I love modern, and I think either size will fit well. Are you set on that color choice?

We looked at all the colors available in those sizes from different places, and the selection is limited to light green and light blue when it comes to light, kind of "neutral" colors. But we are certainly open to other colors if you can tell us where to get them and if the price is reasonable.

The bigger one is slightly "cleaner" but the narrower one looks like it will line up with your outlets better.

I have found for me personally, when looking at pics of BS's that the narrower tiles read more modern. But that may just be me.

Agree with anitamo...are there seaside colors elsewhere in the kitchen?

Neither. A single sheet of back painted glass will read much more contemporary and have much longer staying power than either of the non traditional trendy sizes above. Or take a traditional 3x6 format and use it vertically.

ditto what beth09 said. The narrower tile looks more modern.

3 x 12 is more modern.
If you brick the 6 x 12, they'll just look like big subway tiles. Not very modern, IMO. I don't think either is associated with bathroom tiles but they certainly would work!

Another vote for 3 x 12.

bigger-the smaller one competes with the pattern in the door. Do they have sheets of this material-or a sheet of something you like.... with actually no competing lines. The feel between the cabinet door and counter is really light ...tile lines makes it goofed up...hard to explain..... a long expanse of something would be nice there.

Thanks for the feedback! Here's some additional information and answers. We originally started with the idea of installing backpainted glass but abandoned it due to high cost. I thought of installing smaller sizes about 2-3 ft wide by 18" height of 1/4" glass that I would backpaint myself, but that idea was vetoed by our home design committee as potentially low quality for the long term.

We have natural maple slab style doors, so the vertical grain lines you see in the right door are just random - not necessarily repeated in every door. The kitchen is very small about 9.5 ft by 11 ft even after we did some structural work to demolish a couple of load bearing walls. So we have white walls, a tube skylight, a large window over the sink, a white/beige/brown quartz countertop, off white/beige tile floor (not installed yet), and light/natural maple doors to create the perception of a bright, airy, not so small kitchen. At the same time, we wanted to add some color with a glass backsplash (not mosaic) which we wouldn't tire of in a year. Here's a picture that provided inspiration to consider the "seaside" color for the glass tile:
http://www.bhg.com/kitchen/storage/organization/kitchen-corner-solutions/?sssdmh=dm17.579386&esrc=nwhi020212&email=4065676849#page=3

The backsplash will go up till the bottom of the top cabinets, not like the picture that I have posted. Incidentally, we plan to use the same door handles from Ikea (our cabinet frames are Ikea Sektion).

Based on the responses so far, it looks 3x12 is the preferred choice. Any suggestions regarding other glass tile colors in 3x12 and 4x12 (how much $ and where to get them) are appreciated! The samples that we have are about $11/sq ft.

Check out Bellavita tiles. We used the series Cobblestone. I don't think your tones are quite right with regards to the backsplash and the countertop complimenting each other. http://www.bellavitatile.com/products/series.aspx

I don't have any tile sources for you, but I do agree that the 3x12 is more contemporary.

Going through some pictures that I had bookmarked, how would something like this look, even though our countertop is different?

http://st.houzz.com/simgs/fc52054104d2f3a1_9-1075/home-design.jpg

Interesting. One of the best ideas that I saw recently was to sandwich beautful fabric between two piece of glass and use that as a backsplash. Like backpainted only much more easily changeable. Just another option you may want to consider....

The green doesn't relate to the counter whatsoever and actually clashes with the main tone of the counter. Which quartz is this? It looks like there's blue-gray in the quartz or one of those wishy-washy colors that can be pushed into blue-gray. Need to see a better photo or the manufacturer's photo.

Andyscott- I really wanted back painted glass but decided cost and walls not being perfect convinced me to look elsewhere.

There are some companies that do back painted glass tiles in many colors. I did not find them until after finishing the kitchen.

Here is one link. I am a passenger in a car and can only surf for short time periods. http://www.stonesource.com/glass-selector/glacier/

I just noticed my phone is missing the link icon - so had to paste the link.

Beautiful cabinets and awesome counter- let's find the perfect BS

I like that tile color with the counter - it's overall a very beachy look (the counter is the sand...)

