Excellent advice in the comments above. I would add, there is no law that you must have a tiled backsplash, sometimes leaving it painted is best.

As plain as you can get....

Thanks, everyone. In general, do you think a 3 x 12 tile is too contemporary/trendy for an older house?

It might be. You really need to wait until everything is installed and stand them up on the wall and see how they look.

And, grout should match the tile.

The granite is beautiful, but will show as very dark even with white cabinetry. So pay attention to lots of layered lighting. Recessed, pendants, undercounter and above counter. That will show it off the best! Plain white backsplash. But not all whites are the same!!! So, you have to take a cabinet door with you when picking tile, that way you can match up as best you can. The grout should match the tile. If you want a more modern look, the longer tiles will give you that, however, to get those to look right you need a very flat wall and high quality tiles. If not, you will have bowing and tiles won't lay perfectly flat. Shorter tiles are easier to lay and have come out well. You could do them vertically if you want a slight twist on the subways, but set them on end!