It looks dark to me. It's beautiful and can work but if you want light it's not going to be light. Have you considered having a small piece honed to see how it looks? Honed is the updated approach but needs to be sealed. It will look lighter and not so stormy. I love honed so soft looking too.

I just want this done already! Something tells me I’ll be thinking about the what ifs until it’s installed. I’ll post a pic next week when it’s done!

Thunder Cloud? there is Thunder White (which is really River White)

If there are bits of a garnet colored dots in your stone, It's River White (or Thunder White)

Stone yards often rename slabs .

and there is Silver Cloud:

slabs vary greatly but silver cloud is grays/whites/black. nothing else.

beautiful

I'd do the Silver Cloud

jaymi - I can't tell you how many restless nights I had freaking out over our countertop choice before it was installed. It's normal to have those thoughts, as you are spending a lot of money on something that you will have to live with for a while.

Your countertop is gorgeous and, I find, that there is not much that doesn't compliment white cabinets (ours are honey maple!!!).

Can't wait to see pictures of yours installed!

I truly appreciate the kind and empathetic comments!! It was more like the Thunder White that Beth mentioned with the dots throughout. However, I STILL felt uneasy about it and raced up to the place yesterday and changed my selection yet again. I wound up choosing Andromeda White, which has coloring similar to River White, but it’s a bit lighter and doesn’t have horizontal river-y streaks, if that makes sense. I’ll still post a pic of the finished product if anyone is still interested . I find such good advice here that I know I’ll be back when it’s time to choose a backsplash and paint! Oh, and attached is a pic of the new granite.

I know it’s easy to second guess things, especially when it’s an expensive thing, that one will see every time they enter the room it’s in, and will be there for a LONG time. At least you made the change decision before it reached the ‘change order = more $$$’ point of no return!

Now you can relax and try to enjoy the rest of the process! Good luck!

I think you made a good choice. The first slab was beautiful but ultimately too dark I think for the look you were going for. This slab is very pretty too!!

I like your new pick much better than the first one. Good move.

Not a Pro.

Love your new pick also.

nice jaymi84! (still looks like River White!)

here it is w/a white subway and white grout. (yawn)

That looks great. Like it much better than the first. It's lighter and calmer and has more of a marble look.

Take a sample of whatever you like for the backsplash into your home. Put it next to your countertop and cabinets in your kitchen. The light in your room may reflect differently than the light in a showroom. You need tones that are similar. I've made mistakes in the past by just looking at a sample outside the room, and then had to accept that I'd picked something in the pink family, twice...

Nice countertops! Way to go! I'm glad you trusted your intuition & got lighter, with less moment in the stone. It makes the room look bigger & brighter. Way to go!

Steps in choosing backsplash

get undercabinet bulb hues to your liking. Light hue changes colors.

Once you have the lighting to your liking against the countertop & cabinets,

Next bring 2-3 inspiration kitchen photos with you to tile shop. It can be overwhelming with all the selections. Refer to your favorite pictures to remain focused on your look & goals.

Then bring home 3-7 samples. Put them up on back wall against countertop.Take photos of in daylight , night light, with & without under cabinet light. Post on houzz with #s, so Houzzers can give opinions. No stress. Keep it fun. Take your time.

Now, keep the tiles up for a few days. instincts will kick in & you'll be able to narrow it to 2-3, take the other down, keep your favorite up a few more days. You'll know which one the winner. If it's a tie, look at price:)

As for grout color, I suggest light to white in smaller kitchens. I also suggest simple backsplash. Want to keep focus on your beautiful countertop & open bright space.

Excited to see the next steps. So far so good.

That is a beautiful kitchen. The countertop is gorgeous !

Thank you! I agree is it River White-ish, but they call it Andromeda White at this place. Tomorrow I’ll head to a couple of tile stores for the backsplash. I’m thinking a light gray glass subway tile, but we shall see what I come up with! I’ll post pics of the samples.

I used Passive by SW in my kitchen. I am enjoying it.

Lindahambleton,,,do you have a pic of how it looks? the only pic I've seen w/Passive shows more of a griege, rather than gray.

It looks great! I think a plain white (not beveled) backsplash will get you the look you wanted.
Show us photos and pray that BethH comes along to help finalize your backsplash tile choice.
Once that’s installed, and your lighting, you can get help with paint colors.
Again, it really looks fabulous.

Hello, all! So I’ve narrowed the backsplash choices. #1 is Bliss Element Mist, #2 is Bliss Element Shadow, and #3 is a subway tile from Lowe’s. The Lowe’s one is pretty small, so I’m going to try to find somewhere with bigger tiles on a sheet as opposed to individual tiles. I really like all of the choices, but I’m just worried the first two don’t offer enough contrast to the counter. Thoughts??

the first Bliss is nice. I like that shade. it will be enough contrast. White is NOT going to offer any contrast either! just please, no white subway tile!

if you must do white, then do a larger, handmade look tile, or do a diff shape altogether.

your second bliss color will look like this once up. more of a blue/gray

I just recently had element mist put in. I was debating between that and a darker bliss (can't remember the name). Now that it's installed I think I would have been happy with either.

Mona, that looks nice. as a suggestion, have you seen the pale gray outlets/outlet covers? It would be less noticeable against your gray glass.

