omg -- I am so embarrassed. I can't believe it's been almost three years. I know it's ridiculous, veevs, but I still have not put in a backsplash! I collected so many sample tiles (all of which are still sitting on my laundry room counter), and then I just got overwhelmed! And then tired. And then bored. And then we moved on to other major house projects (front entry, portico, landscaping, etc.) and other decorating (window treatments, etc.). And then I just became very zen about the whole thing and decided not to stress about it, to enjoy the paint for now, and to just pick out other kitchen things first (eg, got the bamboo shades budge suggested). In fact, it's funny that you're reviving this thread now, as I await delivery of the chandelier that I finally chose for over the island. I'm hoping that getting that up next week will provide a sudden epiphany re the backsplash. I hope to return to that project this fall/winter. Of course, I'm still happy to hear suggestions and welcome any photos! Sorry the thread was such a tease...but there will be a happy ending one day! In the meantime ... enjoy your kitchen and the many delicious meals you will share with your family ... and tell them all just to be zen :)

Moccasinlanding, thank you - I wondered if I could just take a picture of it. Now, however, the deadline has passed and I'VE DECIDED WHAT I'M DOING. Whew! Actually I didn't decide. I told my contractor who showed up this morning that I CAN'T DECIDE and am going completely crazy out of my head bonkers not being able to decide between stainless w/ marble subway backsplash or soapstone w/ beige subway backsplash. So I told him to decide for me and I'd be happy either way (and if not happy, it would be default tell me that I really wanted the other thing)! So HE chose stainless w/ marble. He said black counters are too ubiquitous these days, and dark (potentially depressing), and that we can add more warmth by replacing our kitchen island top with butcher block (it's currently stainless). To answer your question about our floors, they're wood. Yesterday I found an interesting online piece about a woman's original 1912 or 1913 kitchen - showing pictures - having one counter w/ steel on it. It appears to me to be zinc or pewter, and it was in a pantry-type room that had U-shaped counters, the connecting counter being the metal one. The other two were made of old dark wood. Stainless was invented in 1913 (amazing how many things were - including refrigerators!) and so I feel good enough about doing a period kitchen in stainless as long as all else looks old-fashioned for the most part. And as long as I can contrast w/ lots of warmth in other ways - particularly re. wood. The marble should help w/ that too I hope. Can you tell I'm trying to convince not just you guys but myself, too? ;) Here's the link that shows that woman's original 1913 kitchen (I can't help but feel sad that she changed it - and also some of her choices - but to each her own. Plus she wrote that it was meant to be a temporary fix only): http://www.fromtimespast.com/RestorationJournalTheKitchen.htm Third pic down shows the metal which you can see much better if you use your computer to zoom in on it.

For some reason, after reading the colors of your countertop and cabinets, this stone I used last year in a health club jumped right out at me. It's a sandblasted emperador dark marble (different from tumbled, in that it's got a much more rustic finish):

Thank you everyone for your kind comments. I'm beaming like a proud new mama! I should have taken a photo of my making dinner mess to show that it doesn't always look so 'pristine'. Though it's back to looking that way now. :) I have been without a dishwasher for 3 years and boy am I loving having it back! Morton5: Thanks, the BR does seem to be the perfect compliment to the dark cabs; the lightness is the right strength to give me the contrast, but as you say the little bits of colour tie in with the dark cabs, and keeps it from looking a cold contrast. The granite guys were suitably impressed and said of all the granite they've seen they couldn't imagine a better combination; mind you they may say that to all the proud new granite owners! LOL. jb: what sort of not-so-nice streaks do some of the slabs have? I have a couple of areas of speckly black streaks, but they are really pretty and part of what I love most. jb & kelleg: The tile is porcelain from Casa Roma called India Bahir; it is basically a grayish white with a walnut stain that gives it an old world patina. Members of the board helped me decide on it when I was afraid from the sample I had that it would look 'dirty'. It doesn't look dirty, but it does hide dirt & coffee drips etc very, very well! I have had workmen traipsing through with work boots for 3 weeks & even with rainy days & I have yet to wash the floor, or feel I need to. I've swept & given a wet swipe to the odd coffee splotch but that's been it! I had wished I had used a bit darker gray grout, but it is gradually darkening down so I expect it will mellow out a bit more yet. The paint is BM Silver Fox. It works with the Bianco Romano perfectly and seems to have enough taupe that it works well with the dark stain of the cabs too. vakitchen: You are going to LOVE your Bianco Romano with your Cherry Cabs! Southernstitcher: I was hoping you'd see this thread as I know you were waiting to see the dark/light combination! Does it help you get closer to making your decision? Lynda: The knobs & pulls are from Home Depot. Very inexpensive. Knobs are square- Manor & I can't remember what the pulls were called. They are quite linear looking, which fits well with both the shaker door profile and the overall parallel rows of my cabs/island.