OMG, the one that's darker, that exactly seems to match your gorgeous counter top. (At least on my monitor!)

Too much white between the counter top and white cabinets doesn't make either one stand out.

Just gorgeous -- and I could take or leave subway tile!
Can't wait to see it in.

Cream looks too glowy white to me, sandpiper is my favorite color alone but I am having a hard time seeing if it pulls out a color in your granite, linen looks like the best match to me from the photo.

I think you nailed it with the darker tile. It goes great with the granite and has just the right amount of contrast. I like the mosaic with it too. I say go for it.

For me the cream is too mild a contrast with the cabs and a mismatch for the granite. Maybe just too bright. The linen matches the cabs great but not sure about the granite. Loving the darker one....especially if you plan on u/c lighting.

What color are your floors again?

floors are a very dark, chocolaty slate...here's the whole kitchen for reference:

I really like the darker tile but I'm afraid I'll get tired of it. I love to accent with flowers and china...pinks and greens mostly and the bright background of a white or cream seems so much more fresh and vibrant. The darker tile is lovely but will it pick up on the dark floor and bring the overall feel of the kitchen down too much?

I like the darker tile as well. I don't think it will interfere with the dark floor at all.

A strong vote for the darker tile, it balances your colors nicely. I don't care for either of the other choices.

I'm in the tile business so finally I can post on something I'm familiar with.

I LOVE the darkest tile. You have such a beautiful kitchen and the darker one really plays well off the countertop and cabinets without distracting from either. The lightest one works also, especially paired with a darker grout but it just settles into the background more

I often see people in our showroom wanting to add pattern, and different sizes or crazy glass accents...I love seeing simple backsplashes. Great choice going with no accents. The color and shape are more than enough to bring it all together.

The darkest tile (sandpiper). Really like that with everything else in your kitchen. It works beautifully to bring out the color in your granite. I'd paint the switchplates to match.

Linen doesn't have enough difference in color between the tile and the cabinets, just enough to look a bit "meh". And the lightest would get totally lost and doesn't really help to bring out any features in your kitchen.

Looking forward to seeing photos when the tile is in.

Another vote for sandpiper, the darkest tile. Think it will look beautiful.

wow! I didn't expect so many people to be in love with the darker tile! It seems like such a minor decision to make as I think any of them would look just fine. I' still so hesitant about the darkness though. I crave bright, white, french country type style....

You guys *really* don't think it will be too dark overall?? Like I've said before, I have such a difficult time visualizing! I think I'm going to cut and paste that one onto my kitchen again...lol

Definitely the cream or linen! Which ever one matches your cabinets the best.
The darker one is nice...but i think with the lighter ones your counters and cabs will really stand out.
For me, when i look at kitchens that i absolutely adore....the focus is on cabs and counters. not the BS. I feel like the BS is sort of like the garage of the house....you don't want it to stand out too much and compete with your entrance.
Your kitchen is very pretty and feminine and i know the lighter tiles will add that extra sparkle with out it being in your face. Good luck!

LOL...call me obsessed about my backsplash....here is my horrid attempt at cutting and pasting more backsplashes onto my kitchen pic.... first the sandpiper, then the cream.....

I wish I had a larger sample of the linen...it might be the perfect compromise. The cream looks pretty white but it's really not that white in person....hmmmm

I like the lighter ones better. When I look at the distance shot of your whole kitchen, the patches of darker drywall don't grab me, but the lighter ones fit in well. I can't tell for sure from the photo but I think the linen (the small tile) would work better than the cream. I like the cream one too, but if the linen is about the same color as your cabinets, then that will put the focus on your granite. The granite deserves that. It's a beautiful kitchen, by the way.

I am projecting my own likes onto your kitchen, of course -- I am aiming for a cheerful light kitchen for myself, so naturally I like the lighter colors for you too.

I think Sandpiper only looks dark to your eyes now because it's contrasted with white or very light tile colors. Once it's up, I really don't think it will look dark.

I notice you have some paint swatches on the backsplash area. Could you see how those colors compare to the Sandpiper tile? I like both shade (to the right of the sink and the left of the mixer), but they might also work to give you some idea of the how the darker tile would look. Or, buy a sample quart of paint color matched to Sandpiper (or find a very close paint chip) and paint it on the backsplash area to see if it's too dark for you. It would be a cheap $5 test!

