Do you know what sizes the subway tile comes in? And also can you post a picture with the subway tile and perimeter counter. Your kitchen is very pretty. I am excited to see what you chose and pictures when it is done.

I think the subway just comes in the size I have on the board, 2.5" x 5".
It's by Horus Art, called crystalli and the color is Ecru.
It also comes in a 4" square pillowy shape, the one in my mockup with the white diamonds and accent tiles. And a flatter 5" square shown here in this board.

I only have the one Ecru colored subway tile that's on the board with the big sample of the whites. This is really the best pick can get.

The color is tricky. Id call it a grayish beige def more beige than my counter which is true gray. Do some of you think i should look for a ceramic thats more gray, one that will match the counter more?
I think in my home this one is very similar to my wall color, which to me means it will work nicely sort of like having it just painted but with all the advantages of having it tiled?!. But I think it could work and I love the idea of ceramic just bc it's durable and its less expensive than those marbles, by alot I think! And the tile itself is just really pretty. Just a little concerned on the color, plus its slightly boring but I'd prefer to err on that side than do something too busy.

I am sure the marbles would look good and to me they seem an obvious choice, but I'm concerned with it looking too white and cold. Maybe with a wood/bamboo window shade and wood barstools it would all warm it up enough though? And someday I could paint the room a deeper color.

To me the glass is the perfect balance of color and contrast but I just don't see myself going through with it too scared of the pattern and I think it's just not really right for my somewhat traditional home. I still find myself unable to return the sample to the tile store though!!

Oh my, I'm not getting any closer even with all your great help, I always go round and round. Do I need to keep looking?

Someone asked about my mudroom area too I will post a pic of that too.

Thanks again for all the comments!

Here is my mudroom area, we turned a big pantry closet into this area for coats school bags etc. I sort of miss the storage for big items, like the 20 pack of paper towels I could store in there. But for now I am loving the place to drop everything when we come in.
Across from it is a little cabinet, excuse the mess! I'll have some tile there and a bulletin board for calendar etc eventually.

Here's the messy cabinet in the mudroom....

Personally, I like gray teamed with creamy colors. Not all grays are cool. I think the sample board (next to the little oven on the counter) looks good next to your counter. Horus tiles are very nice in person and reasonably priced.

~Do some of you think i should look for a ceramic thats more gray, one that will match the counter more?

I thought the taupe subways were gray at first, and I didn't like the idea of gray counter blending into gray backsplash. That would be too much "embracing the gray" for me. I like gray, but I worry about it being a passing trend, so I would limit it to one surface.

I would show your dining room fireplace, which has a rustic vibe IMO. Most people here don't know it's open to the kitchen.

I mentioned being at the crossroads of going classic or natural. As an example, my sisters have white Shaker cabinets made by the same cabinet maker. Both have black granite countertops. One used all classic touches with an aqua painted island and creamy crackled subway tiles. The other sister used a cherry countertop on her island, natural slate subway tile, and organic styled pendants and pulls. IMO, the classic one looks pretty, but sterile and predictable. That sister has always had a great design sense, but the kitchen feels copied from a magazine. The one with the natural elements looks warm and homey. I feel more of her personality in that kitchen than I do in my other sister's.

I agree not to overdo the counter color by using it on the backsplash as well. It would seem kind of dark, I think. I would prefer to see some contrast there. Something washed out but not so close to the same value.

May flowers,
Thanks. I hesitate a little to show my fireplace & that side of the room. I struggle with that because the fireplace didn't get finished the way I really wanted it. I had hopes of a soapstone hearth & rustic reclaimed wood mantle. Maybe a big lighter colored wood farmhouse type dining table.
In the end, our budget wore thin & I just finished whitewashing the brick, and painted the exisiting mantle shelf white & keeping the slate hearth. I threw out the brass screen but haven't gotten a new one. We are reusing our old black dining furniture and china cabinet for now (could be for a while!). I had to choose a light paint color (one of my regrets) due to the new open floorplan & dark colors not working in adjacent family room. It gives off a very shabby chic feel, which is not really the style I'm going for, but its sort of what I'm stuck with.

