I like this polar white I saw at Floor and Decor

I think a plain white subway tile would work nicely. Take a photo from farther back so we can see more if the kitchen. Nothing busy.

gorgeous countertops.

That's a beautiful black granite!

Depending on the look you want, and your budget, here are some suggestions:

This is a blue/green 4" x 4" tile, offset:

White subway tile with gray grout:

Mottled green (looks like 2" x 6"):

White subway tile with darker gray grout:

Light gray subway offset with herringbone over range:

Hand-painted and glazed terracotta for a more rustic feel:

Another green rectangular tile with a variegated finish:

If there’s more of the granite, I’d use that as the backsplash. It’s gorgeous!

The granite you chose is stunning. I’d let it be the “star” of your kitchen and go with a solid color tile. You might want to show a longer shot of the kitchen to get some ideas from Houzzers. I would take one of the creamier colors from the countertop and use a simple style tile so there’s no competition.
Using black will darken the room, if you want that look.

Thanks so much for all these suggestions! So much to think about- I’ll provide a better view of the kitchen.

Many here have a phobia of color and/or pattern!

You can go a bit bolder with your tile, but you have to be a lot more careful with the choice.

White subway is the easy/safe way ...

are your cabinets more of a cream color or more white-white?

I agree,,that countertop deserves more than plain old 3x6 subway tile.

what is on the floor?

do you have a small area to cover or ?

a shot of the entire space would help narrow things down.

Also, any idea on what the max is you'd want to spend per square foot of tile? If you only have 10 sq ft, then you could spend a bit more. but if you have 40 sq ft, then that would limit the types of tile I would show you. Some of these sheets are $20-$40 sf.

what do you think of dark? You have under cab lighting?

I like the warmer tones in the black stone so I picked some black options. the one on the left is a black quartzite w/antique mirror. The right one is more of a matte black picket style. but notice how they have it paired w/wood cutting boards. If you did a few accents like that (something like a walnut or bamboo board) it pulls it all together and compliments the stone beautifully

a black slate subway tile (2x8 or 3x9) with white grout would give you this look

I have quite a few more, but would like to see the entire space.

If you take a pic straight-on, leaving enough room for me to photo shop some choices on the wall, I can show you what it could look like

MSI
Ola White 4 in. x 16 in. Glazed Ceramic Wall Tile (11 sq. ft. / case) from Home Depot. Something a bit different

We have Belvedere soapstone from M. Teixeira. it has gorgenus green and white veins. We chose subway tile in the Celadon color, from Subway Ceramics. it was the perfect choice.

Subway Ceramics has a great selection of colors. You might want to check them out: Subway Ceramics

I think a nice black or cream would go well based off the pictures you've provided, but it's hard to tell without seeing the full kitchen (floors included). I think black would be best, but if your kitchen lacks natural light I wouldn't go that route.

LOVE Irene's suggested tile! Color-wise, it doesn't fight with the granite to be the star and enhances it, texture-wise it's gorgeous with that stone!

These are really great suggestions! I have dark floors, jackobean, and I have one skylight and two windows so we do get some nice light. Thanks so much everyone for taking time to write back. Much appreciated!!

the golden tones might look nice w/this glass tile

This one is called Shade Box

in light white

glass picket style in warm gold tones (tilebar)

love some of Beth's black tile choices. the veins almost appear metallic in your beautiful granite... and look awesome with your stainless sink.

I love the Shade Box that Beth suggested. I would agree with you that although you have a skylight, the room needs a lighter-than-black backsplash. Once you give Beth an idea of which color family, she will send you a ton of ideas!
A simpler tile installed in an interesting way seems the right idea. Herringbone or picket fence?

Might I add a suggestion outside of your original question? Add lighting on the underside of the upper cabinets if you have not already done so. Your kitchen, at least from the photo above, is very dark at night and you NEED more light, especially task lighting with the dark countertops. Otherwise it won't matter what you use as a backsplash because you won't see it.

OneRidge,,,that's a beautiful selection you made. most people would have gone with, gasp, cream subway tile. So glad to hear of people not afraid of a little color. The beautiful blue w/your warm cabinets adds much more drama. And it's just enough tile/color to be interesting without being 'too much'.

Thank you Beth, no, white or cream subway was never going to be an option for me, I just love color too much! I know not everyone loves bold and colorful, but if you do, go for it! . And no, I have not tired of them in the least, after about a year and half after install. I posted two pics, one without much light on, and the other with the hood lights on, to demonstrate how crucial undercounter lights are, as it would be too dark without them.

And a shoutout to Seneca Tiles! These were about $18 a square foot and in stock. I had first thought of Fireclay brand, had some samples I liked, but they had an 8 week lead time and almost double the price, so the Seneca in stock tile ended up being a pleasant surprise to the budget, I think they look far more lux and expensive then the price point.

OneRidge, also wanted to add that your tile selection is absolutely stunning! Very striking and different. Looks very high end, thanks for the inspiration!

I would keep it light & keep it simple.

I totally don't know which direction I would go with but I just love those counter tops. I agree that OneRidge's looks amazing (and I am a super lover of blue from way back) but I think it's probably a very fine balance and it is executed beautifully. Not sure (in fact pretty doubtful that I could pull it off).

One other thing I like about OneRidge's kitchen is that ((gasp)) there is tile on the floor and not hardwood. That is inspiring me as I have nice tile on my kitchen floor and notice that the vast majority of kitchens have the hardwood.

Thank you salonva. The tile is a slate look porcelain, and tough as nails. I love hardwoods, in fact the rest of the house is hardwoods in every other room. But the kitchen is a semi-open concept that flows into both the front entry and the side mudroom/garage entrance- all of which had terrible off-white vinyl overdue for replacement. And with dogs and kids and living in an often wet and snowy climate, hardwoods in this application would take a real beating. The pale slate gray definitely helps lighten up and give contrast to stained cabinets.