I love those trees too. But not with the white field tile. I'd go with the middle one that is golden. Will also compliment the granite.

If you're looking at trends, the trend has been moving away from accent tiles for some time now. In fact, some will say we are trending away from tile backsplash at all! I like the trees the best of the 3. You get a change in texture without a change in color. Subtle. Nice. Not hospital at all!

Where are you putting the accent tile? And have you picked out the white subway you plan to use?

I like Mayflowers advice...

me too. Good idea. And, you get your trees!

The green and the tan are very trendy for a traditional house. There is nothing 70's about either one. I vote for the tan one as the accent.

You guys are the best! My friends and dh are tired of me asking them. This is such a hard decision for me. This was a remodel redo. I kept cabinets and changed the appliances (the white appliances are gone) to SS. The new stove is a 48" Blue Star with SS vent hood. But I know the backsplash is the center point to the whole look and I don't want to make a mistake. It can't be redone again. I wish I had l picked a white quartzite. The 3x6 field tiles I am thinking of are handmade glazed tiles, 1/4" thick to match the handmade accent tiles. The colors I have been able to find in these kind of tiles are limited, but I will check for a cream color like mayflowers suggested.

perr1958: But I know the backsplash is the center point to the whole look and I don't want to make a mistake. It can't be redone again.

We understand exactly! Please take a picture taken from straight on and I can try to photoshop. The floors should also be visible.

I think the green and gold both lovely tiles; however, I'm not personally a fan of accent tile so I wouldn't recommend either. Can you return the tiles?

Are you putting in the 48" stove with that same vent hood? That won't work functionally or aesthetically.

@perrr1958- how's your TM counters holding up? Did you seal it? Any issues with staining? I selected TM and would love to hear your experience with it.

OT - May, I was looking more closely at the Stanwich Road picture you linked. Does that upper right glass cabinet back up to an outside window?! I've never seen that done.

I'm not understanding your question, oldbat. Does this photo help?

Stanwich Road · More Info

Here are a few more updated photos. This has been a work in progress for over 6 months. My husband and I do all the work ourselves so it's slow going but cheap labor. lol.

Myfoursons- we changed out hood to48". Whatever we use for backsplash we are thinking to use above hood. These tiles are handmade ceramic tiles I was able to purchase from a company that closed called Gainey tiles. They were very expensive tiles back in the 70's. I am not up on what is "in" and they are probably dated but I love them! I told my husband if I used them we would never sell this house lol

oldbat(love ur user name) omg! If I could see a visual that would be awesome!!

dream- I love the TJ but I have not sealed yet because I wanted to use the right sealer and not sure which one works best. I did get a big oil stain from a bottle of cooking oil I left on the counter two days after it was installed. I managed to get it out and I have been super careful after that. I was told quartzite was better at not staining than granite. Not true! Stains just the same. If I could start over I would think about that glassos glass slabs I saw them and they do look beautiful

I'm off to look at a tile place for handmade field tiles. This

Perrr, since you have a 48" range, I think you'll need to put something under the hood because it's such a large focal area. Also, running the accent tile in a straight line through the focal area isn't a great look. The problem is how to make the trees look like they were planned as part of the whole. You need something complementary under the hood and it has to physically connect to the band of tree tiles.

Maybe something like this could work. Instead of the mosaic band, run your tree tiles. The frame under the hood could be some sort of flat 1-1 1/2" wide tile with a relief motif that related to the trees--something that had a vining pattern perhaps. That would all be done in the white of the tree tile. Your subway field tile and the tile inside the frame would be the warmer tile that I suggested before. The square turned on point might be a good choice because you have a lot of space to fill. It's very traditional too. I do love how they set the frame tile into the band of mosaics here.
The mosaic band is made a little wider by using a pencil liner top and
bottom, which you would do in a white that matches the tree tile and frame. I think you may need to widen the tree tile because of the size of your hood area.

To sum it all up--get yourself to a good tile store that has a person with great artistic and spatial skills!

Aston Road Kitchen · More Info

Thanks mayflowers. I do have a small 2x2 tree relief tile that goes with the border. And yes I agree I would not run the border tiles through the stove area. I was thinking of using a different pattern framed with something else for behind stove.

