kitchen sounds gorge! anyway you could post a pic of the granite? steel might not be the best choice. how about natural stone or a type of glass. I would remove that 4" piece tho.MOP

Frosty Morning

a glass tile ..these are 2x16, but they come in 2x8 and 4x12 as well

color is sand

and also polished

ash gray

Yea so here is a better shot of the granite and the sink too. I'm just worried with the cream color that it would need to match exactly the granite main color or it will bother me that it's off. The granite is kinda busy.

oh ok, i've see that granite. that sand color above all match. tilebar.com will send you a bunch of samples for 5 bucks. the ones I've chosen aren't that expensive. look through their selections and get the samples. i have at least 20 of them that I ordered!

this one matches your colors.

People will say to "just do a plain subway because the granite" is busy, blah blah. seems like that's the go-to choice for any countertop w/movement. It's not a rule.

if you don't like the subway (and seriously, it's so common now) , then look around for the colors in your stone w/the backsplash.

this one above is neutral and sedate enough so it won't compete.

With the hardware and light fixtures you describe, I think white subway tile with dark grout would look good.

How about a gray tile?

Darker gray back splash. Counters look similar to yours.

Honestly my advice would be don't even try right now. I obsessed over backsplash all through my remodel only to find that it was really impossible to make a good selection until ALL other elements - including and especially lighting - were in. And then once they were, I was instantly able to eliminate almost everything I had been dragging in and out of the space for months. So much time wasted!! Your room will totally change once the elements you named are in. So IMO you should try to relax and just wait :). I know it's hard! Your kitchen sounds like it will be amazing and I love your granite.

Totally agree with Iwfromny. its surprising how even one new element, once in place, can help with the direction you need to take.

How about subway tiles with some accent like attached pictures?

I can see a beige glass subway back splash with white grout. I think it is excellent advice to wait and live in it awhile before making a decision. Pics look beautiful.

Our kitchen is similar in color and I picked a nice cream/beige glass tile, it was very neutral and I think a glass tile would work great for you as well. They have so many options in glass to choose from, I would recommend looking at it in different lighting when choosing since at night the tile will appear different.

Can you remove the 4" backsplash you have now? I am not sure how it will look with the new tile

I think I will take the advice to wait. This is a new build and I am antsy top customize it even more after 6 months of waiting but I agree that every time I've seen it with something added it looks different. We just got electricity/lights and that made a big difference, and I have a feeling the pendant lights and the hardware will change the look a lot too. I'll have to come back and see what y'all think of my selections once it's done and I have gotten some samples!

I would like to see a bit of color -- maybe glass block? I have a blue one in my idea book but I don't know how to transfer it here, sorry!

SO HARD to be patient but it will pay off!! Good for you :).

Susan- to transfer photos from your idea book, see below the comment area where it says Houzz Photo when you are typing a comment. Hit on that. It will then take you to your idea books. Just hit on the photo you want to share and it should appear on the right. Hit INSERT underneath the photo and it will show up here.

Wait! Trust me don't make a decision right yet. As for me, I don't like busy backsplash with busy countertop. You don't want to take away from the countertop. Solid neutral color would be best. Especially, with the look you are going for.

I would use some color