Here is a very dark pic but you can see most of the kitchen layout. Please excuse the mess and workers grouting! :)

I am definitely NOT an expert. However, the problem that strikes me in your picture is the tone of the marble subway; it is too cool. If you chose creamy subways with, say, darker grout, I think that would work well.

(Edited to fix typo.)

This post was edited by Angie_DIY on Wed, Jan 30, 13 at 15:41

Thanks Angie!

When I had just one marble tile it was mostly white with no gray and I loved how it looked together. But when I placed the order for more there were a lot of tiles with grey veining.

What color is your island? The sample piece is a light gray, and the photo of the island is dark brown.

I'm not an expert either, but I just wanted to say your kitchen is looking great and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your cabinets! What kind are they?

As to the backsplash, I also think your choices look a little cool/grey next to everything, but that could just be my monitor. And, as someone else pointed out the other day, the angle/plane makes a difference. All of your items will not be lying flat like that. Maybe set them up the way they will appear IRL?

I sure do love your cabinet color. I don't mind the grayer tiles as much as others. With your range top, the basket weave blends nicely.

Thank you legallin! They are a custom color from Bernier. They are beautiful in person although there have been lots of little hiccups between the designer and cabinet maker.

Be careful with the lighting when you are trying to look at the color of the tile. Make sure you have the same lighting in the kitchen as you will when it's done, and look at it during the day and night to make sure you understand how the color will change.

I think it's hard to match whites and grays. I had a lot of problems getting a green tile I liked for my bathroom also. There are a lot of blue tones in both of these colors. Heck, maybe all colors are hard to match! I agree with an earlier responder - look at the warmer whites. Or look at light beige tiles.

I think a medium to darker gray crackle subway would be stunning.

catbuilder - gray crackle intrigues me but I worry it will look too color blocked? I need to start ordering a bunch of samples, I think.

I, too, am going with similar colors and am finding it hard to match tones of whites, especially because everything looks so different in different lighting so you have to take all these samples to see how it looks in the space. I agree with catbuilder - I think if you went with a slight contrast it would still be soothing but much less stressful to find a "match" that goes all around your kitchen. And it won't look color blocked since the backsplash isn't the same depth as your cabinets, if you know what I mean - it would even draw attention to your lovely cabinets.

Please delurk again to post final pictures! It looks beautiful as it is now!

Sonoma Tile has beautiful glazes. There is slight variation from tile to tile (and even within each tile), but it is not like they are different colors. It adds a richness and depth that is lacking in a more uniform glaze. Their Star line is more reasonably priced, but the colors are more limited.

Thank you lovetodream! :) There are quite a few bugs to work out but I will post some pictures once it's done!

catbuilder - thank you so much for the info! Love some of their tile and will be contacting them tomorrow!

I love all of your choices -- the Torquay, the gray floor tiles and the creamy cabinets. Have you considered a mini-brick tile? Maybe a light gray with a bit of shimmer?

[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Ottawa Kitchen And Bath Julinda Balca-2Go Custom Kitchens Inc.

Or marble mini brick?

[Eclectic Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by Toronto Interior Designer Style de Vie Design
Or a small marble hexagonal?

[Contemporary Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by San Francisco Interior Designer Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke Triggs

Thank you pipdog! Those are some great inspiration pictures to go off of! I am kind of shying away fro marble now because of all the variation. I thought the carrara was right on. I'm thinking of gluing a bunch of my tiles I have here to a sample board and living with it for a bit. Now I just need to go cut some wood... ;)

I love your cabinets! How is Bernier? It is a line that is carried at one of the places I went for an estimate for my kitchen.
Are you in Canada by any chance?

geo- Thank you! I am not in Canada but in NH. I really liked many of the options and how much I could customize my design with the company.

Herringbone? Your space is really refined...that kind of subtle pattern-or the basketweave would be nice.

What about Jeffrey Court Irish Ice subway tiles - love those!

herbflavor - I do love herringbone!

GinaGordon 0 off to check those out now! My husband is going crazy with how many samples I am ordering!

Hi inspiredisabel, love your choices! We have Torquay too and creamy cabinets. I suggest you wait until the countertops are in and then post pictures again. We definitely struggled with off white cabinets and a white countertop. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to see how this looks in person (we're in Northern MA). Good luck! Oldbat2be

I was recently tile shopping and got into a discussion with the owner of the shop. He told me that they had recently place an order for some carrara tile that came with a lot of very gray pieces. He said that when they place the order they had specified the level of gray veining they wanted in the tile so that it had an over all consistency the client wanted. They took out the pieces they thought were too gray so the client would be happy.

I wonder if you could bring in a piece of the less gray tile that you initially liked and ask if the tile shop could get you a consistent batch like it.

Just a thought.

You're going to have a lovely kitchen in the end for sure.

LOVE pipdog's suggestions:)

If you focus on the interplay between the cream cabinets and torquay the color choice will be easier. Neutrals are fine but you may want more saturated neutrals, and warmer hues. I know you want subways and that's fine but consider calacatta gold like the 3" x 6" tiles below, and take a look at the mosaics to give you more ideas on colors you might like.

oldbat - What a generous offer, thank you!! I will message you. I'm by the southern seacoast of NH. And I do love your backsplash, so dramtatic and beautiful!

Jfay - thanks for the suggestions! I was hoping to have all this figured out so I could have the backsplash done as soon as the counters were in. I hate waiting! :(

EAM44 - beautiful examples! How come I can never find anything when I use the search engine?? More to look into! Thank you!

I have Sonoma Star tile, in a creamy white crackle. While I love the color and it blends really well with my creamy white cabs and vanilla walls, I have one caveat for you. They have a handmade look, although I'm sure it's not really handmade at the price (about $12/sq.ft.). There is a little upturn at some of the corners, which you really don't notice looking at the tiles themselves. However, some under-cabinet lighting (e.g., mine), there is quite evident lippage. Without the lights on, it looks smooth and fabulous. It's been suggested I move my UCLs further out, but quelle pain.

I called out the tilesetter and he gently showed me how the fault was the tile's not the installation. Perhaps. I think you could set these tiles without lippage but it would take patience and intention to mitigate these pesky corners.

linelle - thank you for responding! I was just looking at those tiles online and was going to order a sample of the creamy white! Is there a picture of your backsplash floating around?

isabel, my backsplash is Sonoma Creamy Crackle. The UCLs are not on, so you can't see the lippage. Of course, it's hard to get a true rendering of the color in a photograph. It's a nice creamy white, slightly darker than my cabs. Depending on the light, sometimes they can look the exact same color. I was a little apprehensive about the crackle, but in reality, you don't really see it unless you get in close. It tends to give the surface a little life, without being obvious.

I looked at umpteen white -> beige tiles. I like quiet and neutral and don't regret not getting something with pizzazz. It's entirely possible, had I known about the quirky corners, a discussion with the tilesetter could have avoided the problem. Who knows?

p.s. I hated the original grout (tan) the minute it was done and had them take it out. I loved how the gray grout looked before it dried and wished I'd gone with a darker color. Now I'm over it and it's probably a good thing the grout is not more prominent.

Linelle - it looks beautiful! And thank you for the heads up on the irregularities of the edges. I'm not sure if it would bother me or not. I do wish the crackle was a bit more pronounced.