IMO, grey will be tough to pull off with everything else....Colors in kitchen are warm, and the grey is cool. The light cream is better. Not sure you will be able to pull of that pattern with the granite however. From the pictures, my gut says it may not be the best choice for your set of considerations.

I think the granite is too uniform to be hideous, it looks gray from far away.

I don't think either of those colors do much. I will look around.

What's your budget?

the pattern is too obvious an "insertion" trying to get a point across. the houses in our neighborhood in the 60's had two inch by two inch solid colored tilework in kitchens and baths-from white to gray to black to green to blue to yellow to orange. See that orangeish bowl on your counter-go get that in a 2 by 2 tile and put down a mat in a similar shade. Simple...slightly vibrant with a bit of color..that's it.

I like Herb's idea of a bright color . Would look nice with the counter and light colored cabs too.

Thanks all. Re budget, I need 25 square feet of tile and want to do the whole thing (all materials) for about $750. That would put me at a max of about $25-27 a foot. The tiles in the photo are about $17 a foot. I feel like spending any more is putting good money after bad given the granite.

I like the idea of an orange 2x2, but I’m afraid it just would make the granite stand out even more as being inappropriate. The granite has a pink/purple/gray tone to it. Also, finding the right orange to blend with all the woods could be a trick.

I’m steering clear of metals because of the glam factor, and from natural stones because of the ubiquitous factor. Glass is an option, depending on the application.

I’m beginning to think I should just wait until later in the year and just splurge on a new countertop (a zero-movement quartz of some kind) and possibly some Heath Ceramics or similar tile. (New countertop would run 2,500-4,000). But then I’d want to move the fridge away from the wall, and shift the sink, and which would mean some cabinet changes . . . you see how that goes.

I was thinking of Daltile Keystones 2x2 color body porcelain in Suede Gray or Castlerock first. They also have 2x1 and 2x4. Much cheaper than $25 a foot.

Here is one that is a really pale pink available in 3x3:

https://www.completetile.com/products/ceramic/vermeere_ceramics/ceramic_tile/pretty-pink-gloss

another:

https://www.completetile.com/products/ceramic/mcintones_ceramics/ceramic_tile/blush

Acknowledge and embrace the pink!

Thanks pal and lisaam. I don't think I could do pink, but I do like the tonal variations in those matte McIntones. I priced countertops while I was out and I'm looking at about $4K if I get a new sink, too (which I would). I'd then spend more on the BS tile, which would definitely make this a much-later-in-the-year proposition.

Daltile Natural Hues has a color that hovers between taupe and pink and may be pink enough to pick up on the granite but not pink enough to be super pink. It is called Rose Beige. I am probably using it in my kitchen where I hope it skews a bit pink because of the copper oven and cooktop.

Actually this granite is exactly the sort of granite people used when they first started using granite in modernist kitchens (probably in the late 1960s or early 1970s). This is what was mostly available because it was used for building cladding and grave stones. (which may be why people don't like it). But its probably a much better fit for a mid century house than some of the wildly veined and colored granites currently popular.

Embracing the pink!

Using just orange - the counter disappears I think. (If you can live with the orange...)

If you can find clean tile shots (i.e., from the website), I'll be glad to photoshop a few for you.

Pal - I love that light pink tile! I may put that into a guest bathroom shower!

I think the countertop looks fine. The pink looks good with it. The cabinets look great - I’d defintely not change those. But if you are thinking of replacing the countertop at some point, I’d wait on the backsplash until then.

I think the kitchen looks fine for now. I wouldn't waste time/money on this right now and would wait until I could change the other elements too.

I have Rosa Gray Silestone that is almost identical to that granite. My walls are purple (Behr Blackberry Wine), which I think looks spiffy with the granite. I like pink, too, though.

Here's a link to a thread with my purple kitchen reveal. The Silestone looks a bit washed out in the pics, but I think it's a pretty good match for your granite.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2613371/paint-reveal-and-not-being-on-trend?n=53

im with others, if u are going to replace counters in a year or 2, then just leave as is. why waste $ if its going to be ripped out anyway. save the $$ u would spend on B/S towards new counters and u are already ahead of the game.

i could never live with that pink tile. for the orange, i would go darker, more towards terra cotta. a darker tile will enhance your cabs, the light colors wash them out.

What about a deep dusky plum?

Could you share the name of your tile samples please?

Pal’s second pink looks nice and may push back the pink tones in the counter, so you get an MCM vibe and tone down the counter at the same time.

This is porcelain tile from Tilebar $14 sq foot. It looks like metal, though it's not, so might be too 'glam' for what you want.

Here's the link if you're interested

This is the tile that I would do, only in a suitable grey.

My previous home has miles of pine v-match wainscot and eave walls, with wood floors in oak and pine. Floors and wainscot were finished in a clear poly, and we easily had every shade seen in your kitchen (from these photos) from the darker ruddy brown to the paler cabinet colors. With the natural lighting and smaller, low ceiling rooms, we found that saturated colors worked best with all the wood tones. The green below is SW Sassy Green.

All this to say I think a saturated mid-tone green or orange would look good in that space.

A few years ago, a kitchen reveal was posted on here of a kitchen that was done to reflect the MCM roots of the house, and they used a mosaic tile in bright shades small square tiles, and it looked perfect in the kitchen. I don't know wether it would work with that granite, though. Alas, I cannot find that kitchen again.

Good luck! I hope it was not too hard to leave your fab previous kitchen!