Hi Melanie, your granite is beautiful and I can see why you would want it to stand out. Since you want an uncomplicated and cost-effective backsplash, why not do a simple ivory or cream subway tile?

I think honey onyx would look stunning but since your granite is so beautiful I can see the point of a classic subway in creamy white. Honey onyx below in a subway:
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Here is one from a Anchor Bay that has a number of classic subways to choose from. I'll insert one and link the supplier. The one below comes in bisque and white (among other colors) Either would work... you can order a sample of each and check them against your slab.
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Here is a link that might be useful: subway tile supplier

We used a split face stone tile from Daltile. It comes in several colors and looks beautiful. We wanted something that we would love for years to come.

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen

Thank you Victoriajane, Remodelfla and Lilsallyan.
All good suggestions thus far. However they don't scream "pick me, pick me", though I really do have to hold up samples once the granite is in.
Do you think shiny ceramic should pair with a polished granite...matte/tumbled tile pairs with a honed granite? Do you think the subway tile should have a beveled edge? What about a diamond pattern instead?
Remodelfla: The Honey Onyx looks interesting, if you had your druthers..what would you do?
Lilsallyan: Thanks for sharing your kitchen photos, your backsplash works well with your granite.
Any other suggestions?
Thanks
Melanie1121

The honey onyx might be a little gold but it look like it really tied into your floors. I personally, would do something like the honey onyx or glass subway... but I love glass tile. My second pick would be a ceramic subway. 3x6 would be classic... though you could consider a larger field tile but in a clasic material if you wanted it to be traditional but a little different.

Many people love tumbled stone and I think it looks great in their kitchens though I wouldn't choose it for mine.

What do you love?

Please post pics when your granite goes in! It's beautiful. I have Medallion, cherry pecan cabs too, and your lighter granite selection was an option I considered. I decided to use uba tuba because I wanted my countertop to have more contrast against log walls. A backsplash like the honey onyx would bring out the warm tones of your granite. You could also pull out the cooler,grey tones which would also look nice with your cabs, and provide a contrast. Your kitchen looks great!

Thanks for your reply!

remodelfla: I'm on the fence between an "earthy look" and "timeless/classic/elegant". It's going to be a tough choice. I may have a better sense of things once the granite is in. In the meantime, I'm open to all suggestions.

furletcity: I think the Medallion Cherry Pecan is a pretty cabinet. I will definately post photos once the granite it in..should be after Thanksgiving.

Thanks
Melanie1121

My granite is Delicatus and is busy like your granite. I chose tumbled travertine with a travertine and frosted glass mosaic for accent. I love the contrast between the glossy granite and the matte finish of the back splash. Here's a couple pictures, ungrouted (I'll grout it tomorrow)

I also have Medallion cherry pecan cabinets, although my granite is very different from yours. I think the shiny vs. matte choice is the opposite of what your contractor recommends. I have polished granite and went with a tumbled stone (botticino).

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Hi Melanie - We are in the midst of our kitchen remodel and, like you, we chose the Typhoon Bordeaux granite; however, ours does not have the really "red" or truly "golden" highlights typical of the granite. Ours has a lot of beige tones. We have warm, medium oak cabinets and our tile is like that of ccoombs1 (suggested by the designer at our tile store). We are putting 6" tumbled, square tiles, horizontal, staggered 2 rows high on the bottom, a "pencil" of tile, then a three row layer of the travertine and tumbled glass, another "pencil" of tile and then two rows of staggered, horizontal, 4" tumbled tile. I chose to paint the walls a darker color in order to contrast the lighter colors of the granite and tiles (Benjamin Moore matched Ralph Lauren's Thunder Bay for me). The ceiling is giving me fits as I had our Benjamin Moore dealter recreate Ralph Lauren's Cottonwood, 1/2 strength ... but once I got in on the ceiling, it looks a bit dark. We'll see what the morning brings. (Sorry I don't have pictures yet, but we're still 'in process'.)

I love you typhoon bordeau, and that one was on my short list, too.

I have to totally disagree with your contractor- I think that the contrast of shiny granite to matte/tumbled/natural tile is very aesthetically pleasing. Matte with honed and shiny with ceramic seems absolutely backwards to me, and would just represent too much of the same thing. I love shiny granite with natural stone tile.

Hi,
Thanks for your reply!

ccoombs1: Your backsplash and kitchen look great! I can see what you mean about tumbled matte and shiny. Looks great together. Thanks for your photos. Love your tray of oils.

cadreamin: Would like to see your granite and backsplash when they are in! Sounds like a nice combination.
Photos please.

muscat: I think you are right...matte does pair with shiny. I guess anything goes. I was just wondering if there is any "rule of thumb" in backsplash selection. Like matching the floor or contrasting the granite...who knows??

