IMO walnut is avery elegant wood and does not work with distressed anything there is eclectic and then just too many things.IMO with those cabinets and that counter a simple backsplash will work The biscuit sink does not work for meeand where else do you have copper

Well... I love the mix of the knotty walnut and the creamy distressed Island... the fact that the walnut is knotty makes it less formal and I think it will be a perfect mix!!!! The sink will be perfect and look good with the countertops and island. I would do a biscuit colored subway tile (to match the sink)... that will help pull it all together (I don't think I will ever get tired of subway tile) and the copper accent will be fun... and you can tie that in with your accessories.... It will be wonderful... especially as it starts to patina!!! Maybe an upholstered barstool? or walnut? and... maybe wait to do the barstools when the project is finished so you have a better idea of what will work or not. Can't wait to see it... please post pictures when it's done!

It's knotty walnut, which is a little less elegant, and my cousin, who is an interior kitchen designer, suggested it because I love dark cabinets and I love distressed. She wanted the island to be a statement piece. I have copper pendant lights. The sink is a lot closer to white to go with the white in the marble counters. I'm farmhouse eclectic and I pick what inspires me and I've been extremely pleased with my choices in the past. I have remodeled 4 house and received nothing but compliments in the end. I think most people feel that everything should matchy match and I'm soooo not like that. I do think a simple back splash is the way to go. I'll post pics after my remodel....maybe you will like it in the end. :)

Hi Kelly.....I love your comments!!!! Thanks for that!!! I think you are so right on matching the tile with the sink and I'm definitely waiting until the project is complete before choosing my tiles. I thought the copper would be a pop of fun as well. I know it's silly, but my husband is a commercial electrician and he wanted copper so bad and when I looked at the true copper hoods and lights, I fell in love (very expensive but love them). I'm so not traditional and love the mix. Thanks for your input on the barstools as well. I was thinking of upholstered for comfort but with a darker "slightly distressed" wood body. I'll post pics for sure!! Hopefully I will make all the right decisions.

Thanks M&M!!! Subway tiles to match sink???? I just feel that subway is timeless, but that's just me.

Lisa, you probably should wait until everything is together before you make a decision on a backsplash. Sometimes you just have to see something before it makes sense.

Kathi....so true. I'm waiting but I wanted a little advice too. My husband tells me to slow down too, but I'm anxious and excited. I will post pics after the kitchen is installed and then I will feel better about the backsplash and barstool choices. Thank you!!!

Hi lisa. I saw your other comment.

go ahead and order some samples, but wait until everything is in before deciding on the splash. I like your choices for cabs, but I might have gone w/a diff color island.

Why don't you do a copper sink to tie into the pendants and hood? copper w/that black, gray and walnut will look beautiful together.

the gray is a crackle glaze, Dove Gray subway, the white subways are from CleTile, glazed terra cotta (these are thick) in weathered white and the fish scale is a gray glaze

I have a sample of them here: they are not a bright white. more of an off white. they are the ones on the bottom left. The black would look really cool w/your counter and copper.

the ones on the right are a larger glazed brick subway.

Encore Ceramics (you commented on a previous post where she used these tiles in a white kitchen. hers were Cashmere. These are Silver)

and these are Storm in the Eliot line. (these come in different shapes and sizes and you can mix and match colors. they have some gorgeous crackle glass)

you mentioned farmhouse,,,so I'll put these up here,,,these are tiles that look like wood,,,2x6 I believe.

Thank you so much, Beth!!! I'm glad you found my post. Some people say the same about my island but it's a done deal at this point. I guess I just fell in love with that rustic look and I also love the walnut. It was a quick decision and I hope I'm happy with it because it's already made. I wanted a copper sink so bad!!!! However, my husband was afraid of the patina changing is only certain areas as the salesman described to us. My husband is the cook and he was scared of that. I'm hoping the copper hood and pendants will be enough. I absolutely love your back splash choices. I will have to look at those. I got so stuck on the traditional subway tiles. I love the thick options because I'm afraid my old house doesn't have very straight walls and that would help with gaps. Thank you so much!!

Beth, can you tell me where to find the thick small glazed terra cotta tiles? Thank you

subway will look great. you can do them vertically. and staggered (staggered as in ... hmmm.. i don't know how to explain that...) but we did this in our kitchen. our granite is similar to yours, slightly less going on, same palette. and same shaker style cabinets walnut ones. island of course is not like yours. everything else is nickel/stainless steel... we picked color of backsplash from the granite. any one from it. at one look we didn't like our backsplash because it is so different. but second day we loved it. because it is so different.

like the pictures Beth H posted.. second last and third last of it. thats the subway tile but that same pattern, same way, vertically.

note grout shades too. these help the tiles pop.

WOW, different thinking Anum! I like different and I love Beth's choices! Thanks for your input!!! Everything is a personal choice for sure, but I hope people love it when they see it. My husband loves my choices so far and that makes me feel good. Thank you

I am that person who loves different grout colors. I do not like white grout....my image of cleaning white grout is horrible. I like colored grout to pull out the tile pattern.

I'm definitely into rustic/distressed so the off white "chipped" look of the herringbone small rectangular tiles intrigue me.

a rough shot using my laptop..

I love that look....you did a great job, Anum!!!!! Thanks for sharing the pic...it helps me visualize better!

the black and white are the thicker ones, Zelliege. (they come in other shapes as well)

https://www.cletile.com/collections/terracotta-tile-glazed-zellige

I like the idea of doing a herringbone or the stack pattern, and there are different ways to this layout.

the larger tiles on the right are the glazed bricks

https://www.cletile.com/collections/brick-tile-glazed-glazed-thin-brick

Lisa, here is their instagram page if you want to see what some of these tiles look like

https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/cletile/

oh, also, tell your husband I've had my copper sink for 12 years or so and love it! yes, it does change here and there, but nothing horrible

Beth, I'm so excited you shared these with me because I was having a hard time finding something different and rustic/weathered looking. I just visited the web pages and I'm thrilled. These are amazing and I love herringbone patterns. I greatly appreciate your advice and I'm going to order some samples to lay against my countertop. Thank you! Lisa

Beth, I just noticed your husband comment about the sink. Ugh! I wish I would have seen that before now. I wanted a copper sink so bad. He was so afraid of acidic foods changing the color drastically. Well, maybe in the near future I'll change it out. Thanks

Beth H...Can you tell me who makes those 2 x 6 wood look tiles?