mwrede: Did you make a decision and call them back the next day? I really hope not--it's too stressful to be rushed thinking this through! Let me first say that I've never done a remodel, and I tend to overthink things,even after I've made my decision. This is your personal space; it should look as close to your vision as possible. Your idea for the backsplash is better than their's--ditch the side pieces. Splashback isn't so great that they are needed. They really seem to me to be a waste of marble and $$. I wouldn't think mirrors all the way down would be the best look. The round mirrors will probably be too small for the large vanity, but I like the idea of mixing a round mirror over the shorter vanity and a rectangular over the longer one, but not splitting the longer into 3 pieces--too choppy, not as pleasing visually. (I don't know why, but picturing mirror/sconce/mirror/sconce/mirror makes me think of an old Italian style, maybe in a 70s Vegas hotel.) The photos show a sleeker, calmer bath taking shape--all those elements on the wall don't really fit that. (Oh, and yes--you must get some money cut off the bill. That's a given!)

I think it looks very nice, and I like the strong dark piece. I have never been a huge fan of granite backsplashes. I loved the slab of granite that I got for my island and butler's pantry coutertop that I didn't want to waste any of it, so we decided to use it for the butler's pantry backsplash as well. When I first saw it installed, I hated it so much I wanted to take it down, and my husband felt the same. It was overwhelming to me because it had such strong movement and I thought it somehow looked tacky. I was also upset because we had gone to the yard when they templated, and picked the part that we wanted on the backsplash. There was a part of the slab that always made me think of prehistoric cave paintings, and I wanted that on the backsplash. It also was a much subtler part of the slab than the other. Even though I was there when they templated it, they somehow got the backsplash and countertop backwards,and the must stronger part of it ended up on the vertical part. This was a very long way to say -- I now love the butler's pantry backsplash as much as anything else in my kitchen. I also get a lot of compliments on it. Sometimes with a very strong element, you just have to live with it for a while; the first impression is not necessarily the lasting one. I think over time you will end up really admiring your backsplash. If you don't, you can always change it.

Everyone has different ideas about backsplashes but I like them relatively simple. Some kitchens can take dark splashes but I think those are the exception. Also, blue granite is sort of it's own thing and it's relatively active and colorful. I don't see the need for a border with 2 different tile sizes as I feel that detracts rather than plays it up. I'd look for a color in the granite itself that's complementary but not competitive and see about finding a tile in that colorway. Another consideration is whether the granite is honed or polished. If honed, you might want a more matte textured tile; if polished a glazed. If you wanted to go blue on the splash, something like 4 x 4 glass tiles or small glass subways in one of the blue shades from the granite would give you a gorgeous light-reflecting surface even if they were relatively dark.

It's still a side splash, which I typically wouldn't tile, even though there's a cab over it. But you have a sink nearby. The granite looks tight to the wall, so I think caulk and a washable paint is enough protection from occasional splashing. If you leave standing water from draining dishes, I'd tile, but I doubt you do that with white granite. You could tile it the height of the raised bar, which I think is what you intend with your finger placement. But that leaves a small area of wall between the tile and cabinet, which would look like you ran out of tile if it were done on a row of cabinets. So you could do just two rows of tile. I would bring it to the end of the counter in that case, but normally I'd say stop at the upper cabinet. Tape some up and let's see what looks best.