Im going to pick your brains again once the granite is in. I'll get some tile samples.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Stay tuned.

Melanie1121

I too am getting cherry pecan medallion cabinets. I am a little concerned because it thought they were a little darker than the pictures show, closer to Janran than Melanie's

We almost picked uba tuba but decided on tan brown at the last minute (although neither is in yet). We are doing a mosaic glass backsplash. We matched the backsplash to the granite/cabinet/wall color since our floor is very neutral, anything would blend with it.

Lilsallyan,
How are those tiles in your kitchen to clean? I love the look but wondered how they would clean up!
LOVE your boxers...I have a fat brindle boy laying across my lap right now!
(sorry for the hijack)

Beth

Melanie-
Are those frigidaire appliances (it looks like my fridge) if so, how much space is above the fridge? My cabinet place suggested that we have like 4 inches above (in case we ever need a bigger fridge and also to let the heat escape. I thought it was too much but they talked me into it. Yours looks much less (and looks better than my drawing).

For everyone with the medallion cabinets, Are the bottom of the cabinets (underneath) flush or is there a recess. We dont have molding on the bottom and i am trying to look around at undercabinet lighting.
thanks!
Also are the bottom of the cabinets flush if there is no light rail. I am trying to decid

Hi everyone,
Im so excited, the granite is going in tomorrow. Yay! Hopefully all will go well, I will include photos asap.

queenskitchen: The Medallion Cherry Cabinets will get darker with time. It's possible that Janran's cabinets are a little "older" and therefore the color has mellowed or darkened a bit more than mine. Even in as little as six months there should be a difference in the color. Though I have to say I am very pleased with the color so far.

The appliances are all Kitchen Aid. I got the extra tall fridge KSCS25FVMS, 71 3/4 " inches tall and 30" deep. Gives the appearance of a built-in with very little space between the fridge and the upper cabinet. Im not a big fan of having a space from the top of the fridge to the bottom of the cab.

As far as the cabinets are concerned, there is a slight recess underneath the upper cabinets. However, Medallion sells "dresser panels" which "dress" the underside of the cabinet. This conceals the underside of the cabinet in the cherry color and you can put your puck lighting through the panel. However, if you don't want to purchase the dresser panel I do believe there is enough room to hide the puck light underneath the recess on the underside of the cabinets.
Hope this helps.
Melanie1121

Since your cabinets and your flooring already compliment one another (and we know the granite is going to look wonderful with them as well), I would concentrate on choosing a backsplash that picks up the most prevalent colors in the granite. It would just naturally follow that the backsplash would fit right in. I wouldn't choose just one color of tile nor get too busy with a patterns (the granite has enough "run" to it that it will keep the eye busy). Don't contrast too much ... stay within the same color palette as your granite (i.e., lighter tiles with lighter granite). If you do choose to have just one color, you can "punch" up the backsplash with some bold, contrasting glass tiles the same size as your other tile, randomly set -- just make sure the glass tiles pick up the darker tones in your granite. The glass tiles would compliment the smooth finish of the granite, thereby pulling the whole picture together (and satisfy your contractor's aversion for not using matte finishes along with smooth finishes ;-).

Hi Folks,

The granite was just installed this morning. I have to say it is attractive however the granite looks ALOT more RUST than I anticipated (even moreso against the cherry pecan cabinets). I have to see what it looks like in the evening as well to really appreciate the full beauty of this rock.

So, now I really need some advice on how to "downplay" the rust coloration with my backsplash selection. Any backsplash suggestions now that the granite is in?
See photos.
Thanks for your help and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I think the counter is gorgeous, but if you want to downplay the rust, I'd go with a quieter tumbled stone b/splash. I really like Janran's field tile. I like her whole scheme, really, but for you, if you want to downplay the rust, I wouldn't do an accent liner that would pick it up. I like how her accent does pick up the stainless though. Perhaps a creamy beige tumbled stone with black or pewter accents? I forget what your cabinet hardware looks like.

I like the idea of pewter accents with a tumbled stone...hmmmm...My hardware is basic pewter. Thanks for the suggestions, Im going to start looking at tile after the holiday.
Thanks
Melanie1121

Hi Melanie - any update on your choices? I am going tile hunting later today (for backsplash with my typhoon bordeaux). I am so tired of decisions, I feel like I can hardly get started on this one! I do really like janran's and ccombs' choices, and plan to look for something along those lines. Our floor is porcelain tile, though, and I am afraid of a boxed-in look. This is the final piece of our renovation, and I need to finish...I'll let you know what I see after my shopping expedition.
Robin

Hi,

I took into consideration all of the great suggestions provided by Gardenwebbers. The suggestions helped me narrow down my choice to this:

"A plain matte finish tile with some sort of plain glossy pencil rail accent to tie everything together". I dont want to do inserts because I think it will look odd with my outlets. Do I sound nearer than further? ha ha.