Oh good! How many of the 2x2s do you have? Is it the same tree that's on the subway?

Yes it is the same tree. It does have a tiny bit more beige highlights around the tree so I am looking for a light cream or beige field tile like you suggested. I have plenty to do whatever I want with them. Perhaps scatter behind stove area between the 6x6 (turned diagonally)?

I think 6x6 is too large to do a diagonal.

Have you considered using the green square tile behind the range only, and using a softer green as your field tile? You'd have no border tiles or lines and you'd still have a knockout decorative tile with a timeless look.

This is Fireclay Tile in Rosemary and Halite in 4" square.

You can get some great colors for field and trim tile from people like Sonoma TileMakers or Pratt & Larson as well. It will take several weeks to order certain colors, but you should find a color to better complement/match your accent tile. Ken Mason Tile also does some great relief tile but also does color matching.

Thank you everyone for all your great thoughts. Eam44- If I use the green one in the stove area, I am afraid because of all the relief work on them it will be a bear to keep clean. Today I found a handmade tile in white and off white that I think might work. It is 4x4, since it is handmade there are some irregularities and edges might not be the same. So it might be difficult to install and make it look good. So now I just need to figure out a layout that looks appealing and not too busy. If I use the tree border I would use the off-white, if I use the gold it would be the pure white. I was thinking of framing out the area above stove with a smaller 3x6 or 2x2 design.

Everyone has different tastes, and with those border tiles you're more in may's comfort zone than mine, so I'll leave you with just one last thought: those white tree tiles may not look great en masse. Admittedly, they are not my cup of tea, even so, make sure you see at least three of them together in a row before you pull the trigger. Good luck!

Thanks eam. Good point. I will lay them all out and see what it looks like.

This isn't about taste. I'm trying to work within the parameters the OP sets and there won't be a perfect solution. Her favorite is the trees. My approach to the problem is first, do no harm. A quartzite counter will always be the star of the show. The dark tiles are a harsh pop of color unrelated to the counter. I think they will detract from the soft, translucent feeling of the Taj Mahal, as will their strong, ornate carvings. A gray green that works with the quartzite isn't likely to work with the green squares. Either tile in a field of cream subways will pop.

I don't think a tree motif relates to the rest of the kitchen, but the wrong color would offend me more than a little tree. I think it will at least blend in. So I looked for ways to use the tile that would make it look like part of a well-thought out tile design. And there is 48" behind the hood to fill with something that enhances the kitchen rather than it becoming a distraction.

This is why I wanted to hear feedback from all of you! I am so indecisive. My mother used to say I had "no taste", I like to call myself a bit artistic, out of the box". Lol. I am not set on any particular tile and am open to any and all suggestions. I like these tiles and I want to keep the traditional style of the house, that's all. If All of you think I should ditch the decorative border tiles all together, I want to hear that too. Mayflowers you are right I don't want to distract from the countertop, but I am so tired of seeing plain white subway tiles in kitchen back splashes and I don't want something that will look modern either. I appreciate so much all of your varied opinions, for it is from listening to others that I can begin to learn and better discover my own style and likes.

I think your kitchen is very pretty, and I want to reassure you that your confusion about a backsplash is totally normal.

I love this picture of Taj Mahal with light brown tiles, its Fireclay Brownstone. I think Taj Mahal is enhanced with a warm color backsplash.

Cliffs Valley · More Info

I looked at Taj Mahal photos. Most of them show light backsplashes. With your dark cabinets, I don't think it will look like a hospital.

This idea might be kind of whack but I did something similar, but with color, not relief tiles.

What if you used a shade of off white that basically matches your white trees and a shade of darker off white/very light beige that complements those tiles. All the same size. So now you have three tiles, including the trees. Use a running bond but just scatter the trees randomly throughout the backsplash.

Then possibly you could do something similar behind your range, but with just the off white 2 x 2 tile and random 2 x 2 trees inside a border. Though I'm not sure you need a range accent to with those counters, I can see why you'd like one.

