Natural cherry cabinets are lovely, never boring in my book. If you do a cream back splash that will definitely extend the neutral feel, or you can pick something that has a bit of variation which might energize the feel. I would be concerned that with a simple cream subway, a new paint color might not be enough, depending on what you are looking for. Also, there are subways that have a little more variation in color or finish (crackle, mixed polished & matte, etc.) that might look nice.

I would suggest looking at the finished kitchen blog categorizes at all the cherry kitchens and see what you are drawn to - larger format tiles, smaller mosaics, what type of color variation (from shades of a color to colorful.)

If you used the mosaics the woman suggested (the colors could work) you might want to pick up on the green or other color for the walls. You could also use those tiles or larger format of similar colors, instead of the cream tiles, depending on if it fit your budget.

Good luck

Here is a link that might be useful: Finished Kitchen catagory lookup

Thank you for your reply, Sparklekitty. You make a great point about not using another plain cream tile for the field tile. I tried out using the center tile (in the photo) as the field tile, and I think it could look quite nice. I'm glad to see that I'm on the right track with these colors. I wish I had your flair for knowing what works!
Thanks again,
Rose

I agree that with gorgeous wood grain like that, your kitchen could never be boring. I also love the lines -- and the undercabinet lighting gives you many options, light and dark, for the backsplash.

The blue/gray vase on the peninsula -- is that a color you love?

I'm putting a link below to a tile line that has many different colors, so you can play with different ideas. I especially like the Bombay crackle tile... but you could also go with something like Carmel or Citrus.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sonoma Tilemakers Stellar

You have a calm canvas that now, I think, you could really have some fun and are able to add a lot of pizazz with the backsplash. When you look at the tiles above from a distant, they kind of blend into what you have. If you want calm, serene, etc, those will help (they're pretty and serene is perfectly OK if that's what you'd like), but if you want to add some bling or zip, I think you need something stronger or with more variation. Different or more accessories could be used to add some life, too, if you want to keep the neutral of the permanent things, and be able to change up the colors and personality once in awhile.

Your kitchen looks very nice so far. I agree with previous posters in that your current tile selection is neutral, and you have lots of potential to jazz it up if you want to.

What line are your tile samples? They look like Blazestone out of Seattle... If so, then I know there are some brighter colors in that line. Also, since those are handmade, they will not be totally perfect in shape and that will also give you some design possibilities as their website shows. And this is one of the few lines that comes in circles!

In the meantime, to get an idea of whether or not you want LOTS of color up there, try this... Take pieces of construction paper in the colors that you are thinking of and a few wildcards and tape them up on the wall for a few days to see them thru different lighting levels. Just not near the stove... ;;) It would be a way to find out what looks good to you before investing in a lot of tile.

Have Fun!

Bland kitchen? Where? Where???? I can find it in this post.

Being a sister I must say, no blaming your sister! : )
I have two and I was always the one who let the dog out or
forgot to put the milk away... And I currently live in a
house with three human kids and one fictious kid named
' I didn't do it!'

'I didn't do it' has done more rotten things from spilling
nail polish on the carpet, breaking the dvd player, to jumping on the bed...

Oh dear I digress. We are talking about Neilar's beautiful
kitchen in the photos above that begs for a bit of YOU.

Yes, Neilar,
your kitchen wants to know about YOU.

What is your favorite color? Maybe a cool peice
of art that says a little about you. Do you like towel
pig holders? Boxer puppies? (oh, thats me) Korean Art?
Are you a secret red fantatic? That perfectly
shaped blue vase. Is this your favorite piece of pottery?
Then lets use that bit of blue to really start with some
Kitchen Jewlery. Something in similar blues or maybe you
want to emphasize the pretty bowl holding the fruit.
There looks like a zing of red there. Maybe something
in the red tomato family to had a spice to your space.
Where do you find what you like? Your loves?
Your closet. No, not an old dress. What is your favorite
color or colors? What patterns do you like what makes you
smile and brings joy to you when you look at it.
Something that is unique to you. A favorite place? Hawaii
or maybe Paris.. A cool postcard or memory.

Some ideas that I find are fun and unique to me but
might inspire you to remember what is unique to you. Now
is the time to add a little of you to the kitchen to make
it complete.

Vina Cousino Magul art (flirty and fun)

A fabric with a roman shade for the little side window.

Paris ???

Hague Blue by Farrow and Ball paints

Mini vases

Maybe some framed favorite pictures along
the narrow wall with no uppers. Lots of space
begging for a bit of you.

Moroccan Red Benjamin Moore

{{gwi:1911344}}

Lovely kitchen eye candy. Won't last long but it is lovely.

{{gwi:1911345}}

And of course tile or even just a great paint color
with glass in front is fine too.

