following...

What about ONE color of glass arabesque?

You know, at least these are very well color coordinated. It works, in a Betsy Johnsonesque combo of patterns and colors.

You could take a lesson from the past.

following...

If you want a hand holding , "honey it's fine coffee klatch, ". you already have all the advice you need. Otherwise .... ? Delay any splash until you are FIRMLY decided on a resolution to floor . Rip is jmho, the answer. When you goof? The least expensive way out over time is to back up, fix the error and where you got " lost"

Dont !!! go deeper into a woods.

I am coming to this thread late, but I was struck by the OP’s comment “I had gone through pages and pages of design ideas on the Houzz websites to get ideas. Many projects showed marble on the floor, counter tops, and walls. I didn't think I could over do it with one room having so much marble.”

But did those projects show all one type of marble in one room, or two similar-but-different marbles like you did? I think this shows the crux of the problem which is also coming into play in the backsplash choice you show above. You see something you find attractive, and like it for your own kitchen, but it doesn’t seem that are taking into account that what you liked is one part of a whole. It can’t be viewed in isolation. You liked both those marbles individually, but didn’t realize they don’t belong together. You like that backsplash with the pencil tiles. Please know that though you may like it, yes, it does not fit with the rest of your kitchen.

Being able to choose all the many parts to look good together is difficult. It requires both a good eye, and experience. An experienced designer would be able to help you. It would not be a good use of your time to see backsplashes on Houzz and think “I like that one for my kitchen”. Because you now have very narrow parameters for a backsplash, because they are dictated by your counters and floors. I think you could hire a designer on an hourly basis to help you, and save yourself a lot of problems.

Anyone who’s renovated a kitchen will tell you that the backsplash is the hardest choice of all. Yours will be a bit harder than most. Get someone to help you.

Beth H - I will look at your ideas. Thanks. Sophie Wheeler and Jan Moyer you guys need to move on and troll another discussion.

I'm wondering how trying to help someone by giving various suggestions on a forum who's purpose is to get input from a community is considered "hand holding"...

I'm wondering why someone would write a comment like that...

Hand holding is the answer you'd really like to hear. I'll take the shaming no problem!

Rather reminds me of a guy I used to know who'd drive in circles, finally get directions , not believe them or write them down...... !! Only to finally end in a hotel at 3:00 am, in exhaustion and out more money.

Might ask Beth above what she really thinks?! Sophie is already in my shamed group . Banished :)

Penny, not that it matters, but in the context of Jan's comment, I don't think she meant hand holding the way you and I see it. Jan seems to have meant the OP is looking for an atta girl, or some such affirmation of whatever she chooses.

I think i made it clear I hate those linear bars. However, doing a solid color in the whites actually looks nice. I've tried to offer suggestions for single color glass tiles. heck, just doing a ceramic, longer type of tile would work (in a white. which I really am tired of) . Encore Ceramics would be a great choice if you want a solid type of ceramic subway tile. they have beautiful glazes. and they have calacatta blends that you can do.

all I can do is post pictures to try and get my point across.

but waiting a bit until you get all your other accessories in, maybe doing a runner (like that rug you got) for the kitchen area, might be a good idea. order samples of tiles you like and bring them home. (the two you brought home today are a strong NO)

Renee, take Beth's advice to heart. Do not go in the direction of a mosaic. You need simplicity at this point and I don't think yo need any extra color. You need a splash that will allow your stone and wooden cabinets and hood to shine. For me that means choosing a simple ceramic tile with a crackle finish- I am a huge Encore Tile silver crackle fan- they come in all sorts of shapes and there are silvers and tans and beiges that could all work beautifully WITH what you have, not in competition.

M Miller explains the issues perfectly in his/her comment. We have to consider many things when making choices. We do not get to choose our favorite element each time. You cannot have your favorite backsplash and your favorite countertop and your favorite cabinets and your favorite hood. They would all compete and clash with each other. You have to create a favorite kitchen unking harmonious choices and you have to pick out a star and its supporting actors.

if doing an accent behind the range, I would do a very subtle, light tone solid color tile with similar color grout or white grout.

Please put the tiles up on the wall somehow temporarily to see it at a distance in daylight & night light.

I highly suggest having a tile consultant come to your house for a consultation. They may even be able to do a mockup.