I am feeling your pain Slonewby so I photoshopped the Sandpiper and Linen tiles onto one of your photos. I hope they help you see it better.

I also like the suggestion by equest to get some sample paint and paint the dark color either on your backsplash area or on a piece of poster board and see how you like it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Slonewby Backsplash

Another vote for the dark one!

OH!!! thank you, corgimum! Finally someone who knows how to really photoshop!

Everyone~ look at corgimum's link! Do you still think the darker one is the better choice?

Equest: the color to the right of the sink is the color of a tile I was considering...matching a paint and painting the wall made me nix that particular tile. The color by the mixer is yet another tile that didn't work. I think I might have an aversion to color in my kitchen?

Northcarolina: I think we might have similar tastes. I'm drawn to the lighter ones too. I think my fear is in mixing whites though....if I use the cream or linen, will it look like I tried to match the cabinets and missed? Or, will they all work well together?

My designer friend is coming again tomorrow. I sent her the photos but she knows she must see them in person to make an honest assessment.

I'll keep everyone posted!

corgimum...how on earth did you photoshop the linen one??? I thought you pshpd the cream colored one...you did that from one tile?? I'm impressed!

I like the cream, the other two colours are drab and i have never been one in favour of matching backsplashes to the countertop, it will only take away from that beautiful stone!

HTH, Petra

I vastly prefer the warmth of the darker tile, but perhaps I'm just saturated with the shining white backsplashes of the past decade. I'm also someone who prefers a dark green denim jacket to a white one, so take that into account. But I'd do the darker one in a heartbeat. It's not really dark, per se, actually - it's just more successful at pulling you into the warmth of the cooking space, while the white pushes you away.

Congratulations are getting to this point. You canot go wrong with either the linen or the Sandpiper.
The expected would be the linen. The good news here is that as expensive as this is, tile is the easiest to change.
So many of us here have made "the tile mistake." So your caution is very understandable here with us.

@slonewby: I agree with petra66 the dark backsplash will become the centre of attention as you walk in and will take away from the granite. Also it will darken up your room somewhat as its the same colour going around... i would look into something a bit lighter but not the cream light you have the linen looks ok!

Another vote here for the dark one! :)

I was going to say the single light one until I saw the full kitchen with the different paints on the walls. That dark paint looks similar to the darker backsplash and just ties in everything - it's gorgeous. My vote is the darkest one!

corgimum...how on earth did you photoshop the linen one???
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I just selected the individual tile, then copy and pasted it into one row. Then I selected the row and copied and pasted it until I had a full backsplash.

BTW, my vote is for linen. If you want the counter to be the star, go lighter. If you want the backsplash to stand out, go with sandpiper. UNLESS, you paint the walls to match the sandpiper, then it will not stand out as much and will give your kitchen a darker (perhaps cozier) feeling.

you're awesome, corgimum....(of course you are, you own corgies! lol) Thank you SO much for doing that. My cut and paste skills are very much lacking and it helps so much to see it all laid out.

So....thanks to corgimum, my hubby is leaning toward linen as well! He thought he wanted contrast or color all along (those who have been following this saga remember the green crackle glass?)....but, seeing the darker tile with the granite even made him feel it was too bold and taking away from the granite. I've wanted to go lighter all along. I *like* the darker tile but, in person, not sure I want to live with it forever. I could live with white/cream/linen forever....

Designer friend is still coming tonight ....can't wait to see what she has to say.

Looking at the initial photos, I was immediately drawn to the darker Sandpiper. I think it's still my personal favorite, as when I choose paint swatches I usually choose the color I like and then choose the next one down that is darker. However, I must say that after seeing the photoshopping by corgimum, the linen is very nice, too. I think either one would be lovely, but from your description of your vision for your kitchen, you'd probably be happier with the linen and, since seeing the photoshopped pictures, I'm convinced it would look very, very nice, as well.

I am going to say this again but it is so true, you have to love it not us. You give us choices and the majority of us again are drawn to the darker one that adds the contrast. You are not, you obviously are drawn to a lighter backsplash and I think you have to go with what you like to love it. Go with what your gut tells you and of all the things in the kitchen, it is the easiest to change if it isn't right for you...cut out the wallboard and tile and replace the wallboard and add new tile. Counters, floors and cabinets are staying but backsplashes are pretty easy to change.

Definitely the linen. I thought that before seeing the photoshopped pics, and seeing them only confirms it.