Both Bliss colors look good but how do they look in your kitchen? BethH showed you how they look installed in photos.
The darker one is gorgeous and a bit more dramatic. But is that your taste?

Something in me is drawn to the white! Every white kitchen that I am drawn to has a white or very, very light backsplash. I’m afraid the others compete with the counter instead of complement it. My style is pretty simple. I’m open to the different shaped white or definitely the larger subway tiles. My husband said the Mist “just doesn’t feel right,” whatever that means lol! If he expresses such a strong opinion about something like this, I know it’s serious! Does anyone know where I can find larger sheets of subway tile or a herringbone design?

jaymi,,,once you hit the 3x6 size, the tiles are individual. so, no sheets in larger tiles.

every tile store has a million things to choose from. Try tilebar.com. 5 samples for $5. DiscountTileStore, GlassTileOasis, and Floor and Decor, also have samples. Try Floor and Decor,,,I was just looking at their new tiles. tons of choices. both of these are F&D

tilebar.com Elara dolomite

tilebar also has a chevron/herringbone marble mosaics

and this subway tile in Fog-Montauk

Cle'Tile has these 3" hex Zellige (made in morocco) tiles. check out their page.

Love selections at Floor and Decor. Order some samples or visit a store if possible.

Have you gotten some tile samples yet?

I have several tile samples, and I am still lost. I have Bliss Element Shadow, Bliss Element Mist, a 3x6 White subway tile, and a 3x6 beveled subway tile.

Loving one or two. Okay, I love 2 more if you’ll have indercab lights. I like the contrast. If you want super light, go with one, it’s also pretty.

Sorry for adding this in...I’d really like a different valence over your sink, something with bold pattern but detailed and pretty. Something very tailored but luxury.

Good luck with the final touches, can’t wait til I’m there too!

Do you like more contrast or less? They're both pretty. Or is the white speaking to you? You've seen some photos of each.

Beautiful choice of granite. I would suggest your backsplash tile should be simple subway which matches one of the lighter colors in your granite.

We’re going with the white subway. We don’t want the backsplash to stand out a lot. And literally every kitchen picture I see that I like happens to have white subway as the backsplash.

Good choice!

if you go with the white- the beveled is nice it mimics your cabinets!

Yes , all white surrounding this gorgeous countertop ..OR the same as a backsplash. ...enjoy !

Looking good. White subway with white grout will blend nicely into background, so your gorgeous countertop will be the star.

White subway it is! I liked #2 darker glass tile and the plain white subway #3.
Now to grout- white or grey tones.

I was thinking to do a white grout, but now I’m leaning towards a very light gray — Frost by Mapei. We’re starting tomorrow. I’m nervous and excited!!

Good luck. Post photos when done, of course!

I know your pain. I have had sleepless nights over my granite and back splash. And of course dh disagrees with my choices. Will this marriage survive a new build?

Lol! I sure hope so! If you’re having doubts just see if the builder can add in an extra master suite!

Okay, so here it goes! We wound up painting revere pewter and using the light gray grout. I love it! We still plan on changing the floors and I want to redecorate from the red. But so far, so good! I’m open to design opinions! We also need to repaint the trim. It looks dingy compared to all the white.

Just beautiful! Congrats!

Looks great, good choice! I like your pops of red.

jaymi, came out really nice. the red works wonders to break up all that white.

just a few minor tweak suggestions:

have you thought about some nice artwork for this part of the wall?

I didn't know if you planned on doing something w/the boob light over the sink, but here is a pic to show you what a clear glass pendant would look like. (I wouldn't do a red one since it would be overkill)

or something like this but in the nickel finish

the other item you may want to consider is a blind or shade over the sink. maybe something w/a little red in it?

This would be the perfect compliment to the rest of the kitchen.

or, you could just do grays/whites (but I like the one above w/the red)

https://www.selectblinds.com/romanshades/designer-fabric-roman-collection-1.html?ColorId=8879

roller shade

I'm in a pickle. I laughed when I saw your first post on this because I'm a wreck and so is my husband cuz I can't finalize a decision. We wanted to swank up our kitchen and right now all I have is a dilapidated one with sheet rock as counter tops. LOL! I wanted to flip this in two weeks and now its looking like a three month job. So happy for you and your beautiful kitchen. It's really nice to see that yes you can get to the point of just finding the right accessories. I can't wait!

Wow, Beth, thanks! Yes, I was planning on artwork for that wall, and I do want to change the light over the sink. I was thinking something similar to what you put up, and I also am going to add pendant lights over the island. Most of the time when I see pictures of white kitchens, hey have mire neutral accessories; that’s why I wasn’t sure about the red. Red carries through the whole first level so I’m more inclined to keep it, but I just wasn’t sure how it came across in the kitchen.

This looks really good- the suggestions from Beth are Spot-on! Only one thing is detracting from this lovely kitchen. Move the mason jar and those bulky water bottles off the top of your fridge and stash them in your pantry or somewhere else out of sight and if possible, ban magnets and junk from the sides of the fridge. Put up a cork board with a magnetic area and mount it inside the pantry door or inside a cabinet door. Looks fantastic otherwise.