If your contractor says these tiles won't look good as a kitchen back splash, I would like to know the reason why. My concern would not be whether they would look good or not, the question would be: Where in the kitchen would your back splash be located? 2) What else are you paring these tiles with? They have a beautiful iridescent glow about them, and it's very soft and delicate. I wouldn't want to see splashes of oil etc. from cooking on these. It may take away the soft glow. They are even more beautiful in person.