Hi again -- riverspots,a vote for the clock! DH would thank you. The granite is Verde Esmeralda. It wasn't an expensive granite but we were careful to find a slab that had a lot of movement in one area particularly, and put that on the island. It's greener than it looks in this photo. I'll post another photo of it on a separate thread, jb1176, so you can see what it really looks like. I love the colors in slate and have seen some that isn't really dark. I'm going to take a trip to the big city and see what I can find.

As someone who was also disappointed in my kitchen choices, I can relate totally to what you are going through. My difficulty was that my granite was not a match for my cabinets. This made the choice of backsplash very difficult.(We made the mistake of one backsplash that was removed) When I finally decided on a tile for the second time,I made a silent pact with myself. If I hated it I would give it a year and then replace the granite or newbacksplash or both! Well as it turns out, although I do not LOVE the combination, I don't HATE it either. So for now it stays.
My advise to you is to keep it for a while. Look into reliable companies that are good at removing granite. There is a kitchen place near me that recycles counter tops and entire kitchens! The backsplash would not be hard to replace. Once the tile is removed you have a cardboard looking wall that you can't paint.
The suggestion for lighting is an excellent one. There are experts on this forum who can help you. Perhaps post another question for the lighting advise. Good luck and as someone said to me "Keep it is perspective, it is only a kitchen!"

Thank you, ellendi. I had forgotten my Zen training from years ago! I've actually had these misgivings about it for three years, so perhaps it's time to do some serious retail therapy.

I just found the photo of the kitchen I was trying for with my slate backsplash. It's in the home galleries, kitchens; the name of the post is "red granite, anyone?", if you're interested. So I see my slate guy wasn't off by a million miles; he just went several shades too dark. Maybe we can take out 10 or 20% of the tiles, the darker ones, and exchange them for lighter ones, without all the cost involved in a completely new backsplash.

I agree about going with a very light backspash in cream or whatever your kitchen would allow... even white? I love subway tiles and you can even buy some slate to add in as a boarder or something.

Here is a photo of a kitchen I have always loved. Dark cabs and well, cozy darker kitchen but the backsplash really lightens it up. Just a thought.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen with lighter backsplash

I shouldn't have been so specific to mention beadboard. I just meant that if the wall was a mess after removing the slate, that even if you had to remove the sheetrock and start over just in that section, maybe it would be easier and a cleaner look to use something that went up in sheets/big pieces and wouldn't as be bothered by a little unevenness underneath...Could be glass, tin, stone... I am no tile expert, but as a DIYer, I wonder if it'd be harder to remove part of a backsplash and make new pieces fit in nicely than redo the whole thing. Likely a whole different ballgame if you're using pros, though.

I like your inspiration photo and have included a link to it. I vote for switching out the backsplash using something a bit lighter than the inspiration photo since that kitchen has plenty of light.

Here is a link that might be useful: red granite, anyone?

I like your kitchen a lot, especially the granite (and I like very few granites) and the diagonally-mounted slate. I think the slate "makes" your kitchen. I agree with others about punching up the lighting, that could make a big difference.

Perhaps you should live with what you've got for a few months before ripping out the slate. That would be such a waste of beautiful materials.

I was able to find our tile guy by calling someone with the same last name; it was his mother! I spoke to him a few minutes ago and asked him what he'd charge to change out 10S% or so of the darkest tiles. He's going to give me a bid; will probably take him a while. If it's not too much maybe I can avoid DIY, rhome, which is always a good thing in my case! Doraville, thanks. I didn't know how to do that. Dianne, our house is three years old, and I've felt pretty much the same all along. I agree though that maybe the lighting could be punched up, and I probably need different canisters. DH bought me those to go with some dishes I already had. He doesn't know about "matchy, matchy" not being necessarily a good thing!