Oh here are a few more tiles I started to think about...
~boxerpups

Tile Kitchen in a Bag

Granite

Green and Beige Christine Downs

Rising Kitchen 350

I really like your kitchen! It looks very peaceful right now. I'd like to be cooking in there with a nice glass of wine. You have a nice area above the range to do whatever you'd like to add color, interest, bling, texture, etc., -- if you like the idea of doing something special over the range while doing your subway idea on the rest. Or, in the pics that Boxerpups shows, some of the back splashes are so interesting or colorful that nothing different is needed or done over the range and they look great Do you want color or bling or both? .

I love your fridge! Is it a fridge/freezer? It looks so cool!

Your kitchen is beautiful.. not at all boring. I'd love to see a glass with some variation. Greenish tones would look lovely. Here's something like I'm thinking of from Mosaic Source:
{{gwi:1911349}}
{{gwi:1911350}}

this one is snaazzzzyyyy:
{{gwi:1911351}}
Last one for now..
{{gwi:1752174}}

Thank you, everyone, for all of your suggestions! It sounds like the current selection is not right because I definitely want to add some pizazz.

Eastbaymom, thanks for the link to the Sonoma tiles. They look nice, and I love the names!

Earth pal, the tiles in the photo are made by Stardust Glass (from the Ecco Store in Berkeley, CA.) Thanks for the link to the Sonoma tiles, though. They look really nice, and I agree that they might have a better selection of colors.

Boxerpups,
I know, I know. I have to take responsibility. But you don't know my opinionated sister. I liked some of your photos and I *think* you're on the right track. If I go with one of your choices and end up not liking it, just remember that I'm blaming you! :)
Seriously though, I guess I struggle with this because I've never been one to add decorations to my living situation. It's a combination of not wanting to spend the money and not trusting my instincts. When I see a well-decorated space, I like it immediately, but I can't seem to create a space on my own. I'm learning a lot from this forum, though. Being somewhat logical, I like reading about the rationale for why something works or doesn't.
I quite like the green and beige Christine Downs tile. I'm basically a down-to-earth person, so while some of these tiles look snazzy and trendy, they don't really suit my personality. I like this tile because it takes a little risk in a quiet sort of way. Thanks, Boxerpups! (And if I go with it, I take full responsibility for the selection!)

This isn't about color at all, but you have extra counter that hangs over the back of the cabinets by a light switch....to me it looks like the perfect place for some open shelving.

Oops. I forgot to answer the question about the fridge. (The freezer drawer goes under the island.) It's a 24" wide Thermador all-fridge. There are only two of us here so the size works. Many people on this forum are familiar with these types of fridges, but people who see my kitchen always are wowed by the fridge. I ended up going this route because the area to the right of the fridge is quite shallow (only 14 inches). To make it a standard depth, I'd have to add onto the house which supposedly is very expensive. (I didn't even look into it.)
By the way, thanks remodelfla for the photos. It's great to have such wonderful options!

Where's your collection of ugly refrigerator magnets suspending a set of fluorescent paper notices on the refrig? Your ratty jelly jar of geranium cuttings? That faded old apron you wear when you bake? Your messy red purse and your stack of overdue library books? That screaming pink crocheted dishrag you got from Aunt Tilly for Christmas? And where's the mess of birthday cards and ribbons from that celebration last month?

You aren't living until you have clutter for decoration, neilar!

___

Aren't sure about investing in backsplash, etc. at this moment? Paint is cheap and stencils are cheap and good. Choose a just-slightly-daring motif and paint away!

Neilar,

You are most welcome. Glad to see that you found Stardust which is another neat tile too.

Enjoy the tile search. It might seem overwhelming because of so many possibilities, but you will find the one that makes you happy and you will know which one is right for you.

Good Luck!

Tansunny,
Are you referring to the wall space to the left of the sink in the third picture? I have often felt that some open shelving might create some interest.

Florantha,
Ok, it's confession time. I delayed taking these pictures because I had too much clutter on the island. (In fact, I had do keep moving stuff from one side of the room to the other before I snapped the photos.) If only I could keep it this neat looking. One good thing about the fridge is that it does not hold magnets. But then again, maybe a certain homey feel is missing.
I'll get there. Thanks, everyone!
Rose

Neilar,

You are adorable. Your sister is lucky to have you ; )

~boxer

a few more ideas that I came across

Mosaic Supply

From Marble Go Home.com

plan forward

I could not help myself this red is fun.

Thanks, Boxer, for the extra shots. I'm getting an idea of what would work.

And, by the way, I wish my boss at work thought I was adorable! (It's been a tough week.)

I LOVE your kitchen! I think it'd be awesome to hang some plants somewhere (a big old spider, perhaps? Or a potted Jade plant on the island?) and spruce it up with tile backsplash. It's a beautiful, calm kitchen. Love it!

Haven't read your replies yet -- just wanted to say that your kitchen is GORGEOUS just the way it is. Wonderful textures, shapes, colors in first photo.

A little dressing up on the range wall and you're all set.

