Have you thought about one of the many beautiful tiles that have Carrara marble mixed with other material like glass or stone or metal? I have been looking for my backsplash and I absolutely love the Carrara mixed tiles. Would really tie in the countertops too.

Thanks, TurquoiseRose! It's so inexpensive too, which is obviously very appealing!

@ravencajun, yes! I actually found this one on Home Depot. Unfortunately, it's pretty pricey (for me anyway). What do you think?

link: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Jeffrey-Court-Churchill-White-Split-Face-11-75-in-x-12-5-in-x-8-mm-Marble-Mosaic-Wall-Tile-99615/203485321

Tilebar.com has some beautiful mixed media mosaics with Carrara and metal. Moirai Carrara marble with metal is beautiful.

http://tilebar.com/moirai-carrara-marble-and-metal-tile.html

I would not use a split-face tile where I was going to cook. Even if you seal it, it would be hard to get into all the little pits to keep it clean. Not to mention, it's a real PIA to grout (recent experience here). How about a larger format subway tile in glass or a matte finish, in a color that coordinates with your island cabinets, or maybe a favorite color of yours. With that much wall space involved, the larger tiles would look less busy. What room is next to your kitchen and what style do you have there?

Ahhhh, that's a fantastic point. Thank you. I was thinking about doing a sea green 4x12 glass tile as well. Although it's out of the budget to tile the whole wall, so it would only be up to the windows. We opened up a few walls so the kitchen is open to both the dining room and the family room. My style is...mid-century modern...but I was also very inspired by the house, which was built in 1928, so I have some vintage touches as well (antique mirrors, pedestal sink in the powder room, etc)

Also considered doing a 3x6 marble tile but could that possibly clash with my counters since it wouldn't be cut from the same stone?

You could go up to the bottom of the shelves or the bottom of the hood just between the windows with the glass tile.

Thanks annac! I was actually thinking about going up to the bottom of the shelves but then, behind the range, going up to the bottom of the hood.

Love the idea of doing green sea glass, can't wait to see it.

I would do the whole wall rather than having tile stopping at different levels. I'd use a larger format, maybe a 3 x 8 or 3 x 12, so there's fewer grout lines and less busyness. Are you using a chimney hood? That makes it a little more contemporary, so you don't want 3 x 6.

What about a white arabesque tile? But I agree I'd tile the whole thing.

Since budget needs to be taken into account to do the entire wall, you probably don't want to do herringbone as the labor is expensive.

Here the tile is a large format, probably a 3 x 8, stacked for a slight modern touch, and it only goes up just past the bottom of the hood. The pencil liner is a nice touch, and you would use gray liner to match your island. The liner goes just above the bottom of the window, skipping the windows for a little cost savings as some are sold by the piece. The liner isn't necessary, but it's a nice reference to the age of your home. The wall over the tile is painted to match the tile. Notice too that this chimney hood has a wide chimney to take up space on a bare wall. Otherwise they can look undersized without adjacent cabinets.

Click on the photo to see the tile better.

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