I found one example of a similar kitchen online - I guess the marble in this one is not bad. Maybe if we kept the grout color neutral? And used larger tiles?

I like the pic and don't found the marble busy or distracting. I have a marble subway tile backsplash, though, and it's pretty neutral, IMO. It's got enough oomph to not be too boring but it also works with the whole kitchen, rather than being a dramatic element, if that makes sense. Ours is contempo white from dal tile, which is much less busy and less grey than many marble subway tiles.

Thanks Katie! That helps! Do you have pics of your backsplash? I'd love to see it. What size tiles did you use? What layout (i.e. how much overlap)? And what color is your grout??

We're looking at tempesta neve from the tile shop (I managed to weasel my way into a 50% discount otherwise this would never happen!!) and I'm thinking about either the 12x18 (would that feel awkward?) or the 4x12 tiles. I've also been kicking around the idea of 1/3 offset instead of the traditional 1/2 offset. Does this seem ridiculous?

FWIW - Here's my backsplash - Carrera marble tile 2x8" installed in a herringbone pattern. Adding a link to lots more pictures. Really like how it turned out

Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen reno pics

Wow Sonny your kitchen is gorgeous - how do you like the white grout after living with it? Is it hard to keep clean?

I think we've decided to go with 4x12 marble to the ceiling. I'm toying with doing a 33% offset - I think it looks a bit more organic but we'll see. I'm fickle.

I think maybe to do a light grey grout - to blend it with the background of the marble. I'm going for as homogenous a look as I can get. The stone is pretty quiet so I'm hoping this will be the look we're going for. Thanks for all the input!

Thanks Swentastic!

Yes the tile was a LOT of work. I think marble adds a great timeless organic look. So far, the grout is fine. I have sealed it with some grout sealer. The marble tile is polished so it wouldn't need much more care, but I used the same sealer on the tile as well. I debated whether I should go with a gray/off white grout for a long while. In the end I took the risk. Lets hope it stays looking good. My tile guy really worked to minimize the grout lines. In most cases, the tiles are stacked right next to each other with minimal grout between them. Hopefully that minimizes the amount of water/grease/stains that penetrate the grout over time.

Good luck! Share pictures when you are done.