By any chance do you have an inspiration photo of a kitchen you adore?

Please post so Houzzers can see what you like & help you find it.

Here's some photos for inspiration.

Based off the above photos, my opinion is leaning more towards 1 color for all the backsplash. It's a safer choice, if DIY choosing.

Hope that helps.

Troll doesn't mean what you think it means.

I beg your pardon, Penny. It won't happen again. I thought I was being friendly, engaging in a conversation. I hear you loud and clear. Interesting how people who claim to be so sensitive only see their own feelings.

No problem, Rita. I make no claims to being sensitive, myself, though. I'm fine.

Back to the topic.

OP...let us know what you decide on the backsplash. You've gotten some great ideas here and I think it will be beautiful when done.

On the bright side, if you choose one of those busy mosaic tiles, nobody will notice your two different marbles. #theresalwaysasilverlining

OP has already said the choice was a big mistake. It seems there was no kitchen designer involved with the choices. So, no sense beating a dead horse with mean spirited (vulgar) comments. A lot of thought and money went into OP’s choices and she made a bad choice. Who hasn’t?

There always is a way to make not so great choices better. Maybe some of the commentators who understand color will chime in with suggestions. For instance, your cabs are:

What if you painted the walls:

Then added barstools with the wood tone of your cabinets and a complimentary fabric:

Lol! There IS always the theory of the obvious steaming pile of poo to distract. Too funny Kristen. With that theory in mind, go with the stick tiles. In orange or bright turquoise.

No KD involved in the layout either.

That blue is beautiful. Maybe also the color of the backsplash? Could help to tie in the floor color.

Do you have any extra floor tiles? I would try Sophie's suggestion, try to stain the tile a warmer color. Don't choose your backsplash until everything else is installed. Post a new dilemma for help choosing. Good luck!

Gosh I LOVE that blue JudyG!! One of my favorites but don’t know if I personally would paint the walls that color but the bar stools and maybe the backsplash that color would look so pretty imo.

wmsimons85, so you like the blue? I do too. If OP did blue backsplash with the barstools, what would you suggest for the walls?

Renee thought this choice was a possibility…??? I like both…maybe the smaller tiles with the gray?

Yes love that blue JudyG! I don’t know if anyone would agree with this but if it were my kitchen I would probably go with a soft white for the walls.

Renee, did you make a mistake? Yes.

Is it one anyone who doesn't have a design background could have made? Yes.

Should you beat yourself up over it? No.

However I would seriously consider a few of the suggestions even though they were given with a bitter pill. Sophie suggested sanding down the marble or you can use a muriatic acid to hone it and get rid of whatever is covering it. (Do the samples outside and if it works, do the actual floors wearing respirators. )

Then as she suggested try that 1:5 mixture of stain to clear over your extra tiles to see if you can warm up your floor tile. As she mentioned, if it works, you've solved the problem.

Another suggestion is absolutely to NOT use that mosaic tile. You need a quiet tile with that spectacular countertop. Pick an interesting shape if you so desire, but keep it all one color and a color picked up from the Calacutta tile

I'm new to this one, but my first thought is find a rug with the colors of the counters and stay simple on your backslash. The slab is beautiful. A busy floor and busy counters need a simple backsplash.

I like the soft white idea.

Also, lighting....maybe certain bulbs can help make the materials appear more of the same.

The sink looks so gorgeous with that counter. I agree with wmsimon85 (and others re: the backsplash). I'd do walls, trim and backsplash in the sink white as shown in that photo. Rather than "aciding" the floors, I'd be fiddling with the lighting, and maybe getting help from a lighting pro since Renee liked them together under different lighting.

Just curious, do peeps who think Renee made a mistake, think this person made the same/similar mistake? [Photo posted by artistsharona upthread.] I'm truly mildly curious, not trying to get anyone flinging anything at me or anyone.

Renee…any thoughts?

Following. Love the countertop. See what you can do with the floor tiles and lighting. Keep the backsplash simple.

My apologies to those I may have offended here, on this thread. I don't want to make excuses for bad behavior, so I won't. I am sorry. It is not like me.

I am also sorry for not staying on topic Renee...

barncatz, I probably wouldn't have picked that floor with that counter.