Susan, in regards to the slate, if you want light, you may want to consider quartzite instead. We have the same oak cabinets as well as dark verde peacock granite in our kitchen. We plan on installing the 4x4 tiles along w/some mosaic pieces for embellishment. It's perfect with the oak and dark granite. Also Quartzite is a lot harder than slate, it doesn't shale and it's not so porous. You can get the 4x4 tiles in tumbled or untumbled. Enhancing the stone will make them more brilliant but not darker. We bought ours at The Tile Shop and they call it Baoding Creme.

Here's what it looks like installed with unenhanced and untumbled stone: tileshop.com

We went through the exact same process a few years ago in switching out our backsplash. It was a two day job - really not that expensive and made a HUGE difference.

I like it looks lovely! You could always have the cabinets painted a color lighter than the oak or remove the backsplash for a lighter stone one. Love the suggestion from the tileshop.

The only kind of plant you will get to live up there is silk. Sorry but that's how it is. It's too dark. Even with artificial light you don't have the right exposure for growing plants. They need a real window. Even your north window sill might work but for sure not above the cabs.

Before I spent time and money I'd try more light. I see you have under cabinet lights already. Do they give more light than the picture shows? You can get the strip lights for less than $20 a piece. It would be easy to prop or tack them under or above your cabs to see if it helps. I like the clock. We should trade ;-) My farm kitchen has a black wire cat with a swinging tail! Whimsy. I was looking for your clock when I found the kitty clock.

Looks like you are heading in the direction that will make you happy. Please post pictures when you are finished!

Susanka, you've made a good first step contacting the tile setter. I hope he can find a solution for you by replacing the darkest tile. Perhaps tape off a section and tape on the right percentage of lighter tiles and step back and see how you like it. The Baoding Creme quartz tiles above are also beautiful.

Thanks again for the close up of your granite. Keep us posted on what direction you go. Best of luck. It will all work out ok.

I think painting your cabinets and/or some jolts of happy colors (red, cobalt, turquoise, etc.) and some good task & accent lighting could work wonders with the existing materials.

We have similar cab styles and my house has 4 foot wide overhanging eaves and when the tree fill out it too is dark. I put in lots of lighting and the walls are linen white. Since I have a modern stainless hood i wanted to add another element of stainless in the kitchen so I went with chrome knobs. My backsplash is actual copper ceiling tiles but don't laugh, had I not found them I would have gone with plastic faux tiles I saw at Home Depot which come in copper and tin looks. In fact some people think my actual copper is fake. Hence I am considering replacing it. I would go with a light backsplash and change the paint as the easy options. Could you add a window?

Hi. I, do not think taking out pieces, of the dark tile, would do much. I, think with your pretty dark granite, you need a lighter black splash. We just replace our back splash, when we put our granite in. Than in my new back splash, I, decided it was to plain. So I, made my husband, cut a roll of tile out and put a border in. It was no big deal. A good tile guy, should be able to do it. Hope you, get the look you, want. sharaz

I'm so glad the posts came back; was afraid I had lost all of your great ideas. Thank you for the photos; both are lovely. We can't put in another window, but I'm going to paste up some photos of lighter tiles off the internet and see if that does anything major to the dark look; I'll try 10% first and then more if I have to. I'm also going to get rid of my Mikasa canisters; they lack any punch at all, as several of you have said. Thank you so much to all of you for your encouragement and help. I'm 73 years old, this will be my last house (except after we retire we may build a cottage and travel most of the time)so I need to get this just like we'd like it to be. Thanks again, all.

Here's a mockup with another backsplash tile. It brightens it up. The paint color you had is also a bit greenish for your cabinets.

Here's another paint color.

It's really not as dark as in your photo though. I think changing the paint and tile will make a world of difference and give you a brighter, more welcoming kitchen. Those are the only elements I've changed. You kitchen is pretty now but it can be gorgeous :-)!

blondelle, what did you do to achieve this effect, lighten the tile somehow? I see it's actually the same tile, the individual tiles are still in the same places, but the colors are so much brighter. Thank you.! We have already painted, a gold/yellow something like the first photo you show. Brighter tile makes an amazing difference in the look.