Your cabinets are beautiful!! Not bland at all...they're like a lovely face with great bone structure and perfectly clear skin...lovely as is. You could go with a little enhancement, or all-out bling, or something in the middle, whatever is to your taste.

I think fire and ice would look great in your kitchen. I like some of boxerpup's suggestions, too.

OTOH, if you're leaning in florantha's direction and need a little help, I'd be willing to donate some of my clutter....

I looked at those same Stardust tiles for my kitchen, but in the end I couldn't make any of the colors work with our existing color palette...and I didn't want to do just plain beige. I was installing our backsplash tile over the weekend and took a few pics. It's not done...but if I can figure out how to post a photo I will:-)

Your kitchen looks very elegant and serene. I like that same feel. I prefer to pop in color with tea kettle, dish towels, etc.

It took a long time, but I finally found a tile that was peaceful but not boring.
They are mother of pearl and the light reflects off some of them giving an iridescence that changes with the light of day. I love them!!!

Neilar, I love your kitchen! I am not sure what is not to like but I am a big fan of neutrals with just a punch of something-something. Check out the photos of scottielee's kitchen on this website. Very neutral but with those sparkly tiles, it could not be considered boring or bland. Just a suggestion. Good luck! So far it looks good. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: scottielee

I think your kitchen is really looking pretty nice. I also think your sis might be on to something. When doing my kitchen, I was going to go for a taupe tile that really worked with the granite. (See srg215's backsplash--that's the one--I'm living vicariously through her). But then I thought about my desire to change colors in my space. I know I don't have the budget to re-do the backsplash when I tire of it. So I started thinking about white tiles. I was very determined not to get the white subway, and I found some pretty cool beveled Italian subways that had undertones of gray. I was ready to go for it. But that's when I found out I won the beveled arabesque tiles. I love that they jazz it up, but yet the color is white.

In fact, I am currently (sorry guys) testing new paint samples. I've always wanted the gray color in the room to be a gray/lavender. I've got samples in the car right now.

My point is, that with neutral bones, you really can do anything with the room. And neutral bones do not make the room boring or bland. So, I've posted a link to the photos of my kitchen and "not so boring white backsplash" in case you haven't been bored to death by them already. I'd post them directly here, but I can't torture the GW friends anymore! Look at the details, notice that except for the granite, eveything can be changed to a new color scheme. And this granite goes with any color--lime green, orange, blue, brown, black, gray, white, and on an on.

Here is a link that might be useful: The pro photos

Neilar, I agree that your kitchen is just fine. Doing something cool with the BS will be all the spice you need, I think. You might check some of the other threads around here from people who are unhappy with their backsplashes to learn from their mistakes. (I'm thinking of my thread and others I've seen.) Good luck! I hope you'll let us all see what you decide. Folks have given you some gorgeous choices.

Neilar, I haven't looked at your kitchen photos for a while and now that I've revisited them, I am even more impressed than I was the first time.

I'm thinking very hard about using large-scale curved pulls on top and bottom, as you have. Any comments about the ones you have? I'm esp. interested in the feel of the handle in the hand and in making the handles an architectural feature by multiplying them 40 times.

I also note that your ceiling light looks much like my Besa ceiling fixtures.

I was just perusing the forum, and I was pleasantly surprised that people added to my thread. I've gotten such great ideas, but haven't been able to mobilize yet. I'll have the opportunity to visit the Mosaic Source shop in person - I find it hard getting a good sense of the product online. Florantha, I got the handles from Restoration Hardware. (It's their 6" Mason pull.) They're very comfortable in the hand - I kind of don't notice them that much because they work effortlessly. I have smallish-sized hands, but I think they also would work with larger hands. Regarding the light, I'm not sure of the brand. I love that little light, though. It's kind of got a retro look. Claudia, your tiles are lovely. I wonder how they would work against my limestone-colored Caesarstone? I hadn't thought of going in that direction, but now I will!
I'll definitely post pics when I get this thing finished. Thanks again, Everone!

It's not "bland" ... it is serene, soothing, calm, and tranquil. Not everything in your house has to snap, crackle and POP at your when you walk in the door. OKAY?

I have a question for boxerpups (if you woulnd't mind). I'm trying to find the tile from the last picture in the first set of photos.(I think it's part of the "Rising Kitchen 350" set. Also, I can't find information on the backsplash titled "Plan forward". When I Google these names, I don't get any good hits.
Thanks!
Rose

I like the neutral colors! One question you need to think about is how long do you plan to be in this home? If resale is in the future (even 5 - 10 years) you may want to keep it neutral and add your pizzaz with color that can easily be replaced: curtains, bar stool seat covers, accessories, etc. A backsplash is a fairly permanent part of the kitchen and rather expensive to redo - so be careful! Personally, I love cherry (we have that in our kitchen too) and I think the really crazy/busy patterns in some of the showrooms would be like having one (or two or three!) too many Starbucks every morning! Enjoy the process. Can't wait to see the finished result!