Love the counter tops! I'm afraid the noce looks a little gray, but when I google it, it doesn't look gray at all. I thought the gold ones looked good, but I really think this is all a matter of lighting. Sorry to be of so little help, but I'm pretty sure this is one of those things where you have to see it in person to decide.

I did a google image search for magma gold and found several pictures of countertops with different backsplashes. Here is one with travertine, perhaps this will help you with your decision.
{{!gwi}}From GW Photos

Suzannesl, the tile does look pretty gray in that last pic I posted. It's beige/taupe with kind of a chalkiness to it that lightens it up a bit more. It also has some copper, but that is hit or miss on it. I am posting one more picture of it because of this darn lighting. I usually don't struggle on decisions like this, but this really has me frazzled... and driving my husband crazy in the process! :) Localeater, thank you for the pic. That backsplash does look pretty similar to the beige travertine that I have here. Thanks for posting it!

It looks like it coordinates well with your floors too. What about something a little darker like a grey/griege that draws out that part of the stone?

What a nice piece of granite you chose. It needs to remain the star of the show, and I'm wondering how a soft light mocha-latte color would work? So hard to tell from the photos in varying light, and monitors afar, but the window sill piece looks like that color might work...

I think any shade between white/off white//beige/light gray would work but the travertine doesn't work. I'm seeing a light subway with a slightly darker grout line if you want definition. Stay with a cleaner look to the actual tile.

I've been a lurker for a while but just had to sign up to post on your kitchen. I just love your kitchen! I think your granite is beautiful and I actually love your top backsplash. I think your beige choice would work also but I feel the first one just goes better.

I never understand why people have beautiful granite with a contrasting backsplash. I think they should just go together. I could also not be seeing the true colors because of lighting or the photo's. Let us know what you choose. Either way, you have a stunning kitchen. I'm still in research mode. OMG! So much to research.

I loved the first travertine tile, with more gold in it. Your kitchen is gorgeous, by the way, and I love the countertop color. I think the gold travertine looks spectacular with it, and gives your kitchen some punch. I also like the first backsplash with your cabinet color.

You have a beautiful space with a lovely stone. herbflavor is right, travertine is a bad idea - almost universally. Besides, you have enough stone in that space already.

Before you use travertine of any color do a search for it on this forum. 99% of posts read something like, "I thought I would love it but it's awful and I have to rip it out." At best, it is a dated look (think New Jersey faux Tuscan in the '90s), and at worst, it's ugly with your beautiful counters.

Go gray or light cream. Probably porcelain not glass. Maybe large format. Consider the Fireclay Claymonde sheets 5 1/4" x 35 1/4" in linen or cameo.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Fireclay

Gotta say I like the first one you posted, too. It's looks cheery and also works perfectly with the cab color, IMO. The other ones are striking me as kinda ... eh. Of course, I'm on a monitor and you're there IRL.

I'm with those who say look at something other than travertine. I see lots of orange in the first picture and then dull gray with the beige travertine. Full disclosure, I really don't like travertine at all - as EAM44 said, it reminds me of the those horrible faux Tuscan kitchens. Not that your kitchen reads faux Tuscan! I think the granite is stunning, and there are so many beautiful choices of tile these days there's really no reason to pull out travertine.

I agree with a no vote for the travertine. Ceramic or maybe even glass tiles.
Just some thoughts on travertine: You don't know what lot you will be getting. The beiges can turn pinkish when installed as a group. Color bounces off what it is next to it. I have heard that even sealed, the backsplash behind the faucet darkens and looks dirty and can not be cleaned.
As we often say here, your granite is the star of the kitchen. Get a low key backsplash to complement it.

Thank you all for the posts! So much to think about and this decision will have a large impact on the kitchen (for better or for worse). I am afraid of making a mistake. I am going to bring home some more samples, keeping your ideas/opinions mind. I'll keep you posted! :)

Thank you all for the posts! So much to think about and this decision will have a large impact on the kitchen (for better or for worse). I am afraid of making a mistake. I am going to bring home some more samples, keeping your ideas/opinions mind. I'll keep you posted! :)

Your counter is beautiful! To me, the rest of your kitchen does not look as rustic as the travertine tile. Have you looked at any porcelain/ceramic tiles? Maybe a warm cream, light yellow or beige? Picking a backsplash was really hard for me too. My husband and I went to so many tile stores! I was getting really discouraged, but finally I found a tile that I really liked. I'm glad I kept looking. Hope you can find a tile you love too.

Your kitchen is looking wonderful - I want to see all of the details when you are out of the ABB club (all but backsplash)

I agree on ceramic vs travertine. How about a nice ceramic with gold or bronze medallions vs the silver?
My kitchen has Cambria Buckingham - which is similar in color to yours. I tried using golds, yellows, greens, etc - I did go with a crema tile with an accent border and inset tiles above the cooktop. I also had to be careful not to highlight it to cause any orange tints - which I don't see in ours but have heard others mention.

Also - take a look at Poohpup's kitchen - it is a similar but maybe darker stone than yours - I couldn't find the original link to her finished kitchen - but there is a picture in here
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1223395518853.html

Here is a picture of mine - the medallions are only behind the cooktop but this shows the accent strip to pull in the backsplash colors.

ITA on the travertine. And a2gemini beat me to the punch with her gorgeous pic. I was just going to say Rixi. Photos do not do the lovely crackle justice. It is just such an elegant, simple tile. I'm going with with Rixi Dore, probably too yellow for you. But try the Crema, like a2gemini's. Or -- long shot -- the noce, which is a cool, neutral, gorgeous taupe. Either of those should take the gold down a notch. Link below for Rixi's colors.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grazie Rixi palette

Ok...so I came across this picture of the most gorgeous iridescent glass tile and fell in love! I got a sample of it, taped it to my wall, but I am sad to say that I am not feeling the classy richness that I saw in this pic. I am thinking that, in my kitchen, it is maybe even borderline gaudy. Here is the inspirational photo..... love it.

... and here it is in my kitchen :/ Thinking probably too flashy... or am I just being paranoid??

I have also read that the enhancer/sealer will darken the travertine to a color similar to it being wet. So, I wet the tiles and like the color of them so much more. Here is a comparison of the glass tiles and the "wet/enhanced look" travertine tiles.

I am thinking over load. One star per kitchen and yours is the granite.

And Rixi has a new color Mandoria - it looks like it has a gray hue to it.

jmombo - I think that will be too dark with your cabs. Don't fret - I was bashed multiple times until I came up with my plan.

I like the travertine with your granite, it looks great!

Another no vote for the travertine. Your granite is so cool and unique and the travertine is not, especially with the dated medallions. Don't care for either color which are too orange sherbert and too gray and there is no luster. The brown glass tiles are nice, but not with your dark cabs and counter with a lot of movement and color; too dark.

Agree with the poster who said there should only be one star and that is your granite. Keep it simple and light. Can't wait to see more and your finished kitchen.

Also can you take more pictures and back up a little so we can see your granite and cabs in place and so we can see the style of your kitchen since all that is important for deciding which backsplash. Also the colors in your kitchen look really different in the different pics. Maybe it's the lighting? If it varies that much, more the reason to keep it simple.

I am so grateful for all of your comments and advice. I truly appreciate it so much. This probably breaks all kinds of design rules... but I feel like maybe I found a happy compromise. I liked the stripe in a2gemini's kitchen, the texture of travertine and the richness and shimmer of the glass tile. So I am thinking best of both worlds...kind of Old World with just a stripe of fancy. Hit or miss??

I have a granite with similar movement and I used a Pratt and Larson Arabesque. I used a cream-beigy-yellow color and alternated rows of matte and shiny tiles. It adds interest but doesn't fight the granite.

Sorry, but I have to add another "no" vote to the travertine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pratt & Larson

I don't care for those glass tiles with the stone, and I think you may want to see if you like the look of a stripe around your kitchen. You can use a piece of masking tape to simulate a dark tile line- just run it around at the height you would have the glass tile, stand back, and see what effect it gives. It can really dress a space up, as it does in a2gemini's kitchen, or it can look like racing stripes. I had green racing stripes in a former kitchen. Ugh.