I adore the stacked look, I think it is so fresh - would have done it myself but compromised with DH. you might want to check outtilebar - they were great about sending samples

The countertop is white with light brown, brown, and gray flecks. I did find companies that do back painted glass for about $40/sq ft including shipping and installation, and also considered installing tempered glass panels on solid color wallpaper. $40/sq ft was out of our budget, and there was a low level of confidence about diy glass panels, either back painted or installed on fabric/wallpaper.

Getting back to colors, would the glass tile colors in the pictures that I have posted below work for our kitchen?

http://st.houzz.com/simgs/fc52054104d2f3a1_9-1075/home-design.jpg

http://www.bhg.com/kitchen/storage/organization/kitchen-corner-solutions/?sssdmh=dm17.579386&esrc=nwhi020212&email=4065676849#page=3

stephanj - your perception about the beachy look is 100% right on! I mentioned your post to my neighbors who were visiting to see progress on our kitchen project and they couldn't agree more. The color of the back splash is becoming brighter as more light is hitting it from our tube skylight and window. At this moment, it really does like a sea green color next to a white/gray sand beach.

andy, I was looking through pics and came across this one, that instantly reminded me of your tile thread. Don't know if you've already seen this particular photo, but here it is for inspiration/reinforcement. :)

Happy Hip Family Kitchen · More Info

I think the 3x12 looks more modern :-) Pretty tile!!

Love that kitchen Beth09!

Thanks, Beth! Using that picture as inspiration, we are now considering a brown floor. We've had the 3x12 glass sample on our wall (took out the 6x12) for a few days now, and it looks better every day. But we have one last sample color coming in the mail before we make a final decision - too many choices!

Well, glad it may be of help. Be sure to come back with pics when you get it done, I know we'd all love to see it!

Paul, many thanks for your advice - this is a great example of how I've found KW incredibly useful with our project. A question about cutting glass tiles - reading the instructions on tilebar.com it says " Use a glasscutter (score and snap) with a new diamond wheel for best
results when cutting our glass tiles. Wetting the diamond wheel with oil
before cutting will produce the smoothest cuts. In some cases it may be
possible to use a wet-saw with a new, continuous rim diamond blade
specifically designed for cutting glass." What do you recommend?

The cutting method depends on the glass itself and there is no way to tell ahead of time which tools are better. We prefer to score and snap if at all possible as that is the fastest, cleanest, neatest cuts. Watch this video to see glass tiles snapped using ordinary glass cutting hand tools. If the tiles were annealed poorly, they have to be wet cut. Watch this video for using a wet saw to cut glass tiles Since that video was made Monolit came out with a new glass blade which is far superior than the ones shown.

Score and snap on poorly annealed tiles leads to this happening the closer you get to the center.

I've had great luck with a quality glass tile diamond blade on the wet saw. Never had a tile break on me before. It works so well I don't even bother with score/snap or any other method.


As far as the original question, are you looking for modern or contemporary? If it's the later you may be alright with the larger tiles in a brick pattern. We went with the 3x12s in a stacked pattern, but we wanted modern instead.

You just made me REALLY glad I am getting a pro to install our glass tile....

Have your installer cut a tile or two before installing an actual tile to gauge his proficiency with glass tiles.

schicksal, I'm thinking that modern and contemporary is kinda the same. We want something that is Ikea Euro style, and I now remember seeing a picture of your kitchen back in November with the 3x12 stacked layout, which looked great! In our local Ikea store, there is a kitchen with a 1x6 stacked tile backsplash, which also looks good. We've decided to go with either 3x12 or 2x12, depending on the color we finally settle on.

In general, the 3x6 staggered subway look may be
a bit old, but I think that your two choices, 3x12 and 6x12, are both
up-to-date and less common. Larger tiles have a more distinctive look and provide
a clean, modern aesthetic.

I think the stacked
look or the brick pattern would both look great. In general the large
size plus the stacked look will give you a great contemporary feel. You
can check out the glass tile oasis website for some cool layout ideas. That’s
where I ordered my glass bathroom backsplash tile and achieved that modern look
by stacking them (It was the Sea Glass Tile Series).

If you hate cleaning your
bathroom, use larger slabs, since they making cleaning much easier. Smaller tiles also create an
optical illusion and make the room seem much larger. In your case, where you
are using it for the backsplash only, I wouldn’t say that one size is more
associated with bathroom décor over the other. Hope this helps!