@colbran, do you have a link to the tile you posted?

Kay, it's Daltile.

https://www.tilesdirect.net/categories/daltile/ion-metals

https://www.daltile.com/products/tile/ion-metals

Top link has the beveled wall tile (like a subway sort of), bottom doesn't for some reason, but has the decorative (which the top doesn't).

I love that daltile posted. It would look great with something light...I love this herringbone pattern.

See how the lighter counter and tile opens everything up even with the gray cabinetry....which I happen to really like.

Kay, Melissa brings up a good point. The cabinet color is pretty, it just happens to not go well with the granite. Sooooo, feel good about the cabinet color and move past that. Now just work on the DH and get new granite/countertop (since he was the cabinet color picker). All of a sudden, your space will take on a whole new look!

I’ll be happy to replace this outdated granite which I’ve never liked with a fresh white granite or quartz. It’ll open up so many more choices for tile. Y’all have no idea- I’ve been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole for weeks now. And it’s been because of this dang granite. I feel like I just went thru weeks of therapy and just had a breakthrough! Yes, it really has been that dramatic! Ha!

OR...you could just repaint the cabinets in a color that goes with the counter. Like a tan or khaki. Then add a sparkly (maybe glass?, or with a subtle glass imbedded in it) tan subway tile for the splash.

Please don’t repaint the cabinets. Spend the cash on the countertop

There is no backsplash that is going to make that granite go with that color paint and floor. Replace the tops as well. Bring a piece of the floor and large paint samples of the cabinet and wall color to the stone yard and see what you find.

If the granite was preexisting and you have never really liked it, there really is no need to try and wrap the rest of the kitchen around it.

I have had to work with this granite because it came with the house and the client had no intention of changing it. She didn't like it but she wasn't going to trash a countertop that was a couple years old due to esthetics.

Her "brown" was very pink and her cabinets were a cherry finish so we ended up using a pinkish beige paint which most people would probably hate because everyone seems to despise pink now, but it worked.

However, given your other finish choices and your dislike of the granite, maybe you could donate this and get another stone that was more compatible with the other finishes.

Do not spend any more money in that kitchen that is not toward replacing those counter tops. That is your very first priority. Not a back splash.

Glass-glass-glass! I agree a simple subway tile in a 3x6 size would look great, but a GLASS subway tile. They type that looks like clear hard candy with a color would look great and enhance your countertop, the plain colored tile {smooth with no texture, would compliment the small random areas of color in your counter. Pick a color that works with countertop and also your paint colors. You never know, if you get the right tile you may be surprised and even wind up liking your countertops.

This is what happens when one tries to decorate around something they very much dislike. They just keep throwing good money after bad and they're never happy in the end. And a husband and his veto are usually involved!

I once had a client who bought a 4000 sq ft new house when she was pregnant with their first child. It needed carpet and in a moment of hormonal madness, she put burnt orange carpet in the ENTIRE HOUSE - yes, all the rooms except kitchen and bath. And she bought WOOL.

Husband would not allow it to be replaced and could not understand why I could not magically make the house look better with all this awful carpet. I resigned from this job - impossible. His solution was ultimately to just buy another house and take a loss on this one. Go figure...

@artsy phartsy, my mother recommended the same- glass tile but also suggested stainless steel subway tile. Those would definitely tie in but it’s hard to get past the cabinet color with the granite. There’s one time of day when the lighting makes the cabinet color match. Then there’s the other 22 hours left...
I mentioned this to DH this afternoon and he flipped out, literally. And I had barely mentioned the idea of ‘warm vs cool vs dated vs no matchey’ and well the conversation went out the door or rather through the smoke coming out of his ears. So now I’m seeking advice on how to avoid an adult temper tantrum while trying to initiate a rational, adult conversation regarding kitchen countertops.

Deep breath, patience. He'll come around. They almost always do! And if all else fails and that doesn't work, then let him have it! LOL!! JK....it will all work out. I have to reason with my DH too during my project that has been going on since last June. I'm about at the end of my remodeling rope. Mine has great taste, but when it comes to color, he HAS to leave that to me...he's color blind. I'm currently in a huge thread of my own working on color combinations, etc., so I feel for you ("I could use some backsplash help!" if you'd care to enter your 2 cents).

Your kitchen has no jewelry meaning knobs or handles. The stiles look to be very narrow. Are they too much so to add knobs or handles? Maybe in an oil rubbed bronze look to tie in the deep brown of the counter. I would use a creamy white backsplash with a light warm grey grout just dark enough to delineate the tiles.

