Here is the decorative tile. It will be outlined in a 2" crown molding tile in the rust color.

This is the antique white field tile.

If it helps any, this is the countertop.

Cabinets are cherry sable shaker style, but with different pulls than these.

I'm afraid I'd have to see it.

You do have a lot going on with the countertop, although all else is rather clean and neutral.

I do love that tile! I can only tell you at the moment, that I love the picture you posted. I can't see interrupting the continuity of the pattern by inserting other tiles. Unless they continue the pattern!

I agree with your KD, I think it would add to it. The stark white everywhere else and a burst of color over your cooktop might look jarring.

mama- Have you thought about continuing the white tile in the same angled direction as your mexican tiles without the 2" border? This way you would not have to cut the mexican tiles and they would have a sawtooth sort of border. I don't know if that makes sense but I'll come back later and photoshop a pic of what I mean. You could still do the clipped corners with accents (which is not kitschy to me).

I agree with CE that the countertop is sort of busy with the tiles.

mama....how close to scale is the picture of the countertop?
In other words, if you stood say two feet in front of the counter, would you "see" all the variation, the dots and speckles? Or would it just read as mostly a mottled rust color? If the former, I'd be concerned it's too busy. If the latter, should be fine, especially considering that you plan to use the decorative Mexican tiles only over the range, so the countertop won't be directly under it.

As for the plain white backsplash area or adding some spots of color...I'm with your designer. I'm not sure I understand exactly how many spots what she suggests will add, but I would be sure to add some...either with dots of the rust color (same as crown around mexican tiles above cooktop) or perhaps a border of it. That will help tie it together. You could, IMO, also use some blue spots, but I'd be sure to do more rust than any other color.

Thank you ladies! Lots to think about, to be sure. I've attached a picture of the countertop in an installation so you can see it more to scale.

You have to sprinkle around that tile (and a lot more BLUE) if you want this to look "designed" rather than just "Oh let's do a feeetcha behind the cooktop". The styles of the cabinets, countertops, and tile do not mix well. If you were doing a natural maple cabinet, yes the tile could work. If you were doing a white tile counter, yes, the tile could work. But, that tile with that counter and those cabinets doesn't pull together. Maybe a blue quartz counter? (The current counter is way too close in color tone to the cabinets.) That would really pull things together. Or natural cherry instead of a more formal and dark cherry? (Dark cherry would work better with a less casual painted tile.)

Or, maybe a different tile for the backsplash. Which element do you LOVE here? That one element is the one you pick everything else to accent. So, which one is it?

hollysprings, thanks for your honest feedback. I'm not really sure what to do with it, but that's my problem. I am 46 years old and have been living in this pretty much undecorated house for 15 years because I have no confidence in my ability to put things together. I know what I like and what I don't like in a finished product, but just really don't have an eye for putting it together.

It's strange, because my personality is not a play-it-safe type personality at all. I have some perfectionistic tendencies, but I desperately want to set it free. I love the Mexican tile because we love Mexico. We don't get there as often as we would like, and wanted to bring some of that feel home without going too over the top.

Can't do anything about the cabinets, they're ready to be delivered. And honestly, I have looked at the counter with the cabs and don't find them too matchy in person. I loved the blue quartz counter but my husband nixed it, just couldn't go there.

Hmmm....well, getting opinions is good. Helps move me to discover my own design voice.

Mamasheshe, unfortunately, I think you have gone too "over the top" trying to make the Mexican tiles work. I think they're at odds with the cabinets you've already purchased. They're a somewhat formal American cherry with a traditional stain. The tiles are rustic or country in bright primary colors. The counter is contemporary but in a color and pattern that the quartz companies are moving away from. It will read brown on brown. Don't look at the individual colors but at the whole.

Now where to go from here? Is your kitchen designer offering alternatives or is everything contingent on the tiles?

Here's what you are planning.

That counter is way too blah with those cabinets. Here's a suggestion to make it more cohesive. Silestone Blue Safita, which has a bit of the warm tones of the cherry in it.