Yes, I just lightened your same tile and adjusted the color range and saturation a bit. I'm sorry you're not able to do that in real life. I think you should be able to find a similar tile in those colors. It does make a big difference. I realized after your wall color was actually gray, not yellow, as that was the reflection of the lights on the wall.

I just wanted you to see what the tile change would look like and have you love your kitchen :-). It's so pretty.

This golden white quartzite is similar to the altered photo. It might be too much variation though for your granite.

Here is a link that might be useful:

blondelle, that's very pretty,and close to what I'm looking for. It's a little more orangey on my computer than the quartzite lukkiirish posted above, and I like this actually. I also like "earth" and some of the gold slates on emser.com The countertop granite pieces don't have as much movement as the island does, and I think I can go for as much color and variation as I want in the backsplash.

wow, blondelle, it's really nice to be able to see the difference of the lighter tile.

susanka - seeing what blondelle posted, I think if you took the backsplash down completely and replaced it with a lighter tile, or a quartzite like lukkirish posted, it would make your kitchen a happy place to be in!

I'm thinking so too. The tile guy seemed to think that would be a heck of a lot more trouble, said if he only had to change 10% or so he wouldn't be tearing his hair out as much as if he had to do the whole thing. I had thought taking it all out would be easier. I'm going to go ahead with my pasteup of tile photos, at least for a small portion, and see how it looks.

I think the white quartz would pick up in honey tones in your cabinet color more than the other tile, but they both would be pretty. It's also a bit livlier. There are many similar quartz varieties around and the tiles are cheap so you can buy more than needed, and take out the ones you don't like.

blondelle, I think you're right about the honey tones. Now I've pasted up some image cutouts of lighter slate. Admittedly they're paper, pasted up with Scotch tape, but I think I can see that just sticking in 10 or 20% of light slate tiles in this dark gray background is not going to look right. What do you guys think? This is a problem, given that my tile guy says he doesn't want to do the whole thing again. Or am I wrong, do I need to do this pasteup differently? Thanks, everyone.

I don't think mixing in a few lighter tiles will do the trick. At least I'm not visualizing it well. If your tile guy doesn't want to do the job can you find another who will? No matter what you ultimately choose to do don't settle for less than what you want. Life's too short and what you want isn't extravagant. Every woman should love her kitchen.

I also don't think it helps. He was the one who steered you wrong and he should redo it for you as it's his error. Not only that, he should even give you a break on his labor to redo it. Stand your ground. It's not about him and what he wants --it's about you!

I think DH would disagree with you, storklady, about what's extravagant. Yanking out a whole backsplash probably qualifies for that category in his thinking. (He did go along with my wanting cabinet knobs that are made from my countertop granite, that was 500 bucks, can't believe I did it but I did!)

I think the combo of the difficulty in cleaning the SS appliances and the general gloominess has gotten to me though and there's certainly no point in some half measure I won't be happy with. Thanks for your advice.

Surely with the economy the way it is you can find someone who actually wants to do this job? I find it bizarre that he wouldn't want the work. You're willing to pay for it, right?

I vote for white/offwhite subway tiles too btw.

Megsy, sure, I plan to pay for it. Actually this man took a year to bill us after he did the job. I was hoping he'd do the re-do because I thought he might give us a bit of a break on the labor. I'm going to buy the tile myself this time. We've decided though to get going and have someone else do it if the expense isn't horrendous.I've called another person who says he'll come over and give us a bid in a day or two. I think I'd like something brighter than white subway tiles, I'm really a fan of natural stone and love slate if I can find it in a lighter, brighter color. I've seen some on the internet, but think I'll drive up to a larger city and pick out something nice. Thank you again, everyone, for all your help. You've really helped me decide I need to bite the bullet and make this the kitchen I wanted in the first place.

One more idea: DH wonders if there's a glaze or semi-transparent finish of some kind we could put over the slate to lighten it and give it more color. Do any of you know of such a thing? I'm going to call paint stores later today, but if you've had or heard of success with anything that would work would you let me know? Otherwise, we've made the decision to rip it out and replace it with quartzite or slate. Thanks very much.