@blondell, I just haven’t decided on hardware yet. Good advice! I do like http://senecatiles.com/seneca-shades-gray/# since my floors are ‘rustic select’. This is also nice https://pin.it/tlhzcxyc64eflj
I was kind of hoping to have a tile with a little punch to draw attention AWAY from the granite. And, this is where Houzz.com came in- desperately, I needed to be rescued from this madness

@colbran- thanks for the emotional support. Geesh, I wonder if some of these threads ever end with the inquiry: “anyone know of a good divorce lawyer?”
I’m going to check out your thread now ☺️

price out a granite or quartz that you like - then have another talk with DH. No sense talking with him if you don't have any info. Altho, looking at pal's mock-up, the current is not so bad - just that tile. How big is your counter area?

ps - if you do that dark coppery tile, I'm pretty sure you will regret it. Buy one sample tile and keep it in your drawer to look at on rainy days.

Daisychain01- thanks for your input! You’re right - I do need more information to present. For the present if I were to keep my granite, would you recommend a more urban approach such as a high gloss glazed brick or a more transparent glass with a neutral color?

If you draw out your kitchen & dimensions you can usually email them to a fabricator to get a "rough estimate". This is where we started with both our kitchen projects. At least you will have something to save towards. Baby steps...

What state are you in? Are you in an urban area?

Shop around.... do you have Floor and Decor near you?

Changing out the countertop and backsplash would be our recommendation. It seems like it would help everything in your kitchen flow a lot better. Here are some of our kitchen designs to help with ideas:

Kay, [--sorry such a long post!]

You are not alone in this I've been there too as a newlywed 12 years ago. Sometimes my hubby will just cling on to some old thing in the house , take a stand about it and won't let go {figuratively}. He is just concerned about keeping our finances healthy, we had never owned a home before and he was afraid we would overextend ourselves. It came with 'Bisque' colored appliances, broken ones which needed to be replaced. 'Bisque' or 'Biscuit' equates to being beige --yuk! Although I really wanted 'Stainless steel' he insisted on replacing all of the appliances with the same ugly Bisque color only because it was a little cheaper at the time. And in trying to be a good little newlywed wifey --I complied after some 'discussion' which was on the toasty side lol. In hindsight my husband looks back on it now and says himself that he should have went for the stainless instead but meant well. Thankfully {sort of} over time appliances all broke again {nothing seems to be made to last anymore} and we finally have the stainless I originally wanted because we finally redid our ugly 1970's kitchen after 12 years of living with our old one.

As far as your dilemma goes if you are forced to live with the countertops for now, I think 'color is key'. I am wondering if you could buy plain classic 3 x 6 glass subway tiles in a color that will work with both your countertop and cabinet paint to work with both of them at that time of the day {those 22 hours} when you say those color don't work together? If you could find a color of that tile that works with 'both' that might be all you need to tie them together and make the cabinets and counter work with each other. It would have the be the 'perfect color' though to work it's magic, after looking at your photos perhaps a pretty pale or medium gray color? I think the plain smooth shiny candy quality of the sleek colored glass 3 x 6 tiles will make the mottled colors of the countertop look their best & bring out it's best qualities. On the bright side, at least you are starting out with actual 'granite', I had to suffer with beige, stained Formica with holes in it for 12 years, I would have traded my Formica for your natural granite in a heart beat!

Here are some possibilities of grays, taupe. I don't know if you like the color pink at all, maybe you could also just embrace it if you want to & put a rug with a little pink in it on the floor. Or just use a gray or taupe tile and put a rug with a little pink on the floor. Maybe even a tan glass tile that goes with your cabinets could work, and you could just let the countertop be the accent pop of color to contrast everything else. These are not active links, I just copied and pasted them.

I was bored so I played around a little--snowed in with too much time on my hands. Of course these tiles are not the right size, but just to give an idea of how they might look, would look better smaller than that of course. Pink & green look good together. If you add tans and browns you might be able to get the pink to read more as brown and tone down the pink if you don't like it, the green looks like it goes well. Its really hard to tell exactly what your cabinet color really is on though on the monitor.

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Or, maybe your granite could suffer an “unfortunate “....uh...”accident”, like uh .....you dropped an anvil on it. Yeah, like in a Road Runner cartoon.

Could happen? Right?

Who wants to live with a giant gash on their countertop? Not you!

This pin shows my countertops, floor and paint color for a more accurate presentation since it’s difficult to see via monitor: https://pin.it/pzzh3uo47mgl7j

And I attached a few more pics to show the kitchen as a whole

With this rendering from artsyphartsy I actually quite like the countertops!! I think she nailed it!

@melissa, I like your thinking hehe. And yes, I’d already thought of that. I need to get my perfect countertop picked out and on standby for when Mr. Pink accidentally receives a big gash. Oops!

@artsy, love that you put those images together! Thank you! Really makes a difference. Is that photoshop or do have a simple app?

