I am doing my kitchen in very similar colors and this is the one I am going to use:

Harlow Picket: it is a mix of STONE GLASS and METAL. You really need to see it in person, very pretty. They carry it at Home Depot if you want to see it in person.

Beautiful space so far! When selecting material it would be great to see samples of everything you're planning to install together. I would gather some backsplash and countertop samples and decide from there.

Yes having the counter in at this point might help or a pretty good size sample. Even when you get some suggestions I would get samples and look at them in the space. The colors in the space and lighting (both sun and light fixtures) can really change the way a tile looks. Also look at it during the daylight and in the evening too. We had picked out a totally different backsplash tile in the store (with florescent lights) but once I had it home where it was going to be installed I was OK with it in the daylight but did not like it at all when there was no sunlight. It went from a pretty silver grey to a muddy blue that was ugly!

Also wondering what the floor will be .

It is oak wood

Will post pictures once the countertops are in. Thanks a lot

Steel gray...granite? Quartz? ....what material is it going to be?

Granite

This is what i was thinking... glossy finish.

The granite is in. Maybe , backsplash advise now please from all you bright people?

good thing you waited! That's steel gray granite?? lol

I see you have some gray subways against the wall. those are nice.

lots of different shades of grays, or sizes of tile.

Gray chevrons from DiscountGlassTile Store. these are 2x9

I like this elongated hex,,,comes in all colors,,even a matte black or charcoal.

love, love this metallic chevron from EncoreCeramics 'Nebula iron'.

comes in this shape too. And you can get these made in a solid glaze,, lots of silvers and grays.

this one is the luster alloy.

any type of black tile (this is a scallop or fish scale shape) can be done w/white grout to really lend some contrast.

Thanks , Beth. Have a few more . What do you think?

While I like the last pic choices, I believe that the veining in them is going to compete w/your granite. you can't tell from one or two tiles, but once they are all together, it's quite busy.

You're going to have to pick a solid color or one w/very little tonal change.

the gray glass will work, but it's 'meh' for me. I don't like glass subways laid in a traditional subway pattern, but that's just me. I see your kitchen as leaning a bit more contemporary, which is why I posted the choices I did.

I love these black glaze from CleTiles. they also come in different shapes/sizes. with a light gray grout, it would look really nice.

do you like that gray chevron? I tried to do a mock up w/your kitchen.

DalTile also has these glass tiles. I like the layout here

and they come in many shades of gray. this is one called Moonlight,,but they have a light gray as well.

I happen to think this looks really nice w/your stone. the tiles give off an iridescence too.

found another charcoal, wavy ceramic tile so you could see how a darker tone would look. Love the pendants w/this kitchen. you seem to have enough natural light. don't be afraid to go dar,.

btw,,,see this countertop^ ? this is what the tiles would look like in that last pic you posted, once on the wall. see how busy all the veining looks?

I like the metallic chevron from EncoreCeramics 'Nebula iron' that Beth posted or a black (not subway). It's fresh looking and you don't have to worry about white or grays clashing with what is already in the kitchen. And as Beth said, you have enough of the natural light to go dark. The black will fit into any style you are going for, too.

I do like the chevron metallic tiles

And I do like the first subway tiles you posted today

i like these the best

http://encoreceramics.com/product/chevron-4x10/

or you can get the glaze on the regular subway tile.

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

http://encoreceramics.com/product/blacksmith-alloy-glaze/

Encore Ceramics has beautiful selections. it may be a splurge, but they are worth it. I'm using them on my next kitchen redo.

Beth- I haven't seen those glazes in person. Does the iron alley or the blacksmith glaze a true blackish or does it tend to lean either towards blue or green as some blacks do? As if they do lean, that may have to be taken into consideration, too.

Why not do counters and backsplash in stainless?

jb,,,catch up. counters are already in.

tedbixby,,,,from what I can tell from the pics, it's an actual charcoal color, (the Iron Alloy) ,,they have another metallic glaze that leans towards blue. Mercury Alloy. The Blacksmith alloy is sort of in between the black/gray/gray-blue,,,and they also have a bronze alloy.

You all are amazing. Thankyou. If you don’t mind , I found a site . What do you think?

no. don't like it w/your countertop. that's a marble subway tile. just like the one in your pics that I said would look too busy. the stuff from HomeDepot is cheap, low quality, chinese marble. No.

whats on your floor? is it the wood look tile or real wood?

Oak

Real wood

Depending on your granite, I have seen some fantastic looks with metal tiles or glass tiles, both which may be easy to clean.

nomitabhawal,,,ok,,,so i've posted about 20 different looks. do you like any of them?

what look do you want from this kitchen? Think of your backsplash like jewelry. Pretend you're wearing a nice designer outfit. It can stand on it's own, but you'd like a bit of jewelry to wear to enhance it. Would you pick giant colorful baubles from a thrift store or maybe some simple diamond earrings? (and if you're male, think of a tie. pretend you have a beautiful custom black and gray pinstripe suit. would you pick a blue/green Jerry Garcia tie? perfectly fine on it's own, but not with your suit. Same premise w/your tile)

you want something without a lot of movement or different veins of color.

someone mentioned stainless steel. that would work if you like that look

take a look at all of these choices under "gray", and see if you like anything

https://www.glasstileoasis.com/shop-by-tile-color/grey-tiles.html?limit=48

and these 4x12 glossy black textured tiles are cool too

Use White Lacquered glass with Brushed Steel finish studs. It looks very chic. Also if there are any repairs at a later date, the glass can be taken off and installed back, saving cost of new tiles.

This is what it looks like

Below is a photo of lacquered glass and stainless steel panels used in one of my projects.

I think a gray glass subway would look great . At the beginning of this thread, I noticed you have a goldish tan paint color on the wall in the adjoining room that appears open to this kitchen . If that is staying , you might want to use something in the tan family of glass subways to lend some cohesion with your wood floor and that tan wall .

White subway in a basket weave with a light grey grout

Consider doing the backsplash with the same material as your countertop all the way to the ceiling above the window

.

Thankyou everyone. So many ideas. This is amazing. Beth, a special Thankyou to you. Really appreciate you putting so much time and thought into this. . And yes, I like to make a statement but smaller, more classic jewelry.

Thought? It is like a shiny stainless steel color glass tile

The 2 photos make the tile look like 2 different colored tiles on my monitor. What one is most accurate in representing the color? Top one looks more like cement color and bottom a light gray. Then again, your earlier photos of your counter top looked black and tan on my monitor! Glad to see that is not the case!!!!

those are cool looking. perfect match w/the stone. what do you think about doing them in a vertical layout, or a stacked layout? I think a regular subway layout will do nothing to enhance this space. those tiles/granite need something different.

Love it