Maybe you could take a photo of the tiles for the various backsplash scenarios and blow up the photos to the size of the actual backsplash. Then tape up the photos and try them out in the actual space.

One option: use color for the centerpiece of the backsplash surrounded by cream tiles. I personally love cream and white kitchens.

BTW, I love your cabinets. I wish the former owners of my 1957 ranch had kept the original cabinets instead of replacing them with 1990s oak veneer ones...

When I saw your mid-century vibe I thought of the tiles in the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mission Tile West

Pictures of tiles mentioned

{{!gwi}}

I would look for a MCM tile backsplash. Maybe also just color behind the range and white for the rest.

" Are framed tiles dated? "

That made me chuckle. They are probably too modern for your vintage kitchen.

I would do one tile throughout. It doesn't look like you have much area to tile, so maybe you could get away with a more colorful or patterned tile, but these don't feel like they are appropriate for the simplicity and time period of the cabinets. What is your counter going to be?

This might be a good question for Home Decor since some really know period styles. Some are big into MCM too.

cawaps: thanks for the link - I hadn't seen that tile company before!

nosoccermom: thanks for posting the photos! I can't decide between a Midcentury feel (it's not a MCM b/c it's not modern) and a vintage french feel. I do actually like the lanterns though - probably more than most options I've seen. Can I call it MC mediterranean? LOL

may_flowers: chuckle on! it's all about perspective, huh? now that I think about it I can see how you have the opposite view. counter is staying the same - crazy as it is, I like the white vintage laminate. I'm not totally in love with the butcher block b/c my cast iron stains it, but I'm learning to live with it and maintain it. On the range side the back splash is 30" above the range and 23" tall elsewhere. On the sink side it's only 14" tall.

Here's a pic with cream cabinets & white tiles.

Tabarka makes beautiful vintage tiles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tabarka Studio

What are you going to do above the range? A hood?

Some random possibilities

{{!gwi}}

Another idea: white tile with a border

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchens

romy: Tabarka tiles are gorgeous. They say on their spec sheet they aren't ideal for behind a range without protection (which we won't have). I wonder it that's a terra cotta feature - I'll check with Ann Sacks which carries Tabarka and are here locally.

nosoccerrmom: do you know where the 3rd photo is from? I love the red and blue - it might tie in nicely with the art (one pic attached). We are putting in a under cabinet retro vent-a-hood - it will be stainless steel (http://www.ventahood.com/hoodmodels.jsp?id=62) (I need to learn how to attach more than one photo!). We will have more backsplash once we do this since some of the cabinetry will come down. There will be ~30" between range and hood.

We are leaning toward some sort of small patterned tiles with blue and offwhite thinking encaustic or cement, probably 6x6. The 8x8 is awfully large for our 14" sink side backsplash. I found Original Mission Tile which has a nice selection and you can customer order color. They are located in Mexico though and I'm not sure about customer service.

I'm beginning to think we should not rush it and maybe even wait until the range is in before we decide. Anyway, I don't think I appreciated how much of a process this is! My mom is also doing a kitchen refresh and she is having just as much trouble deciding on a backsplash.

Yes, see below. Linked from a "Parisian kitchen" but turns out that they are Turkish tiles :)

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen

Can't offer any help, but man, all those tiles are gorgeous!