I appreciate your story about your sisters, and agree I'm at a crossroads. I have a really hard time balancing my tastes/style and I have a big fear that in the end that will be very apparent. I flip flop a lot, even my ideabooks on houzz are somewhat all over the place. While the soapstone/wood/brick fireplace is something I'd want, there were also times during my planning that I'd thought about covering up the entire brick fireplace with glass mosaic, or large format porcelain! I think I like & feel most comfortable with warm colors, natural elements. The house before remodel was all warm shades of browns, rusts, olive greens. People often commented that it was very "me".
I got a little sick of my own style & colors though so Ive been trying to bring in more updated colors, while trying hard to keep it warm and not turn it into a magazine look that is cold to me.
Maybe I will post a picture of the fireplace.

Ok Im really rambling & off topic, people are going to get sick of me and this thread ;-)

Btw, Linelle thanks. Do you mean youd use the creamy white tile? Or the whole shebang combo with all the accents?

Umm, people never get sick of obsessing over kitchens. That's why they are here!

Seeing the new pictures, I would definitely not do the glass or taupe tile. I would want more contrast between the counter and backsplash.

Also, the scale of most of the tiles is smaller than I thought they would be. I'd try to find a larger (3"x6") calacatta tile. Do you have a Tile Shop around you? They have various 3"x6" or 4"x12" marble tiles in polished and satin that would probably match well. They have the stock right there so you can see what it really looks like, too.

If you go for a white ceramic tile, I wouldn't do accents, and I'd do a grout to match the silestone. That would be a nice look and not cost much.

homebuyer, yes, I'd do the creamy white tile. Although the taupe is a beautiful tile and I think looked best in the mockup, I think it and and the countertop don't really do anything for one another. Is the creamy white also a Horus tile? Does it have any nice trim pieces?

I think you can take a white and gray kitchen and turn it into something that says it's yours.

I was driving along this morning and I thought of a kitchen from a few years back that you should see. The marble on the island is similar to yours, and the island cabinet color is similar to your silestone. It is segbrown's beautiful kitchen, and I will link it below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Segbrown's kitchen

I really love the Hirsch glass with your perimeter counter--and I'm usually the one to warn people off of busy mosaics. However, I have a few caveats--It is hard to see from the pics how well the tile works with the marble and that is where I think you could get competing busies (even though they aren't adjacent). Not that the marble is so terribly busy, but that type of mosaic doesn't tolerate competition well. If it were just the perimeter counter and the cabs, I would be all over it. But with the whole picture, I'm not as confident.

My other concern with the Hirsch glass is that, as you note, it could be too contemporary for your space. It depends on what you are going for. Your cabinetry has pretty clean lines, so I don't think the style "clashes," but the glass would definitely pull the overall look in a contemporary direction.

Overall, I tend to like the tiles with a bit more color to the ones that are predominantly white.

What about something like this? It is a crackle glaze pewter subway tile. The cabinetry is painted BM Revere Pewter, which I believe is your wall color. This is an example of the watery effect of a hand glazed tile that snookums referred to.
Also, I went thru the same brick fireplace dilemma that you faced. Ours too is in a family room that is connected to the kitchen. It was previously faux painted in a creamy shade that no longer worked with our white kitchen. We painted the fireplace & hearth Revere Pewter, the mantle white & the walls a darker shade of grey. It turned out much nicer than I thought. I'd be happy to send you pics.

Romy, great suggestion! Love that backsplash. I could stare at it ALL day long!

I like the light pewter tile a lot better with your counter than the ecru subway tile. I think it would go well with your fireplace, too, from what i remember.

Hi everyone,

Romy, thank you, I LOVE that pewter tile, oh my...what is it??
Its probably a $50 Ann Sachs or something...please prove me wrong!

I have still been hopelessly undecided, but as of this morning, I was leaning strongly toward the honed cararra in the 1x3 linear pattern.
phillyfeet actually hit the nail on the head as to why I always gravitate to this one (maybe bc we're both from philly?! assuming you are??!)
-the color really seems to work well with the counter tops and it is a different spin on a traditional material in the shape/layout. it feels very transitional and timeless at the same time-

My main concern with it though is that the color variations that I see in the sample that I love, won't appear when I order 37 sq ft of it! And my next question was going to be if you think I should do a gray grout with that.

However I really like this pewter tile, please tell me more!

Oh, and I found this online, wanted to see what you guys thought, it looks white but they call it glossy gray yet it says it has a low sheen. I'm intrigued by the perimeter of each piece looking a little faded or darker or something, makes it look more organic/natural to me than a traditional solid white arabesque which are beautiful, but to me a little more formal than I'd like, plus I don't want solid white. Think its worth $14 to order a sample, or is it no good?

I

Oh and romy I'd love to see pics of your fireplace.
Here's mine. I like it a lot, dont love it. Like the basically free transformation. Wish i could put up a new mantle. Wish it has darker wslls next to it. And i even sort of miss the old red brick!
But I think when alls done it will flow well with everything I hope.

I love the fireplace. Very clean looking.

I love it too. Loved it with the bouquet of dried money plant. Your dining room's got a great American rustic feel to it. I don't know how that arabesque shape works in with that. I guess I'm just a purist when it comes to styles! I do like the gray crackle.

I mentioned earlier about knowing which direction you're going with your pendant and selecting backsplash as part of the whole. I see now the dining room light wouldn't work with some of the trendy chrome, crystal, oversized lights, etc. that you often see in white and marble kitchens. Have you given some thought to your pendant? Got any inspiration pics?

I most often wait to pick the grout until the tile is up. With the carrera I would probably choose a grout that matches the cabinets.

romy that is beautiful. i could stare at it all day too......

Homebuyer - Just FYI - if you like the arabesque, do a search on Home Depot's website for "Lantern Tile". It's the tile 1929Spanish used in her kitchen (see picture). Also, Beekeeperswife had an arabesque in her kitchen.

But I do really LOVE that pewter subway tile!

OT - where is your chandelier from that is hanging over the table by the fireplace? I'm looking for something similar.

Thanks!

Homebuyer - Just FYI - if you like the arabesque, do a search on Home Depot's website for "Lantern Tile". It's the tile 1929Spanish used in her kitchen (see picture). Also, Beekeeperswife had an arabesque in her kitchen.

But I do really LOVE that pewter subway tile!

OT - where is your chandelier from that is hanging over the table by the fireplace? I'm looking for something similar.

Thanks!

{{gwi:1960545}}

Love the light gray tile Romy posted! Heaven. Yes, I could look at that allll. day. long too!

From the first pics I would have said the subway tile, but after seeing your counter better, the marble. But Romy's tile would be the best of all.

Personally, while I like the lantern/arabesque tile in itself, I don't think the shape adds anything in your kitchen.

I found the other picture on Houzz, by Pinney Designs who say the tile is a crackle glazed subway tile from Discover Tile in Boston. I can't find any info on Discover Tile's website.
This picture is a similar tile, Suprema Gloss Brick in Touch of Grey, I think about $15/sq. ft.
I'll post a few other similar ones. There are quite a few companies that make hand glazed crackle tiles & grey tones are so popular.
FireClay, Heath Ceramics, Mexican Handglazed.

On Houzz, the posted source for the tile is "Mexican Handcrafted".

This is by Encore Ceramics in Silver. I am doing this tile for my backsplash. I was planning to do marble in 4x8" or 3x6" tiles but my perimeter counters are marble and I couldn't find a marble that blended well with my marble ie, too white, not white enough, etc. Marble subways would work for you since your perimeters are grey & your walls are Revere Pewter. I like your mockup of the bigger subways, staggered.
I'll post my fireplace pic on your fireplace thread.
BTW, your kitchen is beautiful. You have done a great job. I love your window, your cabinets, your perimeter counter choice & your marble island.
Don't rush your backsplash. I was feeling desperate about finding BS tile (I was being pressured by DH & KD). When I stumbled across mine, I knew it was right.

Fire Clay, Foggy Morning glazed.
Sonoma Tile would also be a good source. What I like about all these tiles is that there is some variation of color. It gives the tile more depth & adds some color.
Another option for marble tile is to find 12x12" tiles that you like and have them cut. Some stone yards stock the 12x12's so you'd have more control over the lot.
Ann Sacks also has a honed marble tile (3x6) called Selene that has a good bit of color. They have some hand glazed tiles that are $15-$20/sq ft.

Ann Sacks Selene Marble 3x6", about $20 sq. ft.
Might be too colorful!

This post was edited by romy718 on Fri, Oct 18, 13 at 17:14

This is my friend's backsplash choice, Ann Sack's, handmade, color twilight, grey with a hint of blue, about $13-$15 per sq. ft.

On Houzz, Ann Sack's Elements or Elementary, 3x6" and 1x3". I believe the color is Wisp.

I love these options!!!! No time right now but will be back....
Thank you!!!

Ok, it's been a while. I went on a search for those Encore tiles romy suggested and received for her own gorgeous kitchen. I found them and wow are they beautiful.
They are over my budget, take a long time to come in, and the lady at the tile store said she didn't really like them with my counter sample I brought. I'm not positive I agreed with her but as beautiful as they are, I'm thinking maybe its true that with my solid color counters the encore tiles are still too solid...?

She was in strong favor of a Calcutta backsplash and found me one in my price range, but at the very top of it, in a 3x6 honed.

Today I went to yet another store where I found 3x6 honed Carrara with a lot of variation in it, which I like.

I'll post some pictures of these, please let me know what you think!!

In this picture the Calcutta is on the left and the Carrara on right. I have way more sample tiles of the Carrara than I do the calcutta.

The Calcutta resembles my island counter closely. However I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. In a way I wonder if that's too "matchy match".
The other thing about the Calcutta is I don't see much of the warmer gold/brown tones I like to see in Calcutta. It seems pretty gray and white.

I like the veining though and it seems like a nice quality tile.

The Carrara I like bc it has some interesting things going on with most of the tiles. They're all a little different and I see several varying color tones in it which I tend to like. It seems slightly less Formal than the Calcutta and I think I prefer that. It's also less expensive...big plus.

But I wonder of it looks busy? If I'll tire of all the variations? If it is odd to have Cararra on walls with Calcutta on island?
I'll try to post close ups too.

here is a pic of the kitchen as it is now, we finally installed a pendant/lantern over the island, I think mayflowers was interested in seeing what we used there to get a better feel for my style. We used a smaller knock off of the Hundi Lantern from Pottery barn, we got this from Overstock. I do love it, but thought about posting a new thread to see if its too small...feel free to give opinions!

No its not too busy. I like the carrara in your post. Frankly from this angle it is difficult to tell the difference between the two. If you like the color of the carrara go with it over the calacatta. As far as if it goes with your island counter I can't say one way or the other, but I think it is very nice with your peripheral countertops.

Not like yours, but here is my marble backsplash that I put up several years ago. I love it for the subtle variety and understated element.

Here is one more, closer up. Ignore the yellowy paint sample in background.
Again, cararra on right, Calcutta on left

You snuck that post before I got mine posted :)

I like the pendent. I don't think it looks too small. The only think I might have done in that space would been to have a rectangle pendent with more spread of light over the island, since there is only one fixture opening in your ceiling.

enduring , I've always LOVED your backsplash! I saved it long ago, thanks for posting though, I haven't seen it in a while.

What type of marble is yours? I like how warm it is. What color grout did you use? I like that its darker, wonder if I should do that...?

I see in your last picture there is more definition with the calacatta, slightly bolder.

My tile was a mosaic in a running bond that I cut apart to do the herringbone on a whim in 2011. I don't know if the product is still available from "The Tile Shop"...yes it still is and it is called Lansdale. I will link the website. I have a local store so it was easy to order and take back what I didn't want when I was done. The tiles are 2x4s on a 12" square sheet. I took the tiles off the backing and washed the tiles to get the glue off. There was some shadowing effect from the mesh when the tiles where wet, but this disappeared once they were dry.

The grout I played around with and ended up with a mixture of white and a gray. I did several tile boards before I grouted. Since this was my first project, there was a bit of a learning curve. But DO A SAMPLE BOARD before you do any grouting!!! If your tiler won't do it, make 'em do it!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Tile Shop Lansdale mosaic

Either of the marbles will work so you don't need to worry about making a mistake by picking one over the other. They are both gorgeous!

The one on the right (cararra) melds with the color of the counter top more than the cabinets. The one on the left (Calcutta) is more of a contrast with the counter tops but less with the cabinets.

You can use the color of the grout to either make the tiles meld or standout. Use a darker grout with the lighter Calcutta marble so there is less contrast with the counter but a little more with the cabinets. Inversely, a whiter grout to enhance the contrast with the counter but meld more with the cabinets.

With the darker cararra marble, use a darker grout for less contrast with the counter but more with the cabinets or use a lighter grout to add more contrast with the counters but not the cabinets.

In the end, it's all about the balance you want to achieve and how much you want the backsplash to blend in or contrast with the counters and/or cabinets. Again, no right or wrong answer, they will all just be slightly different looks. In one month, two months, six months or a year, you will probably not even notice it at all anymore.

As for myself, we are almost ABB too! My contractor is painting pieces of glass for back splash in our more modern type kitchen. I have painted the area that the glass will be just to see if I liked the effect with my counters, white macaubas vein cut. I am including a photo for fun.

my bs went up this week. They still have to come back to buff it tomorrow but here's a little look.....
I am really happy with how it turned out, and it really makes a difference to how "done" the kitchen feels.

Now, if I can just pick a window treatment & get rid of the paper shade...Ill be done with major decisions!!! what a long long journey...

It looks perfect! I love it with your countertops. I'm not sure if this is the Calacatta or the Carrera. Whichever (I'm guessing Calacatta) , the overall tone looks great with your cabinets. Please post more pics after they finish tomorrow. This is an exciting backsplash day at GW!

Excellent choice! Absolutely beautiful! I can't wait to see the final pics!

Beautiful!!! Can't wait to see more!

I love it! (I'm jealous of your bright sunny window!)

Love it! Which one did you go with? And we need more pics!!! :)

Your project is really shaping up! A huge upgrade...you worked hard and what a payoff...show more pics when you can...how did the new living room turn out?I like the dark tones of the wood furniture in dining area with darker island and dark accents on the light fixtures- nice "tie-ins" throughout the space that contrast a bit with the white. It's all very tasteful.

Thanks everyone!

So of course the one I chose is not even one of the original top 5 contenders from the top of this thread.

I chose Hampton Cararra 3x6 satin finish from The Tile Shop.

I was so afraid to go with marble because I really like variation in the tiles and I didn't want to end up with boxes of all white. I found a Tile Shop near me, never knew they existed until GW. I loved that they had so much in stock, and on display. So I was able to take an entire box of the Hampton Cararra home before I decided. Its the one in my post above from Nov. 7, on the right. It had a lot of variation and was a lot less expensive than some of the options I had been considering too, so it was my winner.

Herbflavor, thanks for the compliments & for remembering. You are one of many here who specifically helped me a lot.
Yes the whole project now is done. We love the new use of space, its really working out for the way we live just as I hoped.

The kitchen is done just how I wanted it, though of course theres several decisions I second guess, but overall I love it.
The other 2 rooms which we opened into each other I am just not thrilled with how they look yet because the budget has run out but I really wanted to do more in those rooms. I wish we could get all new furniture and I wanted built ins next to fireplace and new mantle, etc but its not happening for a while. I know we have time.

I hope to do a reveal now soon, but I still need a window treatment on the big kitchen window. We get tons of light so I needed to put a paper shade up and I don't want that in my final pics!!

I might still need one more post for advice on a window treatment...I'm thinking a woven wood shade in a dark tone like the island cabinet. I love the light kitchen, but I really like to ground it with some dark pieces.

Heres a closer up...