I'm SO sorry I haven't checked in for awhile. I was actually trying to wean myself off the Kitchen forum and look into other hobbies, but fortunately I keep getting drawn back in. LOL Here's a pic of uninstalled tiles that are sitting on the counter. The main thing gives these tiles character is they are handmade. So our backsplash guy had to make sure that the grout lines made up for the uneven edges. Also, the actual surface of the tiles itself is uneven - some tiles have areas that pop forward a bit more on the sides. You'll notice the edges of the tiles below are not perfectly straight lines. Tile guy was VERY diligent in adjusting accordingly. Finally, there is colour variation from tile to tile. So again, gives it a different look that other subways. I think this shot from my blog shows the colour differences quite well. DH says that it looks like a natural stone/marble due to the colour variation. With that in mind, I think that the non-handmade subway tiles look wonderful but have a different look. More uniform in colour, edges, and surface flatness. I'm assuming the Daltile is a non-handmade tile? I don't think you should be concerned about it looking boring, but it will look different than the Ann Sacks. Why are you worried about going matte? I think it will balance well with your polished Bianco Antico. I can see clearly from your paper template that the 2x8s will look great. I don't even have to tell you about the hundreds of thousands of kitchens that use the standard subway tile and look hella terrific. What are you concerned about specifically? Perhaps I can help.

Hi live wire oak, the back splash is gray and white but my lighting in the kitchen makes everythng look more warm or yellow tone for some reason (fluorescent). I really don't like an orangeish tone at all, the laminate counter has no orange in it but beige, black and gray. here's another photo of the back splash and counter.

springoz: what a gorgeous space. calm and serene! What is your counter material/color? Also, your flooring color. Looks like hickory? I love the creamy color of your cabinets w/the crema marfil. is yours matte and not polished? Post some more pics of your space please! Thanks sooo much! Just beautiful!

Hi Katieob! SO sorry! I don't check the boards that often anymore. The tile we have is marble, its called Thassos by AKDO and it's a 3"x 6" brick (not on mesh). It's a little thicker and beveled edge. And, it went up really fast and easy! It is "grouted" but we cheated a bit and just used the premixed caulk type tubes of grout because I didn't want to clean out those deep bevel grooves with typical grout. It came out really well. Here's a link to where we bought ours, but I'm sure it's available nationwide. You may have to scroll pages until you get to the Thassos: Here is a link that might be useful: AKDO TILES: