Both sound great and I can understand your dilemma. I had a hard time deciding which way to go with mine, too, initially. I finally decided to go with white only (Crema Marfil), because it would never limit what kind of colors and decorations I could use in my kitchen. Three years later, I know it was the right choice for me. In the Spring, I like to use pastel dishes and different holiday decs in there. In Summer I like bold, clear red, yellow, and green. In the Autumn I love pulling out my gold, greens and rust dinnerware and decs. During the Christmas Season, red & green holiday decs sneak into my kitchen, too. I've never had to worry about things clashing with my kitchen backsplash color. Plus, from a practical standpoint, if we ever decide to sell this place, potential buyers won't be put off by the colors I've used. The house next to ours has had four owners in 16 years and each one of them tore out the kitchen right away because they didn't like the colors used in there. The last reno is finishing up right now ;^D This may not be a reason that would work for you, but it has for me. Lynn

Thanks for all the great opinions and encouragement! EAM44 - I definitely like the solid stainless behind the stove...that looks great! Easy to clean? badgergal...beautiful tile! I love those colors...and agree that it looks awesome just behind the cooktop and hood. ellendi...thanks for your thoughts...I too am still concerned even the spots under the counters may overwhelm the room. juliet11...I think you've hit the nail on the head (the contemporary look versus traditional). I am going more traditional with the rest of the room...I would probably pick traditional hardware on the cabinets as well. The kitchen table we have is a long farmhouse table that is pretty rustic (diy). Our floors are stained concrete to look like large tile. I haven't found a backsplash that I love, but I like the idea of picking a tile that is one color, similar to the color of the walls...maybe subway tile? Is it possible to put BS on a piece of plywood and semi-temporarily attach it to the wall? Not sure how it would work with the outlets...but it seems I've seen that suggestion but haven't ever seen how it can be actually implemented. I don't mind spending the $ on the BS if we change it out in a few years, but I do mind having to spend the time on tearing it out...would be much nicer to just unscrew the sheet of it and replace it with something new :)

Thanks oldbat2be for the mock-ups! I like the Tarragon, need to get a sample of that. It is unfortunate that Fireclay doesn't have anybody selling in the South Florida area, I would drive to Miami to see the colors in real life. Of the lighter colors, which I am leaning towards, Milky Way looks the best in our setting. Butter Cream looks quite yellow and Biscuit looks grayish. I also still like Fawn, which is a little darker. Although our house has a lot of natural light, because the kitchen is in the center of the house, it doesn't get as much natural light as other areas and all these colors look so different under the kitchen lights. My husband really likes Milky Way, which is slightly lighter than the wall cabinets. Milky Way with flash, this is what it looks like with kitchen lighting: Milky Way and Fawn no flash: The Fawn tile looks a little gray in the photo, but it is more brown in real life. This post was edited by fishymom on Sat, Apr 12, 14 at 11:09

If that's your granite in the image, it probably isn't Rosa Verona. It looks more like Karelia or Carmen Red. Rosa Verona is shown below: You're asking us to vote for one of the choices above, and I think either would be fine. Might you consider adding a little more color to your space? The mosaics below are glass and both would look nice with your materials. You could use them alone, or with a taupe or red colored glass subway tiles. Here's how all of these mash up on the board below: