Look on houzz.com and you will see lots of ideas.

Could you post a close up of your counter amd maybe another pic or two of your kitchen?

Gladly!

the countertop

another view...

This is pipdog's kitchen with countertops similar to yours. Her backsplash is gorgeous, "White Onyx" staggered purchased at Stone Mart in Burbank, Ca.

A closeup of pipdog's backsplash.

Wow
Great looking kitchen and needs a backsplash to pull it together
How about Vihara tiles
I would be concerned about painted beadboard behind a cook area but there is tile beadboard available.
Edited for grammar - ugh!

This post was edited by a2gemini on Tue, Dec 31, 13 at 5:03

Thank you - the white onyx and the vihara tiles both look amazing!

Donna - do you want to bring any color into your kitchen, or do you prefer neutrals/white? Also, what is your budget in $/sf?

Here is a kitchen I found and am using as inspiration. I like the neutrals. I am currently building, but also have white cabinets with a dark island.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gray backsplash

I prefer neutrals, I think. I would rather bring in colors with paint and window treatments that can be easily changed. I'm not even sure about the budget since I haven't actually priced anything out. I don't need rock bottom prices but I don't want to overspend in relation to the rest of the kitchen/house which is not what you would call upscale.

That being said, once I fall in love with something (like my quartzite countertop), I will try my best to find a way to pay for it. My daughter doesn't really need that last semester of college, does she? I think she's learned enough.

I think both options pictured above would look great with your gorgeous countertops!

Haha! She's learned enough - of course she's learned enough! (Fast forward a few years, "mom doesn't really need that I.V. does she? I think she's lived enough.").

Let me start by saying I love Pip's kitchen and I love her bs. When you look at those images you see the bs. The counter is not the boldest element. I love that. If you want your counters to be the star you're going to go for uniformity of color, and get your visual interest by (I love this trick) mixing frosted and glossy elements that are the same color.

Here are some possibilities for you. These are all glass mosaics. You can absolutely get a similar effect in porcelain tile as well.

I would lean towards a classic white beveled subway in a larger format, or a Carrera subway (as long as it doesn't fight with your quartzite)

EAM44 -
which site did you get the glass diamond and circles accent tiles from?
or - all the glass tiles you posted
i like them!

This post was edited by Chef4Six on Fri, Mar 21, 14 at 15:55

Hi Chef. These are all from Glass Tile Oasis. They have a great site to search, and their prices are competitive, but you can buy the tiles from just about anywhere online.

Are your counters madreperola? If so how are they holding up? I am looking at that for my countertops so it's nice to see what it will look like. I have my eye on the vihara tiles.

I have madre perla counters... bullet proof. so glad I chose these with 2 kids and husband who are great at making messes. we do everything on these counters, cooking, eating, art projects etc. without a doubt the most beautiful element in my kitchen.