We just moved into a new home with basic beige tiles that seem to lean pink. I immediately chose a shade of green for the bathrooms to “neutralize” the pink! It worked perfectly. I’m wondering if choosing a simple backsplash with some green tones would help to wash out the pink in your tops?

Omg
Artsy is BRILLIANT.

Go pick the most hideous pink tile you can find and tell him this is your DREAM tile and you just have to have it and how much CHEAPER it is.

Also, does hubby realize that a backsplash can be pretty costly depending upon what you choose? Maybe try to convince him to put whatever you would spend on a backsplash, that will ultimately be just an attempt to make you hate your granite a little less, into new countertops that you'll actually love...make sense?

Yes and yes!
I’ll pick out hideous, glittery pink tile, say it’s $50+/sq ft and I must have it.

Kay, your welcome, I had fun adding things to your kitchen! I don't have any special app, I just use the one here on Houzz 'Sketch'. I just take a screen shot of your kitchen & then upload it into the Houzz 'sketch' app and then add things to it by clicking on 'Products'. If you click on a single tile you can click 'duplicate' and make more of them appear, & then make them smaller & then 'tile' the wall with them. I couldn't get them any smaller than they are now which is why they are so big and wonky looking.

I know you don't like your countertops, but after seeing better photos dare I say this but...... I don't hate the countertops in your kitchen.... {please don't shoot me for saying that!}. Love your cabinet color, and floors are gorgeous! Not to mention that your kitchen is HUGE! --I'm jealous of the size! I think all you really need to make a drastic change for minimal expense is to change out the backsplash. I'm not a fan of the 'Tuscan travertine' tile sort of look myself. A nice sleek, simple contemporary backsplash could work wonders. But if you hate your countertop you hate it, enough said. Now we just have to get your Hubby to hate it too lol!

As far as 'pink tile' most husbands would indeed RUN from pink tile. My father has learned to live with the color somehow Mom has it everywhere throughout their house LOL! The first two I put together are my favorites because they tone down the countertop with a greenish tan sort of kaki color and green in the rug. If you do chose pink tile I would imagine it might either be just to embrace it instead of fighting it, or to rub it in to Hubby because he is insisting you keep pink in the countertops lol! If he wants pink.... then he GETS PINK! LOL {very passive aggressive lol!}.

There are calmer pink glass tiles out there in the world, much more soft and subtle than the ones I was forced to use for an example, not any subtle ones to chose from on Houzz unfortunately {at least I couldn't find any anyway, I could only find that really bright one}. I think you really would have to LOVE pink a whole lot to do your backsplash in it, and some people do so and love it, which is fine and to each their own. Personally pink is not something I normally chose or gravitate to for myself, I'm not really a pink girl. But sometimes other women do, my Mom for example {and maybe a few men or 'other' people} . Under these circumstances with your particular countertop, thinking outside of the box is necessary. I'm curious to see if your Hubby changes his mind eventually or stands his ground --please keep us posted, mine eventually gave in but it took him 12 years lol!

P.S. I see a puppy bed and dishes, what do you have? I have a very happily spoiled Maltese.

Here are some more ideas using your new photos, {the new ones really help me see what your taste/style is and what the room really looks like. I'm liking the neutral colors for this kitchen. {& Pink tile idea not so much --unless you want punish hubby lol!} Now that I see our beautiful floor, wall color, cabinets & everything else, can't imagine doing pink tiles anymore for 'any' reason, this room looks so good in neutrals.

{I think how you already put tan & silver throughout the room was a smart thing, to make the pink in the counter read more tan/brown than pink.}

Your granite already has a strong character so I wouldn't put a backsplash to compete with it. Go with something simple and clean. Maybe soft white like Whisper White arabesque, or polished and beveledGreecian White marble tile backsplash? They are simple, but still warm and make the flow between cabinets and countertops natural.

Artsy- thank you thank you! I posted more photos (in natural light) because the original didn’t represent the colors very well and plus I felt the whole room needed to be considered. Basically I just needed to take a step back and really appreciate what is there before starting a huge project. Yeah, I wouldn’t have chosen the granite if I had had a choice but it’s at least workable I felt. I’m a lover of nature and our house is full of rocks and minerals mainly due to my 5 yr old (and myself) soooooo the big slab of rock in itself is beautiful in its self. Might sound corny but I do appreciate it for what it is. Anyway, I also looked around for a subtle, pinkish tile and didn’t throw out the idea entirely. Many thanks for seeing through my eyes and anguish at trying to get it right. After much thought and discussion with hubby and a cousin other professionals in the industry I’ve decided to stick with my original plan in keeping the granite. Yes, I’d love something on the white spectrum but I’d also need tile in the end and well it’s just way more $$$. I’m okay with what I have. Maybe it’s not the ultimate best but it’s the best right now So, yesterday I got back on the wagon. Can I get an ‘atta girl’??! Haha. I picked out a few. I’ll post them here

Atta girl!

