What a gorgeous kitchen you have to work with. I can picture some darker cream tiles to keep it crisp and clean, then adding color with your "things" like dishclothes, etc. Is your cooktop hood flush with the working/blower part of it?

Absolutley beautiful! As not to compete with your other elements--different cab styles and colors, I suggest besides the focal point tile over the range, something simple and elegant. Doing something simple and elegant will allow you to do something special over the range. An example of simple and elegant:

First let me say that your kitchen is absolutely SPECTACULAR! My gosh.. those floors! What are they? So very beautiful...

I googled your granite name but didn't come up with any pics. Would it be possible to post any? There are some posters on this forum that recently posted pics of custom mosiac murals. I don't know if you want something like that for a focal point or something a little more understated. I can look for and post a link if you're interested in a mural; otherwise, with a little more info on the granite; I'm sure we can all offer recommendations for a variety of backsplash choices. Congratulations on your beautiful beautiful kitchen.

What a magnificent kitche....Islander's tiles would look stunning in that kitchen.

1slander
Those tiles you showed are beautiful.
Could you give some info on them?
Do you have anymore pictures?

It depends on what you want the focus of your kitchen to be visually. With the light coloured cabinetry (as we have) the visual focus will be on the dark coloured areas. Do you want the floor to be the focus? Do you want the backsplash (all or part) to be the focus? I think this needs to be your first decision.

You seem to certainly have a sufficiently large kitchen area to have a dark coloured backsplash that would not make the kitchen feel to enclosed.

What type of furniture will be in the kitchen? What about the adjoining rooms? What will be the colour of their flooring, furniture and walls? You need to consider this as well so it all blends. Our kitchen and eating area is an open concept (which I think yours might be as well?) where it also joins to the family room. So we painted the fireplace brick the same colour as the kitchen cabinetry, used the same colour paint that was in the family room for the kitchen and eating area (as they all shared the same Jatoba Expresso dark hardwood flooring).

Based on what I can see in the pic's I'd say go with a very fancy design dark type of backsplash on the stove area of the wall to draw attention to the great exhaust outlet above the stove (very cool by the way!) and have the rest of the backsplash to be a neutral colour.

I hope that helps,
Dan

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Makeover - Dark Flooring & Counter Tops With Light Cabinetry

1slander , I'd also love more details on that back splash. I think that would be perfect with my granite!!

As you know, many options will work with your wonderful, lovely kitchen. If you want a personal viewpoint, I would like to see something unexpected, such as a Sicis-type mosaic that contains all the tones of your granite (looks like cream, gold, brown, black, white--not sure?), wood, and copper (?) sinks--maybe an abstract floral with tendrils that overflow the recessed area against a cream background. I like stone and ceramic for an old-world feel; I would actually like a tumbled, cream-colored stone with little to no movement or a true antique terra cotta paver, one that has pale cream-ish, not rust tones, or antique limestone, not enhanced, but well-sealed. I would also like to see the stones or tiles of the mosaic be quite small, but not necessarily limited to non-glass pieces. I would check Ann Sacks(http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=268204&prg=271904) especially for borders and fields, Country Floors/Country Tiles (http://www.countryfloors.com/shop/index.php), and Sicis for components. It's worth the time-consuming effort to go through these sites. They take a long time to load.
P.S. My question marks are because I cannot see the photos perfectly clearly and my monitor has a mind of its own when it comes to interpreting colors.

Here is a link that might be useful: See the insets at far right of screens

Beautiful Kitchen!
I love your range hood with the corbels
was this built for you? or purchased?
I am trying to do the same in my kitchen but not sure where to start. please let me know it would be greatly appreciated.
Gianora

Thanks for the kind words about my BS. It is from Westminster Ceramics, American Potters Collection. The colors are stream and flurry.

They are handmade and sold by the piece. It took about 6 weeks to get them. I purchased mine at EXPO.

Here is a link that might be useful: Westminster Ceramics

Your kitchen kind of reminds me of smarge's. Give it a look-see!

Here is a link that might be useful: smarge's mosaic

WOW! Thanks everyone for so many great ideas and thoughts so quickly!

A few answers~trudymom- my cooktop hood is built in and flush. Its a GE monogram and is very cool. Has nice built in lighting and isn't too noisy. For the last 18 years(2 homes) I've have a Jenn-aire downdraft cooktop and grill. I'm going to have to get used to cooking on gas again!

lsandler- I like your idea, but your tiles are a little too formal for our kitchen, but love the layout, accent pieces and copper. I am liking the light colors.

a bit of other background. My current kitchen we have cherry cabinets and some kind of black(not absoulte and not uba tuba) granite. Built this home 8 years ago.. any way have alot of counter top AND did the same granite as back splash. I am SO SICK OF ALL THIS BLACK GRANITE I could.... so I'm really liking the light colors.

here are a 2 more pix, one close up of the granite and the other of the 2nd island, with more of the granite.

