rufinorox, have you considered how the dimensions of the tile would work with 2 vs 3 rows? will you have to have a row at the top of just a sliver of subways with one configuration and not the other? It might not be very visible from a distance especially with matching grout, but up close it might seem jarring. BTW - you are doing an amazing job with your kitchen. You must be so proud being able to say it is DIY!

Well, the tile ordering has been an ordeal. I decided to go very plain with the cream tile and just do a row of the dark liner, at my husbands request. I ordered all the tile from HomeDepot except for the top corner tiles. I had to go through a different company. After getting the wrong tiles delivered to me 3 times, I just went to Daltile and got the tiles straight from them and managed to get it done with 1 day left before our family christmas party at the house. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. Hope you like it too. This is the passthrough wall...

I would expect that Calacatta as a field tile would be too expensive for this kitchen. Thanks for getting those mosaics off their website, rebunky. I like the stick mosaic but I'd probably use something more like the 1 x 3 brick. I love squares but I know that's a dated look. The wave tile is dimensional. There's also a hexagon and a mini herringbone mosaic. I'm never quite sure what you can get in which finish from Encore. Confusing website. I'll think about adding color in green and/or red if I do a mosaic. If I was able to get Encore, which would probably involve going to Seattle for an overnighter, I may be able to get a field tile in the Bravo line. Thanks, guys. Next step is getting out to some tile stores.

Here is Fireclay Luna Brick, both are the same tile sitting at two different counter locations. It feels "earthy" , it is not a perfect match, but it gives enough contrast for the white cabinets and is light enough to give the space brightness that I want. My concern is the variation between each brick. Fireclays web site's pictures are sometimes misleading. I attached Fireclay's image of Luna installed as a backsplash and it shows a lot of variation from one tile to the next and then the other photo they have looks more consistant in color, confusing. Plus their color looks totally different from my sample. Do you think it will be too busy for my space? That is a good idea to order several more samples of Luna. I do plan to do this myself. My bid came in at over 1,000 for a professional. I probably won't do a herringbone if I use this size of brick.