OK, here are the pics after the cabs were stained. We went with a deep mahogany to coordinate with the tiles, granite and backsplash. The results have really exceeded our expectations. My contractor says that the shine of the top coat will tone down over the next few weeks. Note: I have many skills, but photography is not one of them. So please excuse the crappy pics :) The stain is really a dark brown/mahogany -- not black as seen in some of the pics. Here is a picture with the flash on -- shows some of the brown tones

Without seeing the slab it's hard to know for sure but here's one from Jeffrey Court's Antico Portugese line color Country Gray: These are kinda cool. I know nothing about the pricing. These are cement mosaic tiles by Villa Lagoon Tile. The colors are complements to Sherman Williams colors. I like the Pearl Gray below. It's a match to SW Mindful Gray. Last one for now, a more traditional 6x6 Italian Tile: This was from http://www.ceramic-tile4u.com/ . Budget tile too at $4.04 sq. ft. It was their Arpa Star tile in gray. That site has HUNDREDS of tiles to look at. May be WAY time consuming but worth a look. Good luck!

. 'ATTA GIRL Kay!!! { & sorry such a long post} Puppy cuteness overload!! A rescue from a racetrack?? As I mentioned I have a very spoiled and loved Maltese dog 'my son'! Funny that your color inspiration is also your dog! Coincidentally our insparation was too, he is white with a black nose and eyes, and our kitchen is white, black and gray! Can't wait to look at the photos of tiles to chose from! I'll get back to you on that. And on the subject of 'pink' tile, if your were still considering it at all I do think you were on the right track looking for the 'palest' of pinks, or something 'pink-ish' as you called it if you were to do pink. I think that would be the only sort of shade to work, anything brighter would have looked overwhelming and not good in my opinion paired with your very pale ,earthy, natural looking kitchen. I like other earthy colors for your kitchen too, hard to pinpoint exactly precisely which tile though because tan and gray can vary so much and deviate from what they really are on a computer screen. so ultimately I suggest 'trusting your gut' about what looks best with your materials, opinions of the people who have seen the subtleties of your materials in person would also be valuable. Sometimes I think it can be even more fun when doing a project and working with what you already have because it's more of a challenge and very rewarding in the end. We had to do close to what your doing in our main bathroom, and the challenges we faced are very similar to yours. It wasn't in our budget to redo our kitchen and all 2 1/2 baths in our house, so we had to pick and choose which we did. In our main bathroom our original 1979 tile, and bathtub is in excellent condition. But in the beginning at first I hated the color called 'Mexican Sand' which is a coffee color with very strong 'PINK' tones in it {sounding familiar Kay? lol!}. Our tub and tile could have read entirely pink depending on what I chose to pair with it. So I took my time and very carefully picked a wall paint in a warm sandy color with yellow tones in it, this paint color brought out the 'brown' in the tile instead of the 'pink'. We also chose to replace the small formica countertop which holds a single sink and replaced with a quartz top, which looks like actual sand on a beach. So in our case we got rid of the counter and kept the tile, opposite of what you are doing. We also added a new toilet, and a new undermount sink in the same color as the existing bathroom tile ---Kohler still makes 'Mexican Sand' {thankfully lol!}. I hated the tile in the beginning and now I actually LOVE my beachy looking Mexican sand tiled bathroom! And it was so rewarding to make it all work, I'm proud of it now. I hope you will have similar results and also be satisfied with the results of your finished project!!{I too have a huge collection of crystals, geodes, various rocks, sea shells & sea glass. } P.S. Update: I just took a look at all of your tile samples, and I think you will do fine picking something that works! I see a lot of possibilities which look as though they could work from the samples you have chosen, your choosing well. It would be helpful if you post some photos of the tiles in the kitchen while standing far back from them & including the wall & cabinet color in the whole picture. I am better at telling how a tile would look when seeing it with the rest of the kitchen. Looks like you are on the right track! I had not considered a matt tile, but that also looks great and will be a nice contrast to the shiny countertops. Is it easy to clean? Might be something to consider if you are an avid cook. --Sorry about the long post, hard for me to say everything and keep it short!

I do not have the same countertop, but cream does look pretty with oak cabinets. Oak cabinets have some "movement" to them due to the grain and so does your countertop. If the backsplash also has movement, even if it is pretty on its own, the look will be too busy - no place for the eye to rest. Make sure to either remove the microwave, tile behind and replace it or reserve enough tile to tile behind it later should you choose a hood rather than an over the range microwave. As a short person who does not like a crowded cooking space, I would change the micro for a hood, but you may have a different preference or want to wait till the microwave breaks down. My oak kitchen: https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-pics-work-in-progress-phvw-vp~110720042