Not a fan of using white subway as not all whites are equal and thus can be very hard to find the right one. I do like your last two picks leaning towards the lighter one. Just confirm it is picking up one of the colors in the counter. Good luck

I like your lighter gray choice.

If that is a bluish tile in the middle it looks good. Better than gray. What is it?

No to the accent behind the stove and I would do a larger format light gray tile with matching grout and best if it a gray that is in the counter

herbflavor which picture are you referring to ? They all have names given by manufacturer and says some kind of grey in their names.

I would look for a pale silver/gray tile. Just barely not white. It looks like all the ones you posted so far are too dark.

Something like this.

White kitchen with grey accents · More Info

Pnp

I have one more question . Is 4 x 12 too big ? Should I go smaller size ?

Light Gray

I think 12 is going to be too long since you don't have long areas of backsplash that I can see.

go with a size that is similar to the length of the pulls on the drawers. that's my trick and it works every time!

If open concept design, are there / will there be other dark gray elements in the room other than the gray island?

This model home has dark brown tile backsplash with white cabinets and light counter. It coordinates with the brown wood furniture & floor. (Browns, cream & green)

https://tours.stevenjamescollins.com/public/vtour/display/209717

As of now island is the only dark gray but tile I am leaning towards is light gray closer to gray in counter top. Table legs in breakfast area are dark gray (very close to island) and chair legs are soft black

Idk why it uploads sideways but hope this gives some idea about size.

any of your choices are fine. Personally I like the thinner, handmade look choices.

they will basically look like these (which are set in a 1/3 offset pattern)

larger, maybe 3x12,,,regular 50/50 layout

I think these are 2x16's.

and in a herringbone layout. these are 3x12

These look too dark to me. I would choose white tile with light, soft gray veining. Perhaps something like honed Arabescato Carrara marble tile. You need something that won't clash or compete with the countertop.

It is very dark under your cabinets. Can you install some lights under there? That would change the backsplash appearance also.

I wouldn’t go with the light grey tile. The color looks too cool. Especially with your floors.

have you thought about glass tile? glass tile is seen a lot more in the transitional style houses now which is the style I think you might be going for.
Glass will also shine nicely if you install under-cabinet lighting. Super easy to clean too!

if you want something different, you can go with a trapazoidal tile like this one at my work place. (there are shadows on the photo, it doesn't vary in color like that)

I have couple of more questions

What is good grout spacing for 4 x 12 and is it good to match grout and tile color or contrast ?

And is 4 x 12 too big for herringbone ( 18" space ) ?

herringbone is a more complex layout, thus requiring more cuts and more time and money. I always hire a good tiler because I like the work to be done professionally, and especially if you are doing herringbone, get a good tiler. have a meeting with them and explain what you want to do. the best ones are the perfectionists, because you know you can trust their work to be done right. However, it does create visual interest instead of the standard linear look and is becoming more popular in newly constructed or renovatwd homes.

on your grout choice, i can only recommend a dark or white/light grout. I think white/light grout would bring it all together seamlessly, since your cabinets are white, but, dark grout is a popular choice that many buyers are looking for.

I don't know if you are flipping this home, or just renovating for yourself, but you must consider what buyers are looking for if you are flipping.

I agree with Natasha a good tiler is worth the money. I’ve done a bathroom and kitchen. The guy used was recommended. He is an older guy and a little slow but he was a perfectionist. Very little waste. For my second job he saved me money as I did not need to buy so much extra tile. Comes with recommended layouts and shows me them so I understand. Told him my suggestions and he gave honest feedback on pros and cons (I welcome honest feedback).

Paru,, what is the space distance? 18" ? 4x12 is large for a shorter backsplash area and the design element could get 'lost'. for a backsplash that's average height, I'd find a 2x8, 3x9, 2x6, 2x10 size.

to give you a visual, I did a herringbone in a 4x12 size in my large shower.

I believe these tiles had built in spacing (but it is minimal). I use Warm Grey color by Mapei

now here is a 2x8 size tile (both pics)

this bottom one is glass and they used the 2x8 in both patterns

another 2x8. for a standard backsplash area under cabs, this would be the preferred size.

