Brighten up as much as possible, I would tile all I can with subway tile small not longer ones. It clean bright neat.

Whatever you do don’t do glass small multi colors long narrow pieces. It’s so outdated. Think bright light clean.

Couldn’t agree more, Karen. I’m almost thinking a dimensional stone look. Something like this?

You like the same colors we do! We’re going with this tile in a vertical format. This is from flooranddecor.com. Cloe has a similar tile.

Get the cabinets painted, take new pics and get back to use.

Kitchen backsplashes see a lot of water, grease and food splatters. Anything with a rough or porous surface will be a pain to keep clean. If you go with a "dimensional" tile, make sure that the finish is satin or glossy and has no crevices.

Something else to consider: paint comes in an infinite variety of shades. Tile does not. So it's better to pick a tile that goes with your counter and only then choose the colour to paint your cabinets and walls.