Is your decision to use quartzite or slate for your b/s set in stone (sorry, couldn't resist that one ;-)? Going lighter in color will help to brighten your kitchen but because these tiles have a matte finish, they may not brighten it quite as much as you think or hope. Matte finishes absorb light, shiny surfaces reflect light. A glazed tile would create more light in the same space and quite possibly for less cost than stone tiles.

Another aspect worth considering: going for a simpler tile (less variation in color) and/or simpler installation (not on a diagonal) will reduce the impression of pattern, creating calm places for your eyes to rest. You already have a lot of pattern in your kitchen, thanks to your gorgeous granite (this should be the star, IMO), your display items and your oak cabinets (oak is a "busy" grain). A more subtle b/s won't fight for attention with these features.

Your kitchen is lovely. I hope a new backsplash will transform it into the cheery place you want it to be.

Hmmm. All very interesting ideas, lisa_a. I really need to get some samples along with the new slate and see what looks right. I haven't thought about the points you make at all. I love slate and its color variation; would have had a slate floor if DH hadn't objected so strongly. I'm sure it's a good idea to look at other possibilities too though, the quartzite, subway tile, and other things people have suggested. Thanks very much.

Susanka, I hope I didn't offend with my question -- I meant it to be rhetorical.

I think Lisa makes some interesting points about the busy-ness of it all. I think the granite should be the star too.

megsy, heavens no, no offense meant or taken. I was just responding casually. That actually could have been an unspoken undercurrent, that I hoped not to pay the guy who put in the dark stuff in the beginning, but in fact that wasn't the case. In fact, I wondered if my "megsy, sure, I plan to pay for it" could be taken wrongly after I wrote it, but it was too late to change it. I appreciate yours and everyone else's help, and in fact several of you have suggested a quieter backsplash in one way or another. When we built this house I made several mistakes by being sure I wanted something in particular and not considering alternatives, and I'm going to try not to do that this time. I intend now to bring home several possibilities as mentioned in this thread and whatever else I see, instead of being focused only on slate as I had been. Thanks very much.

I completely understand your love of slate, susanka, since I share it. Perhaps you can still use slate tiles as an accent, maybe as accent tiles (1"x1" or 2"x2" maybe?) in a quieter field of tile. I wish I was as good as boxerpups at pulling up photographs to show you what I mean.

Hi, lisa. Do you have a website or link you could send me to? I'm really realizing I need to be openminded or I'll have unintended consequences I don't like. Really love is the word to use, though, with me and slate. It's been true since I first saw slate tile. Nice to hear from another slate addict!

At the risk of disgusting all of you by asking for more of your time and energy, I want to say that you have really made me see my kitchen differently, and here's my current question.

My Verde Esmeralda granite was a compromise (I wanted Rain Forest marble and DH wouldn't agree to it), and I've always felt the VE granite was just a poor second choice. When I saw slate for the first time I was amazed; I do love it, and couldn't resist putting it in as a backsplash.

Now I've been sitting here trying to visualize the suggestions you've made about putting in something that doesn't take away from the granite. I see that the granite really could be the star of the kitchen if I put in something quieter in the backsplash. You guys have already made wonderful suggestions, but I just want to say if anyone isn't completely tired of responding to this thread, I'm ready to give up looking at slate and go with something entirely different, and if you care to make any more suggestions please do! I'm going to go to the tile store next week with a whole new mindset. Thank you again for all your help.

I wish I had websites to suggest, Susanka, but I've come up blank. It's probably because I'm looking in the wrong places.

However, one good place to look for inspiration is in the FKB. Have you checked here yet? You can do a quick run-through via the Finished Kitchens Slideshow feature. I added a link (see below) to one kitchen that I found that might help spark ideas for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: BusyMom2's kitchen in FKB

lisa, thank you so much. I had gone to photo galleries and then kitchens but so far hadn't found the format you've shown. There will surely be a kitchen with comparable granite and cabs and other backsplashes I can get ideas from. I really appreciate this. (I'm the founder and prez of a volunteer nonprofit and have a lot I should be doing, but oh well, I'm spending the afternoon and more with my kitchen.)

It sems to me that you love your slate and your granite. What you don't like is the "darkness". What stuck me right off was your under counter lights. Couldn't something be done like replacing them with a light strip or something similar? That would be a less expensive fix. If you still found it too dark then replace or alter the backsplash.

Hi sasanka. I, showed my husband, who is a GC, your kitchen pictures, and he, said it was pretty dark, and the only way to lighten it, would be to rip it out. He, thinks you, would not get the full affect by just replacing a few tiles. Good luck! sharaz

Hi, sharaz. We've concluded the same thing. We have a guy who does tile coming over this evening to give us an estimate. I've looked at every kitchen on the FKB and think we do need to replace the backsplash. Thanks very much for your help and good wishes. I think the granite can be the "star" if I let it be the focal point.

Well, the guy who came over to look at the tile said $1100 to $1300 just for labor. We can't afford it. I'm afraid to tackle this DIY now, sounds like it's probably beyond our abilities. Tile guy said it would take him four to five days to do it. Does this seem reasonable to you? We were all excited about it,but this is out of our reach right now, very discouraging.

Get some more quotes. That doesn't look like a 4-5 day job to me AT ALL!

I have an 800 sq ft basement and our tile guy put in an entire stone floor in 3 days, with the fourth day of rinsing. Then we sealed it on day 5. This included the tear out of carpeting, scraping off the backing that was leftover and etching the concrete before the install.

You can get a wide variety of estimates. Our granite counter estimate range as $3000-$7800 for the same stone.

Shop around!

One day to remove, one day to remake the wall, one day to set, one day to grout...I think that's fair really. It is a time consuming job and you want him to do it carefully so the cabinets and counter aren't damaged in the process.

You know, I'd like to suggest something entirely different which you might hate, but I'll do it anyhoo :) DH had your kitchen in his texas place, almost identical in tones so we had to giggle when we saw this post.

I see you love earth tones by your pottery etc and you love slate and granite....honey you're wasting your time trying to make the space bright when the things you love are not bright. You just haven't embraced your dark side yet :) Come, step over to the dark side...earth tones and rich stones are devine when accented properly. You need to go with a rich tone on your walls like a brick or deep red, even a really deep green or gold (look to your crocks for inspiration). They'll make your cabinets sing and your stone will become a star. Hang a textured (dupioni or tapestry) drapery on the window top, soft and slouchy because you have so many hard edges) with a rich deep trim on it. CHANGE YOUR LIGHTING!!! You are entirely underlit and the white shades don't work with anything you've got going in your room. Go with beautiful rich amber shades and larger, more prevalent lighting as well as under and upper cabinet lighting (and to do that on the cheap, just put a bunch of christmas light strings on the top of the cabinet scattered about, you'll be amazed how much that helps your gloomy issue here).

Embrace the darkside luke...umm I mean susan :) And your lovely kitchen will become a rich paradise you don't mind being in. You're half way there...step over the line :) And remember, a can of paint is WAY cheaper than a new backsplash isn't it? What's the worst thing that can happen???? You paint again. But in DH's kitchen, who everyone said was too dark when he tried to sell initially....I went with a deep umber tone on the walls and it sold three days later to a gal who described it as wonderfully cozy and rich :)

igloochic,thanks for your hilarious post; you helped me laugh about this ridiculous situation. It is only a wall, after all.

I think I have embraced my dark side (I'm a retired psychotherapist) but I've always liked light and bright in a kitchen. I should have told the tile guy it was too dark when he was putting it in, but wimped out (my psychotherapist self was hiding at the moment.) You are totally right about the lighting; others have suggested the same: "Change the lights." I intend to do that, and also to get some sample tiles in a lighter color. I love the Christmas lights scattered on the cabinet tops idea. I can picture the rich look you describe, but I don't think it goes well with my LR and dining area in the same big room. It's amazing how dark this kitchen is with the huge windows we have facing it from these other rooms. Thanks again for your helpful post.