Thank you everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it. I am renovating our kitchen and probably live in it for at least 5 -7 more years so trying to stay in more neutral and timeless styles. Beth , there are 18 '' of space except for behind the cook top where it goes up to the ceiling . I am split between warm grey (which seems to match the tile ) or go darker or lighter. Tile guy recommends 1/16 " of spacing. Wondering if that is too small

Beth what color is the tile in shower photo. It looks beautiful

paru,,,1/16 is prob what my shower tiles are. I did a bright white ceramic 4x12 on the walls, and a 3" hex black marble on the shower floor. niche is a black and white marble in chevron pattern.

since you have only 18" on the main portion, go for a 2x8, 3x9, or even a 3x12 size if you want the herringbone. it just looks better.

This is from Encore Ceramics and they have a ton of diff glaze colors. (Shadow Quartz is one that would go w/your stone)

this is Neptune quartz, but I wanted to show you their herringbone. these are a 2x8. I think this size would be perfect for your backsplash.

as for color, I like your gray choices.

for a standard layout, this is Shadebox in gray.

Heath Ceramics (crystal blue, but they have other colors)

and I really like the dusky gray glass tile from DalTile Waves. it's Moonlight. would look beautiful w/your stone.

I know you asked about tile, but the wood trim around the window looks so beat up. It would be fairly easy to replace that in a kitchen that you have put so much time and money into updating.

Thank you .Yeah painting is next

Given the age of the kitchen, you should replace the trim before your tile. The replacement trim might not be exactly the same dimension as the original. Since the tile will be up against the trim, do the wooden trim first.

Trying to decide on grout. colors are warm grey, cobblestone and silver by mapei. I wonder if they look different when dry. Also as spacing is only 1/16 does it really matter ? Thank you all in advance

I vote for the middle one. The dark one will complete too much with the veining in the countertop.

light one. that's warm gray, right? same one I used.

Why not instead go for a nice encaustic cement tile with light grey tones? I think it would compliment both the whites and greys in your kitchen. Light tones would be best.

As you see in pic below, the cabinets are white and some of the countertops have grey veining, so in my opinion this would be the perfect option. So many patterns and colors to pick from...

white subway is boring when the rest of the kitchen is white in my opinion. Do a light gray to match the graining, or something more interesting like the person above posted

None of these colors ...white is best ..

No white is not best. White is for people afraid to do something different.

White would be a bore in this kitchen. I think the OP made the right choice!

As for the grout color? I agree with Beth.

Yes beth the lightest is warm grey. However tile i have is light grey so warm grey matches the color of tiles while middle one is just slightly darker than the tile color. Does warm grey look different when it dries or looks same as in sample stick ?

looks like this. enlarge the pic

the middle one could work. I just see a bit more blueish tone in that one.

katy It was my initial plan to do cement tiles behind cooktop but as I have very light grey counters with light and dark veins i thought using pattern might make it look too busy . Cement tiles tend to stain so I thought behind stove it may get dirty. Picture of kitchen you have posted looks very pretty though. Planning on using cement tiles on bathroom floors in future remodel projects

I know what you mean, but I don't think it would look too busy. I think it would balance things out nicely.

All of the materials in your kitchen are solid colors, with only the counters having a bit of veining, so you need to add some type of pattern and interest somewhere. The subway tiles just look a bit too plain. You need a main feature in your kitchen, that stands out, to break things up.

If not the cement tiles I suggested then perhaps something like this from tilebar? A bit pricey, but doable if you're using in a small space. But I'm sure there are other options similar if this isn't in your budget.

I would probably create a seperate backsplash area behind the stove, that's easy to keep clean, but pick a material that works well with the rest of the tile, so it all flows.

https://tilebar.com/collection/pearl-shell-tiles.html

Katy, the OP has already tiled her backsplash.

to to dark go light

posting to see final pics

WIP

Trying very small area for pattern for focal point without making it busy. Any thoughts?

way too small. should be at least the width of your hood, or just smaller than your stove.

either you want an accent or you don't. there's no in between!

the other thing is, you want symmetry. so however many tiles you have beneath the square, that's what you need above it. as it is now, it's too high. should come down at least one, if not two tiles

I generally do like an accent, but I don't care for the one you are showing. And, b/c you have square tile floors, I wouldn't do an accent. Too much going on. I would just continue the gray subway. I like the gray tile you ended up choosing.

kelleg69 floor tiles are being replaced but I know what you mean about accent. I feel it is too small but hubby thinks it looks good but I am thinking of removing it before it is too late .

Yep. Just do the subway tiles. No accent.

paru,,,here's another accent w/cement or cement-look tiles (these are porcelain) but see how they are symmetrical all the way around the subways?