Heading back to the home improvement store this weekend to try out some more samples. In the meantime, though, I was playing with what I have here. As some of you have noticed, the travertine options, were either a little too orange or too much of a gray/beige. I was curious as to whether or not I could stain them to make them match the warm beiges in my countertop. I rubbed some wood stain on a tile and also on one of the nickel medallions. It remains to be seen, what would happen to the color with a sealer or enhancer/sealer on it, but I liked the results here.
I was also thinking, since my brain will not allow me to rest.... won't the enhancer/sealer give the travertine more of a luster?

As others have said, the granite should be the star in your kitchen. Combining it with sparkly glass, rustic travertine, and a silvery accent tile will be a hodgepodge of materials and textures and just look like you couldn't make up your mind :)

I think that looks nice darker like that. Seems to warm it up and works better with the granite. You should grab a bottle of sealer and see what happens. It shouldn't change the color, though...

I like the brown in the glass but not sure in that exact glass.

I have that brown tile in my shower and I love it. But I think it would be too much as an entire backsplash with your lovely granite. I also think the first travertine is too orange (and the copper in the brown tile will bring that out even more) and the second is too grey to go with the brown tile.

Here is a pic from my shower with a beige-y, swirly field tile. I think with your counter and the busy brown tiles, you need a very calm field tile - even the pock marks and color variations in the travertine is too much. Heck, I thought the mockup with my swirly tiles and the brown were great, but in the whole shower it is verging on super busy. Maybe a plain beige-y/creamy subway, 4x4 or 4x6? You could get a couple of those cheap and easy from HD or Lowes just to give it a try.

This post was edited by KathyNY76 on Sat, Mar 9, 13 at 13:16

Do you have a tile store near you? If you do, you may find a tile that works better with your magnificent counter than the ones you're finding at Big Box. Travertine is a material that many on here don't care for in general, but it's your kitchen so it's your choice. Personally, I like travertine, although ours is very different than what you're considering.

It's been in for about 1.5 years now and hasn't had any of the issues mentioned above, particularly not behind the sink. I wondered if the large pocks in the tile you're looking at would be an issue for cleaning? Regardless, choose what you like, but try somewhere that has more color options because that will be the critical factor here.

We've still got some work to do here... cabinet trim, caulking, and a couple more bronze plate covers that I am waiting on, but the days of stressing over which granite and backsplash are over for me!! I decided to go with the tumbled travertine, enhanced and sealed, with a summer wheat grout. I loved the glass tiles so decided to add them in for a little bling. This look may not be for everybody, but my family and I are thrilled with it! This was a TIGHT BUDGET remodel. Our home was a fixer upper foreclosure purchase so the project list, needless to say, has been overwhelming. However, it's come a long way and been a labor of love for our family. The cabinets were painted with Ace cabinet and trim paint, as opposed to buying new ones. I got a great deal on the bronze hardware by buying the 25 piece packs from Amazon and we did all of the work ourselves (aside from the splurge on granite). Loving this new kitchen and grateful to all of you for your comments and opinions!! Thank you all for the inspiration!

Here is a close up of the BS :)

Beautiful! Can we have a closeup of the backsplash?

I want to add a picture which shows the way the enhancer sealer warmed up the noce travertine in case anyone else is interested in this. It made ALL of the difference in making this tile coordinate with my granite. As can be seen in the earlier pics, without it, the travertine looked white/gray and I needed a warmer beige. The tiles on the left side have the enhancer/sealer on them and the other tiles were untouched.

You know, there is one more thing that I should mention. The glass tiles are not as thick as the travertine tiles. This created a bit of a challenge for us! So, to get them to lie flush, my husband came up with the idea of creating strips out of old floor tiles we had. He first applied the old tile strip and then adhered the glass tiles over that. Voila they were perfectly flush!!

Tight budget and your determination have congregated into a huge success!

It is so lovely and warm, all we need now is some more views of your wonderful space.

