I am concerned with maintenance ... I know we will need to seal it and use special cleaning products You're right to be concerned about these things. Why would you want to increase your cleaning work? if money was no object...curious as to what others would choose? Also any other tile suggestions would be appreciated. I still wouldn't go with marble. I don't care for it much -- too cold, too old looking. But the upkeep would be the straw that'd break the camel's back. If I wanted a marble look, I'd opt for a ceramic that LOOKS like marble. I like your suggestion of a crackle tile. Since money is an object, I'd also consider that marble will be so expensive that one day when you want to change it, you'll feel guilty getting rid of something so expensive.

Splais, Oh I so understand your dilema. Last year at this exact time I was hating my 4 by 4 ugly white tile with dirty grout. Cleaning peanut butter and jelly between grout lines was not only time consuming but a true pia. I would have been happy to have plywood before having to endure cleaning between the tiny grout lines. Formica, Wilsonart and other laminates are improved and quite beautiful. Vermonteer posted the same question you asked. Link below. Laminates have come a long long way from the orange formica with trimmed metal my mom used to have. And with all your counter space you will find it is a good choice. Here are some images so you can see how pretty it will look. ~boxer Formica Formica with beveled edge Formica Madras Indian Slate color Formica Formica White Wilsonart Here is a link that might be useful: Laminate counter tops in otherwise luxurious kitchen? Any advice?

Ooo -- I just saw that hex tile - I loved it! But FWIW there is absolutely no way I would ever consider installing that in a kitchen. I lived with a kitchen for 2 years that had 4" square blobbley ceramic tiles and large grout space - it was just the grossest thing ever. Even spending hours and hours scrubbing it, still it was always gross in the grout. For me, I just would adamantly never, ever do that again. There are so many edges, 2 per line, and then the interior of the grout is rubbley so it catches anything remotely speck-like. Not to mention the impossibility of really getting anything clean (which may be a silly part of the argument, I don't think you can ever really get shiny surfaces all that clean either, they just look shinier). Personally, I would take absolutely anything at all with no grout in it over anything with grout, no matter how pretty. How about something cheaper, say hammered metal? Are there any metal workers near you who could make a nifty countertop?

The tile is really beautiful and I think the colors blend well with the granite. I don't view the granite as "busy". However, I wouldn't suggest picking out the backsplash already before you've even begun construction. I look at the backsplash as the icing that comes after you've made the cake. I wouldn't want to pick my KD, or lack thereof, based on a B.S. You either really want this K.D. or you don't, IMHO. Besides, if you ditch the designer, and the potential for the tile discount, you'll save oodles of money anyway on designer fees and you'll be able to afford the full price. Also, with some digging, you may be able to finagle a discount on your own. I didn't use a K.D., this forum and my clear understanding of what I was trying to accomplish was all I needed. I consulted a couple of K.D., but found they really weren't listening and I could tell I was better off without them. That said, I do like the B.S., but I'd like to see the back splash samples sitting in the real kitchen before deciding if that's THE ONE. What "look" are you going for overall in your kitchen and in your new home? Is that a french country look? I visited a home for sale in Maine many years ago while on vacation. When I walked into their kitchen, I was overcome with a feeling of "home". I had never experienced anything like this before. It was almost like having a spiritual experience, lol. I took note of the details, trying to memorize as much as I could, trying to understand the "feeling" that it evoked and the elements that contributed to this feeling. When I was designing our kitchen, I tried to recreate this feeling as best I could, and was successful mainly because I found this forum and was able to pour over many photos of kitchens that also evoked this feeling I was after. The tile makes your heart sing! That's so important!! But do you have the overall vision in mind yet? Good luck on your project! Building a home is very exciting indeed.