Kitschy. And dated. And you're paying a fortune and putting it in new.

I absolutely LOVE corgimum's idea - do the diamond orientation throughout and you won't need a border or decorative tiles here and there.

You didn't ask for our input on the counter choice, but just out of curiosity, is it a done deal, non-negotiable, no changes? I'd prefer the look of plain white Corian, or a granite with a touch of blue, like blue labradorite. If you want solid surface in a color, have you considered Corian Sahara? It's color group B so not terribly pricy, and would go beautifully with cabinets and the bs tiles.

Oh, I just realized you may be using Zodiaq. Another color to consider - if you're even interested in changing the counter top - would be Lunar Pearl, also group B.

Just addressing your original question, I do think you need to carry the feature colors elsewhere in some way on the backsplash, i.e., agree with Hollysprings in that respect. With tile, though, there are so MANY ways to do that. You know, how about getting some graph paper and colored pencils or markers and drawing various options out? Running bond, jack-on-jack, every option possible? You'll tack down what you want.

BTW, I really like your Mexican tile. I'm exactly the way you are--no problem identifying what I really like, just how to bring it together. I think you should firm this up by once again identifying that element, or those elements, you really want, then going from there. If the counter, for instance, is your husband's choice and the backsplash yours, maybe time to regroup and reconsider? I agree that combo does not make the best of any of the materials. I do not, however, think that brown not being "hot" at this moment (i.e., doesn't show up in picture after picture after picture after picture) is any reason to pass on what one really likes. I also don't know who told the world that NY subway tile was just right for Shaker doors, but it's worked nicely enough to become a hidebound formula I personally wouldn't worry excessively about varying from. At this point it's so extremely common that anything else is going to look downright odd. What's important is that your choices look good to you. And if that counter material gives you the warm fuzzies, then buy a couple of extra brown markers and get to designing. It's all about bringing it all together in such a satisfying way that you hyperventilate every morning when you walk in--for the first week anyway. :)

Wow. Maybe I am trying to hard to make the Mexican tiles work. Countertop is not ordered, but we are going with Cambria. Can still make a change there and to the backsplash. I do have another cool Mexican feature in the kitchen that will still give me the feel I want, and maybe I can tone the backsplash down. At this point, I'm a little shell-shocked, but grateful for the input. This photo is for the cool Mexican art that I love.

Bristol Blue Cambria, which would be my top choice for a counter. It's quiet, but still colorful.

Love the Bristol Blue, but my husband absolutely hated it. Any other suggestions?

Cambria makes Charston, which is near black with cobalt and some green inclusions.

Caerphilly Green has green, gold, black and something that looks bluish but the green may be too earthy.

I think you would have to sample them to know for sure.

Are you set on that tile or a talavera tile in general?

I agree that the countertop ought to be different. Is there a reason you're going with Cambria?

Hollyspring's gluejobs are very good at giving a feel for it. Are you just having the blue stuff behind the stove? We might have to send Holly back to the gluing board to add on the white!!

Here it is just over the range with the white field tile. I do not care for this at all. I show it with Caerphilly Green Cambria, which could work if you changed the tile from blue and gold to green and gold. It would work better with the cherry as well. Green and cherry is a classic combo.

The only reason at this point I'm going with Cambria is because I like the low maintenance of it and I'm already in the middle of remodel, so don't really have time to start looking at completely different options.

And yes, Holly's visuals really do lend a whole new perspective to the process that I was missing before. The plan was to just have the blue stuff behind the stove.

Thinking now of simplifying things a bit. Not doing a "feetcha" so to speak, behind the cooktop at all, but using the pattern tile as accents in either 4-1/2" square or even 2" square. If indeed blue is used somehow in the countertop and/or backsplash, I was thinking of painting the wall behind the art arch blue. It needs a contrasting color behind it.

I have thick skin and need some suggestions to save me from my shizo self!

With green based talavera.