If you do remove one please make it the floor tiles. The counter marble is gorgeous and I don't even like marble in homes, unless they're are at least 30,000 square feet, in other words, a castle. Or an extremely slick contemporary style. There is no good answer to this. You have to either live with it or bite the bullet and redo. But I think those who commented that once your kitchen is complete, it should be easier to live with.

barncatz, I don't care for that combination of flooring and countertop either. Someone once said, maybe cpartist, to be mindful of not creating a Stonehenge effect. And since I really like stone, I took that caveat to heart.

Barncatz, the floor is flexing pink/purple at the yellow/brown counter and cabinets. Yeah, I think the colors could have been married better.

Renee, there was an informal club pre-Houzz for kitchen reveals. ABB. All-But-the-Backsplash. It can take some time to come across the right one. There can be harmony or the stylings of an inept bagpiper (you won't go there!). Don't rush it.

I think that the kitchen needs to be more complete before additional choices are made. Renee mentioned a huge SS hood and I have to assume that the other appliances will be SS as well. There are two huge cutouts in the kitchen right now - will those be large SS front appliances, or panel front units? These things will have a large impact on the look of this space. What does the rest of the hardware look like? I will repeat what I said upthread...I think that in the end a creamy white backsplash will work best to complement the tones in the Calacatta and the wood. Wall color still to be determined, and a single color accent chosen for the area rugs, small appliances, etc. to bring the two marbles together after the final lighting temperature is chosen.

Please no horizontal thin tile! It’s awful and in every spec house known to man kind! Kills me!

Would people please stop being mean? The universe needs more kindness. Certainly a design website could accommodate that? Mr Tony Montana, shame on you for being so glib about suicide.

I'm still looking. I agree that this is important, so i don't want to rush it. My neighbor gave me a website to look at glasstile.com that you can actually pick the colors or type of material for you backsplash and then they will customize it for you. My Wolf appliances come on the 8th, so I do need to make a decision soon.

Renee, the backsplash and paint decisions can wait, there's no rush. As someone upthread mentioned, backsplash decisions are the hardest ones to make in a kitchen. We recently redid our kitchen, and it took almost 2 months to come to a decision on our backsplash. Sometimes you need to see everything else installed and in place before deciding. In your case, those large holes that are soon to be filled will have a big impact on the look of your kitchen. Which Wolf appliances did you choose? We also chose all Wolf/SubZero, and couldn't be happier!

This is a natural stone, no 2 pieces will be identical.
If you wanted consistency, you should have ordered man made products.

You have nothing big to lose by a science experiment. In fact, the darker you go, the better the counters start to look. They start to stand out as the star that they were meant to be. Instead of fading into the background of the visual overload. If you could get them to a walnut travertine shade, that still contrasts with the cabinets, and it lets them recede into the background, where they belong.

Here is a quick Photoshop version of what Sophie is suggesting:

That looks great CPA!

Beth H's suggestion about buying another slab of your gorgeous counter marble is a perfect solution! It makes the backsplash and counters the focal point of your kitchen, thereby pushing the floor into the background and making it less noticeable. But if you add yet another design/color to the backsplash, then you've made it even busier and more confusing. Please seriously consider Beth's advice (I know that marble is expensive but if it solves the problem of the mismatched marble, it will be worth it.)

Our company recently redid our offices on a number of floors. They spent $$$$ on designers and architects. The designers intentionally placed creamy warm marble tiles against very cool gray marble tiles. See photo

The picture is not great due to crappy phone camera, but the difference is very pronounced in real life. We thought it was a little weird at first, but we all like it now. Maybe the color difference will grow on you too. Plus your taste at least matched the expensive designers our company hired.

(Don’t do the busy backsplash.)

Renee you must be overwhelmed with all of these comments. Your countertops are GORGEOUS, so I do hope you keep them. Sophie's suggestion to stain the floors is well worth looking into. For what it is worth my suggestion for your backsplash is to go with a simple solid tile in a lighter color that coordinates with the countertop. I would suggest you not go too small with the tile- 3x6 to 4x12 would be a good size to stick with. You want to avoid too much movement in the backsplash as the counter (and the floor) have quite a bit of movement and you do not want them competing. Let the countertop be the star of the show. Good luck and let us know how it all ends up for you.