May I suggest subway tile in stainless?, I'm on the fence with all stainless, but here you have enough black to ground it. White would still be timeless, but if the home isn't mid century or so, it may seem dated in a few years.

I say stay with the white subway tile. It is timeless and will not seem dated in a few years. ONLY for those who want it to be LOL. Yes, go up under the stove hood. Your kitchen will look clean and classy. I would take the tile from under your cabinet all the way to the door and down to the floor to the left of the stove. Use a nice cap trim piece.

I say Margo is right and stick with the white subway, the classic choice. We are so about trends right now, it is kind of a shame. Go with your gut. Beautiful kitchen so far.

If you go end of counter to end of counter you will have to cut around those lovely window sills/trim. Tape up some paper and fool around with where to use the backsplash and maybe that will help you decide what type of looks suits the space best. As noted above the white subway pattern seems to be the go-to look right now, but I agree with you that it is so safe and predictable, to be polite. Your kitchen is very pretty, but maybe you could jazz it up with something more unique. bring home some samples and boards and play around with it. It is a process of elimination as well. Post some pics for us to see how it looks too.

Definitely go with the white subway tiles. You could use a colored grout to make it more interesting.

Ladies and Gentlemen- In the all white subway tile corner we have Mad dog Margo and Marvelous Mayelle. In the *other* corner we have Jazzy ikdrew and Sultry Sustainable. Who will win this backsplash tile round. Patty is on the fence and aging88 is climbing over the ropes to the white corner with some colored grout in her gloves.
Ding- ding- ding...that was round one.

To my defense, I have a bath that is subway and hex...love it.. But, I am thinking this is more modern than my 100 year old home, and I am not trendy, I like stainless for counters and splash, I am really getting tired of it as being for everything. Have you ever watched house hunters and been appalled when they say"but the appliances arn't stainless?"??? I get amazed by that block.

You could go with glass subway tile. That way you could get a little color and modern interest but still keeping it classic. Here are a few photos for inspiration but I would suggest you get a few samples and put them in your space to see how they look. Please let us know if we can help with anything.

Glass subway tiles!!!

Ohhhhh! Glass subway tiles! Great idea! You guys are awesome - I'm going to tape some samples up and the edges particularly - good call! The house is early 40's craftsman - so I'm not so worried about the aging, just thought the plain white would be too boring. I'm going to pick up some samples this week!

I would end the tile on the stove wall at the edge of the upper cabinet. It won't look right being cut around the window, and isn't needed there. Definitely take the tile all the way up behind the stove. On the sink wall, I'd take it from the stove wall corner to the end of the lower cabinet, but I'd keep it to just below the window/passthrough molding. If you are lucky, you can even avoid cutting out the switch and outlet on that wall.

hey Margo, I guess the vote from the guy from the "Subway Tile Outlet" does not count. If the homeowner does choose White Subway Tile, I do not think colored grout is the answer. Would you at least give me that? Thanks, I appreciate it.

Here is a reminder that white subway tile with white grout is not boring but beautiful.;)) rest arrow on pic for best viewing pleasure!

lkdrew- it looks like kmariscal is loving the glass ones, BUT, there is still hope, and I would agree to go with white grout.;)

We just spent a yr. figuring out our backsplash. I like the idea of glass subway tile in yours. Had white subway tile in our last kitchen (white cabinets-blue counter) and loved it. I would tile from either the door jamb or the bottom of the window across to the end of the counter on the right maintaining a height even with the bottom of the upper cabinets plus the area above the range. It would be easier if you removed the lovely trim under your windows but that would be sad.

Thank you all for your ideas! I do love the white subway tile ... and Margo that pic makes me think again. I ordered white subway, carrera subway and glass subway tiles. They should be here Friday - I guess I'll set them all up against the wall and see which one I like best. White grout though - I'm too chicken for colored grout! And I need to see the dirt! :)

You may want to take a look at our Talya Collection. This high end marble mosaic collection would definitely fit in your kitchen.
http://houzz.com/ideabooks/19325558

How about mosaic tiles? I feel like these would look good on your kitchen

Try these. I did them in my bathroom, was concerned about the cleaning but not a problem at all. Costco purchase, $5 per 1ft sheet, so affordable!

I did mine with white subway tile, white grout and am absolutely in love. You could change the direction of tile behind the range+ border it like one of the above pictures. I think subway is timeless.

You have done a great job with your kitchen. I love your sink, butcher block top, and that nice pendant over your sink, and don't you love the wall gone?! So pretty.
Happy to hear you're going with white subway tile; white, glass, carrera all work with your kitchen. Easy to clean, not a lot of grout. Would you post an after when you get it up?

Check out mercurymosaics.com - you just might find something fabulous! That is the route I am going...

Thank you Maguire! I do wish I had a few do overs - but I love it! You guys are amazing! I'm really looking at these glass tiles from modwalls - mixing them herringbone in behind the stove, possibly in a different color. I guess I'm ordering more samples. : / I'm getting closer.

I think glass subway tiles would be great in here. White subway tile gleams & I do love it. But the glass has a bit of depth that creates interest. It is ever so subtle... like fine jewelry. Glass is slightly less predictable while still remaining classic. Since you have those gorgeous glass panel doors across the room, I think glass tile in the backsplash would make sense. IMO, keep it simple. It is much easier to change out design elements throughout the room, such as curtains, seat covers, art, collections you display, etc. than it is to change out the backsplash. PS: Herringbone makes me swoon too ;) we used Bliss Elements tile & like you, had open ends to deal with. The designer suggested turning tiles vertically at the end of runs to create a finished border since there was no border tile that matched our color

A classic, white subway tile would look great in your kitchen.

That also lets you be creative with a colorful window treatment.

To me another tough part would be deciding where to begin and end. The outlets on the sink wall might need to be moved?

White subway tile. Go with your original plan. You're almost there. Hang in there. It's going to look great.