This budget-conscious kitchen renovation turned out great! We were getting burned out on the white shaker kitchen with white subway tile and instead opted to go with a transitional style that plays off of those trendy materials. We selected a wood stained, shaker cabinet that had gray undertones. This gave us the clean, modern lines that are trending, but in a different finish. We also opted to go with a marble subway backsplash--again playing off of the white ceramic subway tile that is popular, but it's just different enough to feel fresh. In addition to removing the soffit and raising the ceilings, the element that makes this kitchen pop is the wall of marble backsplash tile that runs all the way to the ceiling.