Just a thought...when our tile was being installed, before it was grouted, there was much more contrast, and the tiles stood out more individually. The grout turned out a little lighter than I had hoped, so the final product was more monochrome. It wasn't disappointing enough to have it redone, but I definitely would have insisted on the look of darker grout had I known how different it was. We toyed with the idea of accent tiles for a long, long time (this was the main reason it took us three years to get the backsplash done!). In the end, we decided against it because we figured we could accent with items on the counter, and that would eliminate the problem of getting sick of some accent. I just prefer having the option of making changes. Anyway, here's our pre-grout look...

Hi Hungryheart, I think it is great you are switching. While UT and GPearl are pretty I think the golden warm browns of your cherry pecan cabinets will look stunning with Vicenza or Feranza. Here are some images of these granites. ~boxer Giallo (darker) Giallo Vincenza Dark Cherry Pecan (They went with a full granite bs) Here are some BS ideas... Trikeenan Tile Coastal Keystones Kitchen Backsplash Blog Calcutta Christine Downs Lacanche Range Glass Tile Combo Prim Kitchens

Everything is looking great so far! Love your cabinets and obviously, that granite is stunning. Add me to the club on finding the backsplash decision to be very daunting. My granite is pretty busy, and initially I was all over the place regarding what I wanted, from plain subway to crackle to accent pieces to...well you get the idea. We finally settled on plain, quite plain, and I am happy with the choice. We went with 3x12 porcelain tile with the thinnest grout lines possible. In contrast with you, I was fine with it steering more contemporary, and was actually looking for that with the shape I selected. In reality though, I don't think that it looks so contemporary, but your opinion may differ.

Before I'd change the splash? I'd knock down that riser on the island to ONE counter height. Before all? Make sure you LOVE the granite As to tile? The palest!!!! gray blue subway, a white.... Blue will be murder to find, and a white will be easy. You just bought the house. Don't rush. The ONLY way to select tile is to drag home samples, and stand them up. Go to a dedicated tile store. Not a big box : ) But I'd want that breakfast bar gone, and I'd want the blue pearl gone. Unless you dearly love blue? It's not the best complement to cherry, nor the more yellow tone of the flooring. Take your time before you jump in. Remember, grout matters Tile Bar below ( Castle/Wind Chill) https://www.tilebar.com/castle-wind-chill-3x12-ceramic-tile.html