After five years of casually looking around, my DH finally gave me an ultimatum to get the backsplash done so we can close out our house project and move on to the next big project (a kit plane, if you're curious - Velocity XL RG). Our kitchen is all light-medium cherry shaker cabs with SS pulls and appliances and black porcelain tile counters (looks like slate) and beige tile floors, so I wanted something not plain and boring - with some color.
So I went back to an old inspiration picture I saved off this site of a Trikeenan glass tile and located a nearby tile shop that carried that brand, and after looking at some of their other products, decided on something very different for a focal point of our backsplash (over the double kitchen sink) - Medicine Bluff Studios Sea Culture baby turtles - a 2 x 4 "picture" of 6"x6" tiles of baby turtles emerging from the sand and diving in to the water, surrounded by a frame of 2"x8" blue wavy water tiles.
But, I need 26sf of a background tile for the rest of the backsplash, and finally decided on something I really liked. The problem is that I'm not really sure what it's called and after spending nearly $900 on just the turtles, I need to be more frugal on the rest.
Here is a picture of what I like (from Tons of Tile), but I'm hoping to find something more along the lines of $10sf rather than $20+shipping. I can't find this tile on the Porcelanosa website, however.
I think this is polished (or honed?) travertine or marble. I know I don't like tumbled - too rough. I want it smooth but not glossy. Some places call this "random strip" so I found a "Cappuccino Marble Random-Strip Polished Mosaic Tile" on Amazon and ordered a sample to see what the finish is like.
There was a staggered 2"x6" block travertine that was close to what I liked for $10sf in stock, but it had a lot of pits and holes in it, which I don't want in a backsplash for cleaning (it's only about 4" behind the sink). I really like the random widths of this tile.
I also found a post on this site where someone named Beth-something had this nearly exact backsplash except she didn't name it nor could I figure out how to email her, and now I can't find the post again.
What I'm hoping is that someone on this site can help me find this or at least educate me on what I'm looking for since I just don't know the nomenclature of honed-polished-travertine-marble-stone-etc. Ceramic tile with this same approximate look would be fine, too, but not glass tile. I don't want it to interfere with the main focus of the turtles.
I appreciate any help and I promise to post pictures when it is done!
R/Lisa A