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I originally really didn't want 3 different kinds of wood, but dh and kd won out. It all works pretty well since all our trim is alder.

remodelfla- the floors are hand scraped walnut, we've had 2 coats of finish on them, then lots more work done around the rest of the house, the final coat is going on this week. Can't wait, they've been mostly covered up again for the last 2 months! We are estatic with they way they turned out, have them in most all of the first floor. Have a herringbone pattern in the LR and foyer and a travertine inset in the DR.

dan_dhrt- The kitchen area is about 20x20 with a curved eating area off to the back. It is adjacent to the FR with alder beams and stone fireplace. All our woodwork & doors are dark stained knotty alder, and we have the darker walnut floors.

I'm thinking in the kitchen the focus be the inset? I found a mosiac I kind of like, but DH doesn't... I know I do like mosiacs, and not the painted 4x4 tile murals. (link below)

We had been looking for a new kitchen table/chairs for a while now... wanted a round pedestal table. Never found the 'perfect' one... stopped at a clearence center last week and found one close to being perfect.. a 2300$ Bernhardt for 400$... we're going to modify! Will likely
paint pedestal to match cream cabinets, and top to have a dark wood planked top.

kitchendetective- I really like your idea of the floral(have to sell dh) any more ideas on where to look??? I don't think I found the right inset on that link.. We do have copper sinks and oil rubbed bronze faucets. I love the tumbled stone look.

gianora- the range hood was custom built on site, and is not even finished yet.. looks better in pix.. but still needs paint and glaze. The corbels were made with the cream cabinetry by Hampshire Cabinets.. I am very pleased with their quality of work. The other cabinets were custom made locally.

I liked smarges mosaics, but a litte too contemporary for this house. But I really liked the way she had 2. We also have a beverage area in the kitchen, kind of off in a corner, but that will also need someting and I'm thinking another similar mosiac might tie that in with the rest of the kitchen..

Thanks everyone! Have been lurking awhile.. but haven't posted much!

Here is a link that might be useful: mosaic

The Sicis site won't let me link to the frame I had in mind. You have to go into the site and look at some of the projects and the magnified versions that appear to the extreme right of the screen. Takes a looong time.

Also, Garden Web has a "Mosaics" forum. There are some artists there; maybe someone can refer you to a source.

You may get some ideas from this site, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mosaic Legs

Here is site with some mosaic options. I do think you might be best off finding a local artist and working together to come up with a design you love. Good luck, and again; your kitchen is beautiful . Enjoy!

Here is a link that might be useful: mosaic source

lsandler, thank you for that link. I found out that a big tile store in town sells that brand of tile so I am headed there tomorrow to see if this is something that I can afford to do in my kitchen. Time is not an issue....I am not moving in until Jan 1st anyway, so I don't mind having to wait for them if that is what it takes. Those tiles are just so elegant!!

I love the mosaic you posted. I think it would look fabulous in your kitchen. You might want to try looking in kitchen mags and see if there is something in them that catches your eye. That's what I did for my whole kitchen, then tweeked things to better suit us. Good luck

Isandler

What is the name of the granite in the picture. Very pretty

You might just want to check out this place on the web. I will give you the link below. Not sure which style you want--more old world or something sort of middle of the road.

Also, someone on here did a custom backsplash that had a teapot in it. The artist's site was beautiful. She had lots of different hand painted murals. I just wish I could remember who it was! Also, the 1930's kitchen by yesdear had a beautiful mural above their stove of a persian carpet. Gorgeous! Then there are always the beautiful tile murals that IglooChick has in her home....

Also, might want to check out some of the absolutely gorgeous tiles at Mission Tile West. http://www.missiontilewest.com/
They are stunning. Too bad they won't let me do two hyperlinks in a message, but check them out. They are gorgeous!

Here is a link that might be useful: glass tile mosaics

OK, had to post twice in a row here. I forgot to tell you that your kitchen is gorgeous! Ditto on what everyone said here. Also, you HAVE to check out mission tile. They have some new products on there. Lots would be fabulous with your kitchen. I had to post the hyperlink for you.

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

I got so many great ideas from pictures on this board.. while I really liked the idea of a mosaic, we have so many other things going on in the kitchen, we decided on a more basic backsplash. I have always loved the glass tiles.. but thought they would be too contemporary for our old world kitchen.. when we found them together with the stone.. I knew they were the ones! Had layout help from the designer at the tile store, and we DIY'D..

layout
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finished
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