What's the hurry?

monkeymo and others, I guess I was channeling you; I went to town today and found some darker green in the same glass, so will substitute those for the colors I don't want in the trav/glass DH likes.

lisa, everybody's favorite on the left above is actually a matte glass, so that wasn't the problem for DH. It's just hard to walk him back from feeling that it looks "evil", I guess. (He was kidding, of course.)

karenbelle and judydel, don't worry. I think I'll be happier with this than I was with the dark slate.

There is sort of a rush in that we're gone next week, my BIL can only do this July 10th,I'm having major surgery at the end of July and will be out of commission for a while, plus the volunteers I'm CEO of will be busier than heck from end of August to Christmas break and it takes a lot of coordinating and hours on my part. It's do it now or have the kitchen the way it is until next year.

OMG, tearing up the floor? Even I can't visualize doing that. I think this will be an improvement, and I really appreciate the help all of you have given me. I'll post pix after the 10th.

I should say, I bought the farm, so to speak, when I went to town; I actually purchased the stone, which of course is not returnable so that's why I can't really consider anything else now unless this makes me cry when I see it. I have lots of extra trav so am going to pick the quietest tiles we have out of the bunch.

Also, three neighbors I asked to come over this morning picked the one on the right as the best choice without any prompting from me, so that made me feel better about it.

Oops, it didn't translate as matte on my computer (or could it be my eyes?). Still chuckling over the "evil" comment. The crazy things husbands say!

lisa, it's a whole different world they seem to live in, isn't it? Don't know why the tiles came out as shiny, but they're past history now anyway.

just my 2c worth. I do MUCH prefer the one on the right ie the one you have chosen.
i found the very dark line very distracting to the eye. It would be really stand out, and I do not think in a positive way.
By playing around with the extra darker green ones you found I am confident you will have a beautiful backsplash that you will love.
By the way, have you chosen your grout colour? If not make sure to take a few tiles with you
good luck with the surgery

I like the one on the right better, too. The solid dark stripe always seems so dated to me.

muspic and riverspots,thank you. All of you have been very kind.

See you on the 10th!