I wouldn't spend another penny trying to make the granite fit the rest of the kitchen. I like your granite, but the other finishes in the room don't work with it. You don't need a tile backsplash. Paint is fine. Put the backsplash money towards correcting the problem.

Would your husband and cousin be open to repainting the cabinets? A color that doesn't require a new counter or backsplash? It just seems like such a waste to have gone this far with your reno and still be unhappy with it, when you know how to fix it. Sometimes we make mistakes and it's ok to move on to make it right! Do you really think pink tile is the solution? You don't have to settle.

I agree with Eileen. Please, no pinkish tile. Especially with your gray cabinets.

Check around and see how much a new countertop costs and then save up for it. Yeah, it’s stone, but it’s not your style....I think your cabinets are really nice and I would not change them. So doing nothing right now is always an option.

I suppose my inspiration stems from our Italian Greyhound (@artsy, you asked about my fur baby). Here are a few samples I brought home yesterday

Couple more

OMG. I want him! He’s ADORABLE!

And, I actually really, really like the first tile....can we see a larger picture of it please?

I think that might really work! What is it?

I really like both the first and the second tile (second slightly better as it looks richer with the granite) in the first picture. Can we get more photos with just those two, showing both upper and lower cabinets in the pic?

@melissa, I’ll take another pic to get a larger view when I get back home. The brick is Seneca Tiles in Glacier blend. The other 2 brick-like are Tesoro Grunge. I like those but up close can look kinda like a digital print. Astoria is really nice- the white called Bergamot- slight metallic

The Seneca Glacier blend

The Seneca can be blended as shown in the board but also as separate tiles

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'ATTA GIRL Kay!!! { & sorry such a long post}

Puppy cuteness overload!! A rescue from a racetrack?? As I mentioned I have a very spoiled and loved Maltese dog 'my son'! Funny that your color inspiration is also your dog! Coincidentally our insparation was too, he is white with a black nose and eyes, and our kitchen is white, black and gray! Can't wait to look at the photos of tiles to chose from! I'll get back to you on that. And on the subject of 'pink' tile, if your were still considering it at all I do think you were on the right track looking for the 'palest' of pinks, or something 'pink-ish' as you called it if you were to do pink. I think that would be the only sort of shade to work, anything brighter would have looked overwhelming and not good in my opinion paired with your very pale ,earthy, natural looking kitchen. I like other earthy colors for your kitchen too, hard to pinpoint exactly precisely which tile though because tan and gray can vary so much and deviate from what they really are on a computer screen. so ultimately I suggest 'trusting your gut' about what looks best with your materials, opinions of the people who have seen the subtleties of your materials in person would also be valuable.

Sometimes I think it can be even more fun when doing a project and working with what you already have because it's more of a challenge and very rewarding in the end. We had to do close to what your doing in our main bathroom, and the challenges we faced are very similar to yours. It wasn't in our budget to redo our kitchen and all 2 1/2 baths in our house, so we had to pick and choose which we did. In our main bathroom our original 1979 tile, and bathtub is in excellent condition. But in the beginning at first I hated the color called 'Mexican Sand' which is a coffee color with very strong 'PINK' tones in it {sounding familiar Kay? lol!}.

Our tub and tile could have read entirely pink depending on what I chose to pair with it. So I took my time and very carefully picked a wall paint in a warm sandy color with yellow tones in it, this paint color brought out the 'brown' in the tile instead of the 'pink'. We also chose to replace the small formica countertop which holds a single sink and replaced with a quartz top, which looks like actual sand on a beach. So in our case we got rid of the counter and kept the tile, opposite of what you are doing. We also added a new toilet, and a new undermount sink in the same color as the existing bathroom tile ---Kohler still makes 'Mexican Sand' {thankfully lol!}. I hated the tile in the beginning and now I actually LOVE my beachy looking Mexican sand tiled bathroom! And it was so rewarding to make it all work, I'm proud of it now. I hope you will have similar results and also be satisfied with the results of your finished project!!{I too have a huge collection of crystals, geodes, various rocks, sea shells & sea glass. }

P.S. Update: I just took a look at all of your tile samples, and I think you will do fine picking something that works! I see a lot of possibilities which look as though they could work from the samples you have chosen, your choosing well. It would be helpful if you post some photos of the tiles in the kitchen while standing far back from them & including the wall & cabinet color in the whole picture. I am better at telling how a tile would look when seeing it with the rest of the kitchen. Looks like you are on the right track! I had not considered a matt tile, but that also looks great and will be a nice contrast to the shiny countertops. Is it easy to clean? Might be something to consider if you are an avid cook. --Sorry about the long post, hard for me to say everything and keep it short!