Hi. We installed out kitchen in 2012. We still haven't chosen or decided on a backslpash - it's the painted wall. I have a creamy Egyptian marble, - don't remember the name. I like unstructured European vintage-y kitchens. Many of them don't have backsplashes either. My stainless range has a stainless backsplash directly behind it. I had picked out some mini-clear glass subway tile for the backsplash that coincidentally matches my Prescott Green paint color perfectly but what if I decide to change wall color one day? Just this week I started thinking maybe I made my backsplash tile decision three years ago which was to have none. Our marble installers tried very hard to discourage us from marble in the kitchen but I have not regretted it. All those kitchens in southern Europe can't be wrong. FYI - If you are considering glass backsplash look at a product call 3-Form it comes in an amazing variety of colors,textures and imbedded items, two good friends used it in their kitchens. http://www.3-form.com/ Do what speaks to you in your home. Best.

Good morning. Fun to see some action on this thread, I wasn't sure it would take off. I don't get the red accents in the picture that started this off, either. I do like how the cabinets/ss relate to the stone. Mostly, I was struck by that stone mimicking a landscape, cut like a mountain. It's a very good point that the BS will trump the counters when the same materials are used, given how our eye sees the vertical versus horizontal application. My comment was meant more in reference to how a calm, even solid, counter is often indicated to balance a busy, focal-point BS - as is shown in many of the subsequent examples. @coastal love - Can't wait to see! How exciting to be at that point. @ICF - Those tiles appear to be magical. They look so different close up than at a distance. I would have never assumed they had so much color variation had I just seen the close-up. Of course, that could all be the camera, I suppose. The texture is so interesting! How great to have your elements chosen. When do you expect to be started/done? @sas95 - I do love that tile. I think I just recently saw your kitchen for the first time. You and willtv are both reminding me that I should have been more specific in my introduction. Subways don't have to be a neutral field, any more than any other size/type of tile. Which reminds me... @Bellsmom, you make a great point that it's not just about color, it's about the lines. Lovely tile - and the solid-looking counter really contrasts with it and makes it stand out. @CluelessinColorado - If your link isn't the exact thing I was thinking of, it is very representative of what I was trying to get at. I actually really like that, though I don't think I could manage to make it work. There's just something so organic and simple, yet so very distinct at the same time, about it. I'm still very curious how my BS window will end up playing into this discussion - and what I am going to do with my non-window wall. I really, really need to get inspired and find some idea boards, inspiration pictures or a darn direction. At this point, I'd settle for 2-3 clear options. I don't want to hire a KD, really, but I'm beginning to wonder if I should. In the meantime, I keep lurking and surfing and playing.

Wow. There is some kind of acid cleaner that can be used to clean grout haze, But try some vinegar. wipe it on, let it sit a few minutes and scrub gently...scotch brite pads work well but GENTLY or your glass will scratch if you apply elbow grease. also use a lot of water on the pads. try this a couple times. as to the matte finish-you might like it better after cleaning, but the only thing that comes to mind is epoxy resin. it can be painted on thin thin coats. It can yellow with age, exposure to sunlight, and I dont know what else. and once you do it, you are stuck with it. Any other kind of sealer etc I can think of would be prone to peeling off with cleaning etc and that would look 10 times worse. and is it glass? or is the surface ceramic tile? that changes the game.

Thank you! It's 2" x 6", Mercury Mosaics. Marshmallow, Low Stone and Deco White. The Marshmallow is the matte. I think mayflowers is right. When I was looking, it seemed like there were a lot of longer subway tile options, probably so we'll all rip out our backsplashes and install "updated" ones. :)