Okay, so DH is enthusiastic about a darker, more monochromatic countertop and is even warming up to the bristol blue. He really likes the Cambria Blackwood in this image.

I'm thinking of ditching the whole concept of the design behind the range, but maybe using the tiles in 2x2 as accents on a jack-to-jack pattern with a row of clipped corners or, what about doing the antique white in running bond, but with a row in the middle of alternating 4-1/4 blue field tile and the blue design tiles.

Or, I'm open to something completely different. Sorry I'm so needy. I really appreciate the input.

I hope we haven't overwhelmed you with our feedback. GWers mean well, but the effect can be monstrous on the ego. I reallydo mean well. I think a more natural looking Cambria with just a touch of blue would be gorgeous in your space. I like the Bradford (below). It'll be wonderful with the cabs and bs. If you find it too dark, Castell (next post) would be lovely too. I love the bs tile,and your other Mexican element (what is it?) is beautiful.

Castell has an overall light background that blends well with the field tile, warm red-browns that go well with the cherry, and ever-so-tiny touches of blue to echo the bs tile. It's sort of perfect...

I don't think the Bradford (below) does a thing for either the tile or the cabinets. And none of the beigey ones work with the white background or the blue. A pure white would work, but you'd have to use it elsewhere in the kitchen to make it look at home. That's the problem you are having with the blue tiles. You need a lot more blue to make them work and that's why the Bristol Blue works and the rest are only meh blah.

Here's the Blackwood. It doesn't fight with the other elements like a beige tone would, but I don't think it adds anything to the party either. (I think it looks slightly better in this paste up because of the black appliances than it would with another color of appliances.)

You are working with a Kitchen Designer - perhaps you could ask her/him to come up with counter options for you that would be a more harmonious match with the tile you love and the cabinets you've chosen, both of which are beautiful. Basically, a knockout bs needs a quieter counter and vice versa. But even if you decide against your current bs tile, I would choose a different counter for those cabinets.

Holly, the way that you're mashing these elements together is so artificial you can no longer see the colors well, and it may be confusing you a bit. Here they are all together. You may like them or not, but they blend perfectly, and this type of grouping may more helpful to someone trying to make a decision because she can actually see the colors. Nothing would induce me to pick a blue solid surface counter with cherry cabinets. It's hideous to my eye. The black is fine but a little dark.

This might be better for visualization. Mamashe - It's going to be beautiful in the end.

Mama - I love your tile! I think it looks good with your cabinets! I think the counter you chose looks good; I wonder if you could do better though...

Could you post other types of counters in that original terracotta colour? It might actually be good to have the counters blend with the cabinetry. That way, the tile 'is the star' as people here like to say.

The tile has some terracotta colour in it, so a terracotta counter is not out of the question, imo.

I hope you're doing very traditional-styled knobs and pulls. ...I wonder if some sort of ceramic would work...

The culprit in this is that very bright intense blue in the tiles. It wants to be the complete star of the show, and it doesn't play well with the cherry. Using the grey-blue of the Bradford to tone down the blue in the tiles would only work if the cabinets were cream or white based. It's the same with the white based field tiles. They don't relate to anything else in the plan, so not only are they startlingly white and contrasty against the cabinets, they are also pretty contrasty and abrupt against the blue of the tiles. (Which would work, if the cabinets where white, because they would blend better.) Using the cream, the blue, and the cherry makes lots of different color blocks all over the place. There is no flow. It jumps the eye around in an unpleasant manner. It's like a Mondrian, but without the calm unified white background.

It's not that I like the Bristol Blue so much with the cherry. It kinda clashes a bit to have red cherry and blue counter without more blue than even just the tiles in the pic. But, with the blue of the tiles, the darker and quieter Bristol moves the eye around the room in a quiet manner, making the blue seem to be integral to the space, rather than having the bright blue of the tile look dropped into place by space aliens. (The yellow in the tile is also an evil culprit in fighting with the cherry as well.)