I do love your backsplash, but I have to admit that we're doing something very similar for ours. We selected a 4x4 ivory travertine to go on the diagonal, although ours is honed and filled, not tumbled. We also selected a trim of stone and glass, two rows in a subway pattern, along the same idea as yours. I do love how your tiles look after you enhanced them. Our contractor told us that honed tiles don't "take" enhancer as well as tumbled, so I hope we like the colors out of the box. Your kitchen looks beautiful, congratulations on your choices.

Thank you for the compliments. Such a boost after so much hard work and worry!! Here is another angle of the kitchen with a "Before and After" shot. I want to add crown molding to the top of the cabinets, refinish or change out the hinges, and refinish the floors in here. But... for now....I am very happy with the way it has turned out! The tumbled Noce Travertine accepted the enhancer sealer really well and the grout filled in the holes because we floated it on. I'd say choosing the right grout is just as important as the tile with this because so much of it shows. Summer Wheat matched it really well. Best part about all of this??? I am no longer feeling that my granite is too orange or too yellow. The backsplash tones have brought out the warm beiges and coppers so much more and completely toned down any yellow/orange/gold that I was bothered by after installation. I am now in love with my granite again! Just as I was in the warehouse!! :) Thank goodness!

jmombo - I think you did a great job on your kitchen! I have a bathroom vanity which is the color of your before kitchen cabinets - Can you tell me what color Ace cabinet and trim paint you used? Did you also paint on some type of poly after? If I'm daring enough I would love to try it. Thanks for any info you can provide.

I think you did a really good job! Glad that the holes filled in with the grout. (Hope it stays in there...LOL). I am in the process of finding a BS for my fairly busy bathroom granite. Granite guys suggested I wait until counter is installed to start looking, but I wanted to use the same material as the BS for the shower niches, so need to make a decision... aren't you happy you're done with yours!

@ raehelen, Thank you, and YES, I am soooo happy that the granite/BS search is behind me!! LOL

@ jancy, the cabinet color that I chose was Coffee Clutch. The code for the color is D1-7. I have read of many others using Bittersweet Chocolate by BM and Black Bean by SW. But, the Coffee Clutch looked great to me at Ace, so I chose it. I did have to sand the cabinets to rough them up, and I primed them with a tinted primer first. I think I used Zinser 123. The cabinet and trim paint goes on really nice. I just brushed it on and it went on nice and smooth. Almost smooths itself out. Just use long strokes and plan on 2 coats. It dries hard and shiny. I did not have to poly over it. I painted them over a year ago and they've held up beautifully! The other nice thing was that the wood grain still shows through. It came out really well. Don't be afraid... go for it!! :)

Thank you so much Jmombo - I just may give this a try - I'd be happy if it came out half as good as yours!
Appreciate the info

Lovely! Jmombo, what brand of enhancer did you use? I'm going to need some. Was it an enhancer and sealer together? I don't know too much about it, so hope I am using the right words. Whatever it was, it made a world of difference.

I used the Dupont Sealer & Enhancer that I got from Lowes. I just sprayed it on with a soft mist spray bottle and wiped off any excess. Make sure it says "Enhancer" on it. There is also a High Gloss Sealer, that will make it glossy, but not change the color.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_282507-23132-93641_0__?productId=3030236

This post was edited by jmombo on Tue, Mar 26, 13 at 22:53

I love your bs! I think it looks amazing :)

Hi jmombo, I was just wondering, is your cooktop induction? I am in the process of creating a new kitchen, actually rebuilding an entire house thanks to Super Storm Sandy, and have gone with an induction countertop and love it! BTW Your kitchen is gorgeous! Cannot wait until my kitchen is totally done.

I realize your pics are 2 years old. I'm wondering which back splash you went with? We also have Magma Gold on our large island and countertops. We went with Honey Onyx back splash with red onyx "pencil" band just above counter tops and a chair rail 'band' just under the wall cabs. Our kitchen has much "texture" and "depth" of color. Center island is 7'6" long, so went with oval shape chandelier with black linen shade. Strands of varying heights lead crystals hang and twinkle over the MagmaGold. I hope you love yours as much as we do ours!! We went with induction cook top and Bertazzoni vent hood in black.

Noce Tumbled Travertine, summer wheat grout, see post of March 26, 2013 @ 12:21

Hope that helps : ))