this is the first time i've offered an opinion on GW! i found this page with several different backsplashes for a kitchen that looks like what you discribe. the first one is an example of a marble herringbone and it looks fantastic. not too busy at all to me. i think it's perfect for you. a step away from the subway tile in the bath but still all ties together. my personal favorite is the third one down, but it doesn't look like the sort of backsplash you want, more like what i want.

Here is a link that might be useful: marble mosaic tile

@kaylarus honored to receive your first opinion on GW! Oh my gosh... The backsplashes in that link are stunning and that herringbone one may have just sealed the deal for me. So beautiful. The third one in gorgeous too! So different, I've never seen anything like it. Thank you so much for your response I really appreciate the input, I have been so indecisive about this!

Great first post kaylarus! Lovely inspiration pics.
Christina222 just posted a reveal that combined Iceberg quartzite & marble. Her's turned out beautifully.
I have Danby marble & had planned on a marble backsplash but could never find a white marble that was just the right white. Since marble is a natural stone, the sample often was not the same as what was currently available.
I was planning on a larger format subway tile. A herringbone or mosaic may not need to be the perfect color.
Once you get your cabinets & counters in place, please share your samples.

I think you have to take care when combining two strong patterns like a herringbone and a Super White.

All of the examples that @kaylarus linked were all in a similar Carrara and used a small to mid sized pattern to contrast versus a relatively low figured marble slab. Like @Romy noted, getting the whites to play nicely together can be challenging. In your case, you are also dealing with a lot of grey patterns in the super white as well. You might want to experiment first with the smaller herringbone patterns in a relatively low "figured" marble. The larger patterns (way 2x8 and above) might be a lot for your space to handle. But, you'll need to of course do mockup boards with the actual cabinet and countertops installed.

I also considered doing the same (Super White and Carrara), btw.

This post was edited by gooster on Wed, Jun 25, 14 at 22:21

@romy718 such a good point that I did not think of! I think it would drive me mad if the whites didn't match well. I will have to wait until my countertops are installed and upload pics of my samples.

@gooster mock up boards are a genius idea! Will post pics once I have the samples. Also keep me posted on your kitchen since you are planning to so the same combo. Never thought I'd be so consumed in choosing a back splash but I must say the super white makes everything a little tricky because it isn't marble and it's hard to find what will compliment it. That's why I figured picking a gray in the stone with a gray subway tile would work well but I feel like it will look a little boring.

@romy718 ps.. Just checked out @christina222's kitchen and I fell in love with her countertop! In a my research I don't know how I never came across that option... And with that back splash ? So pretty !

@Gidge816: I mistyped. I meant past tense. For my last kitchen redo (last year), I considered that combination but I was unhappy with the softness and etching and with the (fake) Super White I was able to find. I went with a quartz in a contrasting deeper tone and used marble on the BS, raised shelf and a banquette. (I'm on another kitchen right now). I love the herringbone pattern, btw, but I went with a standard brick subway.

@gooster ohh what you chose sounds beautiful! I am already starting to regret choosing super white. From what I hear it etches almost as much as marble, may As well have gone with marble that was the look I was going for and now I am facing problems like "matching my whites". Must say it's a little maddening! I'll save that rant for a super white thread though ðÂÂÂ. Thank you for your input !

Gidge-your slab is stunning. You'll have lots of beautiful options for your backsplash.

smalloldhouse - Thanks for the shoutout. LOVE the way your kitchen and BS turned out. Especially love your cabinet color. Looks awesome! Congrats.

@romy718 Thank you! I am looking forward to seeing it installed this week!

@smalloldhouse Your kitchen looks INCREDIBLE! Would you mind sharing more photos? The cabinet color and the backsplash have me swooning. I have serious kitchen envy right now! Thank you so much for your links and references..I checked out @enduring's and @sonny_h's kitchen and absolutely fell in love with the idea of a larger scale herringbone- my boyfriend on the other hand is anti-herringbone and thinks it will be too busy so this may take some convincing on his end. Perhaps if it's on a larger scale like theirs it wouldn't look so busy?

@sonny_h I am in love with your kitchen and backsplash..it's perfect! Need to use all this photos to support my case.

Thank you all for your input and expertise!

Gidge - if your slab is really super white quartzite and not misnamed then it will not etch at all. Did you get a sample and test it? There's a lot of marble out there that's labelled quartzite but true quartzite doesn't etch.

Gidge816 - I think its all about balance. You can have a busier backsplash if your cabinets/counters are fairly uniform. In my case, I wanted to bring in a natural element, because my counters (Raven Quartz) don't have a lot of movement and cabinets are solid white. The Herringbone provides an interesting break from the straight lines of the cabinets, pulls, horizontal surfaces.

Since your counters have a lot of movement, you may also want to consider a solid color tile (either white, or glass), but bring interest by using a non-standard tile dimension (instead of the standard 2x4 profile, use a longer tile - I used a 2x8 tile), and a non-standard pattern (like Herringbone).

Here's another picture of my backsplash against the counters.

Good luck with your decision!

As an example, heres a picture on houzz for a solid color herringbone which adds visual interest in my view.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/island-park-kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-ottawa-phvw-vp~7376795-Park---Kitchen-contemporary-kitchen-ottawa

Here is a link that might be useful: More Kitchen Pictures.