Hi Sina, thank you for your feedback. My kitchen is completely open to our living room, so I was excited to "warm" it up with the rustic stone, but I do see your point and you're not the only person who has pointed this out to me. Would you recommend an ivory glass tile with matching grout? If I don't go with the stone, I'd like to keep it with very clean lines and very modern. Any suggestions are appreciated. My husband and I are doing this all diy....but I don't want it to look like we dyi'd it, if ya know what I'm saying.

Very pretty! And I have to agree with Sina - it will be tough to clean the grease off of those textured rock tiles. Keep looking, but don't settle!

Taj Mahal is AMAZING!! You need to let it be the star & get a boring backsplash that will compliment it & not complete with it. A crackle tile would be nice. Take some of the lighter colors from your stone & find a simple tile with matching grout.

I agree with Sina - a rough stone like that is going to be impossible to keep clean. Your countertops are gorgeous and I would let them be the star. If you want a bit of pizzazz, look at ceramic tiles (subway or another shape) with a crackle finish or a bevel (or both), something like that - more interesting than just a standard subway but not detracting from your counters (and easy to keep clean). Glass could be nice too.

ETA: I love the mother-of-pearl tile mark_rachel posted while I was typing! And the crackles too!

Love both the tiles mark_rachel posted as ideas, especially the crackle. And agree completely with those recommending against the stone. The irregular surface will drive you nuts trying to clean it (especially leaving little bits of sponge torn off) and being porous, you'll end up with it staining behind your cooktop.

Gorgeous countertop!! I agree with the others about the backsplash. While on its own, it is a lovely material, it is not a good backsplash in terms of function and with your super star Taj counters, it is not a good fit either.

The mother-of-pearl or crackle are great choices to me.

once, I found a list on these forums, created by an architect..I loved it so much I saved it. Two quotes come to mind..(and yes I had to go through sacrificing elements I love too..)

" When designing a house, be as proud as what you reject as to what you accept."

and

" Sometimes you have to sacrifice your favorite part for the whole."

So yes..I agree with previous comments..love the idea of crackle tile(check whether needs to be sealed etc)..in general, just a very subtle variation will give you enough interest. Your Taj Mahal is mind-blowing..let it stay so, let it be a main jewel so to say..with the backsplash supporting its glory rather than fighting it. And it won't be boring to you either. You'll love it. It will be a great part of the whole.

If your choice were only between to 2 you originally posted, I'd choose the one on the right--the cream one. From the photos it looks like it works very well with your quartzite. The gray one is "off" just enough not to look pleasing.

However, as many have noted, either one is more difficult to clean than a smooth surface. What sort of cook are you--very neat or more devil-may-care? If you are very neat and do not splash much when you cook, then you may get away with the split-faced marble, but if you are a more exuberant cook, you may find it a challenge to clean.

The mother of pearl is very formal and quite busy, so it's going to compete with the counter tops as well. Personally, I would use a smooth crackle tile in a tan/beige tone to work with your quartzite. Simple is always good.

The warmer one on the right, but consider a stainless or back painted glass solid panel behind the stove. This eliminates the concern of splashes from cooking. That rustic stone will provide the warmth you desire. You clean it every once in a while with a soft brush, just slightly damp. We have clients who place a cookie sheet behind the stove when they know they are going to get really messy.

Wow. Thank you SO much for all of the feedback. I read them as they came in and I feel like I've been mourning my (left) split-face marble for the last 24 hours. I see it isn't what I'm going to go with now. What I ultimately really want is Calacatta gold marble mosaic in horizonal rectangle shapes. I've seen it paired with Taj Mahal on Houzz and I love the look, but it's more than I want to pay. I'm going to start looking for a neutral tone of greige tile/crackle tile and see if I can find something I love. I do think I really like the matte/stone look and have been looking at beige/greige travertine or brushed marble. I actually love the color of the bare drywall...haha.

@aprilneverends thanks for this: " Sometimes you have to sacrifice your favorite part for the whole." I've considered this quote all day!! It's a very good rule of thumb.

Mark_rachel where did you find that crackle tile in your post? The color is perfect.

The two you posted seem like they would be very hard to keep clean and don't go perfectly with the countertop. You chose an amazing countertop. Why not choose a great backsplash too? A nice tile that sparkles or something with a little color might look wonderful in your kitchen.

Upscale Family Home: Kitchen · More Info

Liz, that crackle tile is lovely--try Walker Zanger, Gramercy Park collection, in their Pipe Smoke color. It's a crackle in a grey/beige color. Other suggestions are Sonoma Tile, Fireclay Tile and Heath Tile. They all have lots of colors in crackle finish tiles.

Liz, I just posted these tiles from Encore Ceramics for someone else thinking about Taj. You really have to go to their site to see all the glaze colors. there was another poster on here that ended up going w/the Cashmere for her quartzite.

http://encoreceramics.com/crackle-glazes/

here are all of the shapes

http://encoreceramics.com/standard-field/

and their mosaics are stunning...

http://encoreceramics.com/mosaics/

they will do any color, shape, whatever you want.

you could do something like this in a solid silvery shade to compliment the Taj.

these are both Encore, different crackle glaze

Did you select a backsplash yet? We would love to see pics!

We used polished

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