The light was not the best for the photo, but I hope you get an idea of what we plan to use. The tiles are 6 inch squares and do not have a shiny texture. Thank you so much for your ideas and the photos! I do see what you mean about taking the tile to the ceiling. What do you think about using small (probably diamond shaped) soapstone accents on the wall?

I think it would take away from the soapstone countertops, actually. Soapstone countertops are a beautiful strong statement, so the backsplash needs to take a back seat and be more functional than anything else. I can't say as I can recommend the 6" square tiles, however. The scale and the shape bother me when I visualize them next to the bricks. It's after midnight here and my brain is getting tired, so I'm going to sleep on this and tomorrow I'll see if I can suggest an alternative for you. I hate to leave you hanging, but I'll be back!

Cynthia

Thank you, Cynthia. It was after midnight for me as well. I look forward to your ideas!

I slept on it, and did a little digging through archives and found some ideas. Here's one where they repeated the soapstone as a backsplash. How dramatic this would be, with the veining. Soapstone slabs are not as large as granite ones, so you could see if they could bookmatch the slabs to create a beautiful pattern on this wall. Or you could get soapstone tiles like these, the larger scale the better. You haven't shown us the rest of your kitchen, but you might find that you could combine a large soapstone feature on the stove wall with a simple painted board-and-batten look on the other unseen walls where the backsplash, I assume, is between upper and lower cabinets. Look at this picture to see what I mean. Soapstone counters combine beautifully with slate which comes in different colours. Large scale slate tiles would make a stunning statement in your kitchen.

I don't have a photo, but you could easily find one, of a stainless steel backsplash for a more industrial look. there are one-piece sheet materials of acrylic that look like back-painted glass too (or back-painted glass itself, which is stunning). In fact, there are probably too many options to make it an easy choice!

By far the most popular combination with soapstone is white subway tile in all its sizes and proportions. It looks fantastic. With the existing brickwork (painted) in your kitchen, you have a beautiful feature already. It's just going to be a balancing act, choosing the right third element to complement the cabinets and the brick. If this has helped you, I would be really glad. If you want to discuss this further, I would be happy to do that too. You can always reach me at ctaylorluce@cogeco.ca too.

Good luck with your beautiful kitchen!

And I just found this one! Isn't it awesome?

Great ideas all, Cynthia, and food for thought. I have sent you an email with other photos. Please let me know what you think. Thanks so much!