I am aiming for a clean elegant look. Similar to the colors of lsandler's gorgeous backsplash. However, I'd like to use a matte 6 x 6 field tile that will bring out the lightest color in the granite with a glossy pencil rail that will tie in the cherry pecan color of the cabinets. I'd like to take the pencil rail up and over the sink.

See "A few questions", on the bottom of post, after photos, Thanks!

Sonoma Field tile matte in Moonstone:

Sonoma "way cool twist" in wild honey (This is not the wild honey color but similar):

"Way cool twist" corner to continue up and over the sink:

Photo of Moonstone field tile in a 4 x 4 (I want to use 6 x 6 across, store didnt have 6 x 6 sample) with a glossy pencil rail in a wild honey color (store didnt have wild honey or the twist pencil rail to take home but found something similar). Do you think the moonstone is too bright? Is anyone familiar with the Sonoma colors? The moonstone looks a little softer in person but Im wondering if I should go creamier?

A few questions:

1. Do the color selections "work" or are they off?

2. I purchased a beautiful faucet and I'm wondering if I should continue the pencil rail up and over the sink to add interest. I'm not big on making the stove backsplash a focal.

3. Should I just put plain tile next to the pantry or continue the pencil rail...its an odd place under the air conditioner. See this photo above in other posts.

4. Does it matter if you mix a matte field tile and a glossy pencil rail?
Thank you,
Melanie1121

Nice Granite: Here is my opinion: Your granite is exotic and has lots of movement. Go simple on the splash. Tumbled marble works with polished granite! You don't have to have shinny tile material!
You want people to walk in your kitchen and their eyes be focused on the Granite: not the splash. If you want nicer splash pick "bottocino" marble 4x4 and add a color enhancer sealer! (I looked at pictures on the internet: none good to explain what I mean)
We have Bottocino installing in the showroom and I put a color enhancer on the tiles/sealer, and lots of lightening like gold veins popped out that couldn't be seen before the sealer was applied. I believe that would look great with your granite. We have installed that granite 3-4 times in the last year 1/2; each customer went with a simple tumbled marble with a variation of color tones. I'll post a picture of the tumbled marble & bottocino that I am talking about.
~nice choice in granite~
Happy Holidays!

simple tumbled marble: Mexico (more Iron in the material) No enhancer on these!

Hey there!

Here's my thoughts. #1: The colors look good! I think it will be subtle and elegant. But if you think you might want to go creamier, you should get samples of that too, and then maybe choose a darker accent. You have a lot of mid to dark tones in the kitchen, and might want to play that up in the bs.

#2 --I'm not quite sure what you mean by up and over the sink, but I'm sure incorporating the pencil rail continuously over the whole bs area, including the sink, is a good idea

#3 Definitely use the pencil rail next to the pantry. You want to pull the eye away from the AC unit, so give it something else to look at.

#4 I like a mix of matte and glossy. Go for it. Your granite is glossy enough.

Your granite looks "old world" to me: the gloss ceramic tile is not the right style or look. That is my opinion only. When I think of shinny gloss white tiles: I think cottage, farm house: (apartment showers & builder grade material) & the 50's - 60's - 70's -80's tile jobs & painted white cabinets: See Candy store! Your granite reminds me of Rome Italy: Michelangelo times classic.

(I do like glass tiles: don't get me wrong: I think with emerald pearl or blue pearl or black galaxy: I would use unique glass tiles vs ceramic gloss tiles. I have seen black glossy ceramic 4x4 used with emerald green: looked great: very dark kitchen! but that is what she wanted. Matched well.)

It's completely a matter of opinion. I guess this is what I mean more:
-Granite is from the ground/nature made:
-Tumbled marble/travertine is from the ground: nature made!
-Shinny white tiles are made by man!
Does that make more sense what I mean. Also, thats why I love the natural wood cabinets with very little stain on them.
Once again: this is only my opinion. My intent is never to offend another: Only my suggestions from experience.
Best wishes!
Happy Holidays!

I almost failed to tell you: I love the color of your cabinets! My favorite! Cherry!

Hi Melanie -
I have to agree with Petra ... your granite is so rich and "earthy", that glossy tiles might not be the right match. However, that said, you are the only one who needs to be happy with your choice. I promised pictures of my granite and tiles when they were complete but I'm having trouble getting them on the site. The tiling is almost complete; however, we're missing some pencil tile and the grout. (This remodel is taking MUCH longer than anticipated and I'll be so happy when I no longer have contractors running around my house ... )

Hi Cadreamin,
I'd love to see photos of your choices. Please post when you can. Happy Holidays.
Melanie1121

Hi Melanie - Well, I'm going to try and upload some photos. These were taken before everything was put away, but it will give you an idea of how things turned out. (In the closeup of the tile, we had not yet put in the grout.) Be sure to post your photos as well.
Jan
(And I apologize if these photos are too large. I can't get photobucket to give me a "websize" photo ... )

Melanie,

Here are pics of our finished kitchen. Our granite colors a similar, but ours are a little darker. We did tumbled travertine because I wanted the granite to be the star, not the backsplash. Just another idea to add to your collection.

Good Luck!

ngng, I love your kitchen especially the backsplash, the gorgeous granite, the beautiful cabinets, that gorgeous tiled floor, the stainless steel appliances, that unique beautiful ceiling, and the wall color.

Thank you Lynn! I've got to tell the truth though, the floor is not tile, but vinyl! I have back problems and couldn't have the hardness of tile, so I opted for tile looking vinyl. I've had so many people insist that it is tile, they have even leaned down to touch it.

We are very happy with our DIY kitchen, and especially thrilled to have it done!

cadreamin: (just had to comment)

I like your kitchen: just the way you did the tile!
Up the window and all! I like the tile pattern as well: Running Bond! Good Job!

Thanks Petra. I'm really glad I opted for the tile rather than the granite backsplash (which would have been rather "thick" looking).

And "ngng" your kitchen is beautiful! We had wanted the Armstrong vinyl squares on our floor (which looks like tile because it has crushed limestone imbedded into the surface), but my sister-in-law (who works for a flooring company) talked us out of it as our kitchen connects to our family room by way of a very strange angle. However, I managed to have it installed in the entry hall and I love it. It's warm, easy to clean yet looks just like tile -- grout and all.

Now I'm having fits about window coverings. Because we only look out onto our back field (and my mother's cottage), my husband thinks window coverings are unnecessary. But "ngng's" window gives me an idea ...

Melanie - How are you coming on your backsplash decision? Every time I look at the pictures of your granite, I marvel at how beautiful it looks with your cabinets. Whatever backsplash you pick will be great.

And Robin, how are you doing with your kitchen? Do let us all know ... and post pictures!

Wow, everyone made such beautiful choices.

Cadreamin, ngng, ccombs, petra and janran...beautiful kitchens and thanks for taking the time to reply and show photos.

I think Im going to be the last one finished! I already started cooking without the backsplash, once I got running water and a stove I was good to go.

Anyway, I'm embarassed to say I havent made a final decision. I am leaning towards a matte off white tile similar to redroze and nys29 kitchens (perhaps a subway in the different size 2 x 8 or 3 x 8). I called Anne Sacks and asked if they can ship me a few samples. So..Im waiting. Also, Anne Sacks said they carry another "low end" line called Mayfair...so Im going to look into that as well. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks
Melanie1121

Your kitchen is beautiful!
I am looking into Mercier engineered wood flooring, so I was excited to see you have it and it looks really great! I am wanting a light color & red oak natural is on my list : ) Do you know if your floor was a floated install or glued down? Today, I sent the company an email asking if there's a retailer near me (Irvine, CA) because the web site shows Newbury Park as the closest. That's 2 hours away and I really want to see the wood in person & bring home a sample. I'm thinking about the 3-1/4" width. What width is yours?

I lived in my construction zone of a kitchen for 2 months while it was getting renovated. Well worth the wait! Good luck with your project.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://renovateyourkitchen.com

Hi Laurie_2008,

I really like my Mercier engineered wood flooring. I looked for over a month before deciding on the Mercier floor.

It is 3 1/4" red oak natural premium (not classic) satin finish (not semigloss). This floor can be glued, nailed OR floated. Ask the installer what would be the best method for your type of sub floor. Also, make sure you ask about the extra supply cost of glue vs. floating. I actually wound up gluing because my contractor told me my floor (which was a concrete slab) was very uneven and I needed to use a leveling product first. The glues and the leveling products were very expensive and the smell was horrible for a few days (we spent three of those days away). Lukily, the results were beautiful. It cleans up very nicely (I bought the mercier cleaning spray online). I already have a few dings on the floor and I can say the light color is very forgiving for dings, scratches and dust. If you have any other questions, please feel free to write again. Good luck with your project.
Sincerely,
Melanie1121