what's wrong with the counter you have-it looks nice. Keep the existing counter, use the glass tile and scrap your floor choice-put in a hardwood floor.

Thank you for the reply :)
That is the new quartz counter. Problem with doing hardwood is our banister is nearly the same color as the cupboards so I don't even know what color to do hardwood.

you already have beige-so keep to beige or another warm tone. don't mix warmer beige and cooler gray. they don't blend well, and they don't contrast well either. They simply don't have any relation one to another. choose the backsplash by drawing one of the colors from your existing Quartz which looks quite nice to me. You can go darker or lighter-but you need to stay within this warm realm of your nice countertop. It's finished hard materials you're putting together..unfortunately you can't be as free as when mixing different fabrics for example, when you can get away with a lot. Here, one choice dictates others much more heavily.

also..I wouldn't do glass. Simple subways would probably appeal to wider range of buyers. They're easier to get right. But that's already less important, that's just my opinion. The right color is important though. And the right color will be the one that works the best and makes the most sense within the current scheme..always.

The floor tile looks great, at least to my eye and on my monitor.

the two pictures show really different tones to your counter then. You have to get a lot of samples and prop them up in the space and observe in various light/times of day and from the various angles. No easy way. I like the gray glass better than the stark whites you show. You just need more samples to find the right one. sometimes it's a surprising one you would not have thought of initially. What banister are you referring to? The floor could be a slightly darker wood than cabinets with more graining/pattern as the cabinets don't have that going on....the two differing grain structures would complement/play off each other. If you don't want wood that's okay, but there could be a fantastic wood floor out there for this space....I'd do it in a heartbeat.....go the extra mile with searching for your floor and backsplash. Get an element or two that says something as the cabinets are classic/basic can take a stronger look next to them and the counter isn't doing that,really. Don't forget under cabinet lighting.

In my world, gray doesn't work with beige. Don't pick out colors from the small speckles--look at the overall base color. I have similar colors in my kitchen though my quartz isn't speckled. I have found that a warm white or a beige close in color to the base works, though it's not very exciting. For selling, it's better not to get too exciting!

If you found a ceramic tile that works, you'd want a modern size to go with the other modern elements (anything except a 3 x 6"). Because running bond is traditional even in a larger format, I'd stack the tile. Ceramic is a safe choice for selling unless you live in a young, hip area that wants glass.

I'd avoid glass mosaics of varying widths and lengths like your sample as I think they're already dated. I know I'm sick of seeing them! I still like glass mosaics that are stacked, either horizontally or vertically. This would add texture and contrast against your slab cabinet doors. It's a more interesting route to go than subway tile. Do a Houzz search on glass tiles in modern kitchens and see if anything catches your eye. These caught mine.

Beautiful kitchen so far! I second the advice to stay away from both glass and grey. For your space I think you want to keep to the warm neutrals. You've got a great neutral counter top. To complete the look, Google images of contemporary kitchens with brown cabinets and cream counters. See which images you like, then post some of your inspiration images.

What is your tile budget in $/sf?

Regarding the floors, I would choose wood (red oak) if it were my choice, but you'll want the flooring to flow from room to room. What floors are in the adjacent rooms?

Thank you all for the tips and advice.
I just don't want too much beige in one area - if that makes sense but at the same time, agree with everyone's comments.
as per budget - we got the countertops+sink+installation for $1800cdn.
We have a great friend that owns a high end home building and reno company and has graciously offered us free/limited charged labor. All the floors on the main level have been ripped out. Fresh canvas to work with.
Our home is a freehold townhouse so our space is limited which is why we want to stay away from dark floors but also like the look of tigerwood hardwood.

I like your floor tile choice, but agree that it would be best to have the same flooring throughout -- will that tile work in the other rooms? Don't be afraid of mixing wood/wood look with existing wood, they don't have to match, but do need to be compatible in tone. A lighter wood can really look great with cabinets like yours. Do the cabinets reflect the entire house, a modern feel?

Glass tile will work with those cabinets but color you have is definitely wrong. Pretty, but wrong with the counter. I actually like the liner white glass, it gives texture without being really obvious like the previously popular multihued glass strips. The examples above are good also. Or I would go with a beveled crisp white ceramic. You don't really want to match the counter but can get the same color in a lighter or darker shade, however I personally would prefer white or the palest cream -- to let the cabinets look their best. Just a little texture in the tile (like with the bevel) to keep it from being too severe.

http://st.houzz.com/simgs/8911d9b80fe20226_4-1750/traditional-kitchen-tile.jpg

I've never seen beveled tile stacked and never thought to do it, but it's nice like that! And I'm not a fan of beveled tile and not sure I'd recommend it for this contemporary kitchen. I've only ever seen it in person twice, and both were in French restaurants. One was a beautiful barrel ceiling.

Is tigerwood hardwood that very stripey type hardwood? Just say no.

Agree with May on tiger wood. Think red oak. It's neither light nor dark and it's classic. Do you like the way it looks above with darker wood cabinets?

The reason I ask your tile budget in $/sf is that I don't want to show you tile you can't afford. Do you have any inspiration images?

My tile budget is up around $9/sq ft.
also, for flooring, keep in mind we have a large boxer dog and don't want more areas where his nails can do damage.

Here is my floor plan.

Oh, with that layout I wouldn't be so much concerned about having one floor throughout., because the kitchen is well separated from the rest.

I have a Shar-Pei, and when he came to live here I was very worried about damage to the old red oak floors -- but so far it hasn't been an issue.

No to the gray with the countertops and no to glass. Take a look at the MSI Antique White.

Here it is in Elongated and subway

Subway

Elongated antique white

Also very nice looking tile

Catalina vanilla

I found some options from Lowes in your price range that would look good with your materials and have enough contrast not to look too beige. You can order them online and pick them up at your local store for no charge. Big box stores can be great places to find a good tile value. And I love that you can buy 3 or 4 sheets of tile, bring them home to see if they look good, and return them if they don't.

Here's your space. Tile options start below. My favorite is the lantern tile. The hexagonal tiles are a very sexy look, but I'm not sure you have enough height in your bs. The glass and stone mosaic is a subtle look, but it has a nice level of contrast. The marble mosaic might look a little busy, but the colors are good. I hope these are helpful.

I am loving the Lantern tile above as well. I really think it ties it all together.

I like both lantern and hex. together with this-how long will it take until you put the house on the market? if you personally won't have time to enjoy it-I wouldn't risk getting tiles that will obviously require ordering more sq f and more skills in laying them..unless you're very sure in your/your tiler's skills. shapes require more cuts, more cuts require more material. i understand the desire to do the best job possible when doing virtually everything..i'm like this myself, and many people are...we're born with this desire and determination to make the best of what we've got(which sometimes goes away when we're in high school lol). yet since it is for resale-I'd take all the additional factors like cost etc., into consideration.

I like the hex. It's the most contemporary and unique. Eam, could it be run vertically?

I'd vote for either the elongated hex or the 12" subways. The others seem too busy for this kitchen. And, good point, aprilneverends, this is a prep for sale, so keeping it simple is probably wise.

May, this is what a single sheet of the hex tile looks like. The orientation would be up to the installer I guess. Horizontal would put a point at the top (as in the installed image above), vertical would put a line there, like the image below.

Oh, sorry, I meant the elongated hex! I thought that's what you were referring to with the fit issue. Thank you for trying to make sense of my question that had to sound like nonsense to you. LOL!

So there's no problem with running the elongated horizontally. That would be my preference.

Oh gosh. Got it! No problem running the elongated hex either way, but I too prefer the horizontal.