Subway or a mosaic with some glass in it that picks up the colors of counters and walls.

Lately I've been gravitating toward hex or a variation on hex tiles. They are a nice departure from the subway and mosaics, classic and has some personality. Here are some examples:

http://www.saltillo-tiles.com/products/tile/marble-mosaics/sunflower

I like the idea of not doing subway either. It's getting cliche. I like Chandanis idea of doing something different, yet classic.

Anyone have a website where you can buy the elongated hex tiles in white?

@Chandani those are beautiful. How about a herringbone pattern?

I did a glass subway tile in herringbone pattern.

Since the space is fairly small, you'd have to be careful of the size of the tile you choose if you do a herringbone. Could certainly work though. I quite like the "sunflower" mosaic at saltillo.

Try chevron style. Very pretty! http://www.dttiles.com

you might consider stainless steel tiles as seen in the ref pic

any online websites you recommend where I can purchase?

Try the tile store--google it for a link. You can get free samples, and shipping of the tile is free, but the carrier won't unload it so you'll have to do it yourself. I was thinking of ordering some tile for my floor from them, but when I realized how heavy tile is, and that we would have to unload it, I bought locally and paid to have to delivered.

you could try this website
http://www.houzz.com/pro/thebuilderdepot

for stainless tiles

If you like white, we carry that. However I think our 'smoke' would look great in your kitchen too. We would be happy to send you a few samples for comparison to help you in your decision. We love to help our customers find the perfect tile for their project. Please feel free to contact us.