FWIW, my DD is a potter. She turned me onto a local handmade tile maker. I cannot tell you how much joy I get from my tile. You love the Gainey tiles and I agree with the folks who think that you should try to use them in your kitchen. While I'm at it, when I was little, a horse with a new foal bit me as I reached to pet her baby. My mother told this story my entire life, the point being that horses hated me on sight, ha ha. When I was 42, I bought my first horse. Sometimes mothers are just wrong.

Like this, barncatz? Pretend a few of the whites have trees. There are four colors here I think.

Traditional Kitchen · More Info

barncatz - I love that strory!

Thanks May -when I looked closely at the upper cabinet, it appeared to open to the outside.

Yes, mayflowers, great example.

oldbat2be, I thought that too!

You guys are the best! I think that is a great idea barncatz! I can't wait to try it. Tomorrow I will lay out a section of the backsplash using your idea and take a picture. I have exactly all the tiles and color you are suggesting in my backyard. Excited!

Oh and I love your horse story. Thanks

I knew I had another photo of that kitchen but I couldn't find it in my Ideabook when I was on my tablet. The pics were too small. I like the mix of three or four colors too. At one time I was going to use this idea with my cherry cabinets and light-colored quartz counter.

Rustic Kitchen · More Info

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/3652266/backsplash-help-mixed-neutrals-subway-tile

may - that last picture is lovely.

mayflowers, I remember that linked photo. It's what gave me the idea of mixing colors; along with eam44's mixed matte and glossy tile post.

perri, keep us posted! And you're welcome. :)

well I am starting the back splash today. Thanks to all of you for your wisdom and suggestions. I am using a 3x6 handmade off-white tile and interspersing the white tree tile in a random pattern. I have tiled several times in the past, but never using such a difficult tile. But I love the look of this handmade tile and now it will have a different look than machine made. I will keep the grout lines a bit larger to accommodate for the tile variances, so let's see what happens. I will post a pic when I am finished. Wish me luck!

Luck!

Any pictures?!

We are working on last section today. It was hard achieving a decent random pattern for the white tree tiles since they were a bit larger in size than the field tile. So it's been a lot of extra cutting and slow going. We aren't professionals so there was a lot of "discussion" on how to get it looking right. Not easy working with dh! Lol. So far it is looking good, to me anyway. I should be able to grout in 2-3 day I will take pictures by end of week. Excited!

Thanks for the update, glad to hear you are liking it. Now as to grout - that's another decision.

Using double-sided sticky tape, adhere leftover tile pieces to a smallish piece of plywood (or other - shouldn't be flexible). You want a smaller piece, so it can fit under your uppers and rest on the countertop. Then, mix up a small batch of your grout choice and slap on to your sample board per directions. Clean up and wait a day to let the grout color dry, then see how you like the effect. Take pictures of it in place, then chip off the pieces of tile (hammer and screwdriver) (very easy), and repeat with next grout sample if desired. If you have enough left over tile, do multiple at the same time.

To give you an idea, here are some I did recently. These were just grouted.

I wanted to let everyone know I have not forgotten to post pics. I ran out of grout and have a small section to finish. I will post pictures by end of week. So far I am loving it. Looks beautiful.. To me anyway

Can't wait to see it!!

Backsplash reveal! Sorry it took so long. I like how it came out. We used handmade Gainey ceramic tile and epoxy grout. It is very thick and very irregular so grout lines had to be thicker than I would have liked. It took my husband and I about a week to get it all done.

Beautiful!

Great choice. I love those tree tiles. Very pretty!

WOW!!! Looks amazing! I bet you're really enjoying the beautiful new space!

It's a very pretty complement to your Taj Mahal! I like what you did under the hood too--the two-tone diamonds tie it all together. Good job!

I love it, feels elegant and classic. And mayflowers is right (but of course :)) that it's gorgeous with your counters. One of my favorite Taj combos that I've seen. Seems like Taj is often paired with cooler tones that emphasize its gray. And I am often not a hood tile cheerleader, but I love your little trees and diamonds! If you're like me, you're going to find yourself idly contemplating and admiring your lovely backsplash, lol.

Thanks for the update!