And that's why I suggested the green based talavera instead of the blue. Green with cherry has been a classic color combination in traditional homes forever. Having the green be the dominant color, and the blue be the subordinate, works with the cherry much better without having to really fight to make it work, which is what you're having to do with the blue.

And while all of the cream based suggestions for a counter work really well with the cherry, they do NOT work with the tile.

If the TILE is already ordered, and the cabinets are already ordered, the you've GOT to have a lot more BLUE in your plan. A LOT more blue. That means blue counters. I couldn't personally live with something like Silestone Stellar Marine with cherry, but maybe you could. They did use it with one of the HGTV Dream Home's, but with a browner based cabinet color. And it works there, because there is so much of it all around the room. That's the idea I'm trying to show you here. You can't "wimp out" if you're going to use the blue, and just put it behind the range. It's too strong for that. You've got to have a lot more of it.

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HGTV Dream Home

Colorful backsplash with blue counters
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What about a blue island or hutch? Bunny Williams did the whole kitchen in this Texas home in blue, and it's stunning.

In the latest Design Around This thread devoted to patterned tile, Cawaps did this lovely blue and cherry design board that works because the tile is only blue and white with no other colors. Then the blue is carried around the room as well as used on the floor, as is the white with the white appliances and counters. So you see, blue and cherry CAN work together, but it needs a lot more commitment to the blue to pull it off. There are a lot of other inspirations for you to internalize from that thread as well. You should spend a couple of hours making your own design board with your cabinets to get a feel for what does and doesn't work.

some green:

I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I like that green.

Look, you can see a hint of cherry-coloured something below the steps. What do you (and hollysprings) think of the field tile being green, and having green on the counter.

I really like your tiles. And I also really like that last picture/mock up of those tiles with the cherry cabinets and white countertop.

I think if you do enough rows or use enough of the decorative tiles with the blue in it and do a white countertop it will look beautiful.

Wow! I'm amazed and overwhelmed at the time and thought that hollysprings and others have put into responding to me in my time of design meltdown! Honestly, I drank 3/4 of a bottle of wine last night just to help process it all, but today was a better day.

I see exactly what you mean holly about the blue being so dominant. And no, the tile isn't ordered so I am not stuck with it; only with the cherry shaker cabinets and red oak flooring and stainless appliances. And we would like to go with a black countertop, either the blackwood or the more monotone cambrian black.

Also today we went to the lighting store to find pendants for over the peninsula. We have chosen the style based on some unique limitations of our space, but have not chosen the glass, although we both like the habanero.

So, my design mentors, what would you do for a backsplash? I'm thinking no special feature behind the cooktop, but using some colored or decorative tiles as accents in an otherwise antique white field tile, preferably standard 4x4.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pendant Lights

What about doing a less colorful Mexican Tile? See link...

Here is a link that might be useful: TC Lace Mexican Tile

You are introducing another color element to the mix with a black counter. It doesn't repeat anything else in the design. Repetition of elements and colors is what makes a design cohesive. In Cawaps design with the talavera and cherry, there is only cherry, blue, and white. That is what makes it a successful design (as well as choosing the correct forms).

To make it a black counter work successfully, you would need a tile with some black in it (to echo the counters) some terra cotta (to repeat the cabinets) and not as much blue (too dominant to be anything but a small dose as a secondary.) Here's one suggestion with a tile that has several colors in it, but enough black to work with black counters and not too much blue so that it doesn't dominate. What you would definately NOT want to do here is to use a white field tile with just a patterened tile above the range. If you want to do a field tile, use one of the colors pulled from the tile, like a green, or even the yellow.

Or something neutral with black:

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[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Phoenix Design-build Homework Remodels ~ Tri-Lite Builders

Something like this pendant from Fusion Art Glass would work as it repeats many of the colors in the tile, but in a different form.

I would not do the clipped corners ... The speckled look would detract from the block of design tiles.

Even with Mexican tiles, sometimes less is more.