Ummmmmm wow, that is one gorgeous kitchen. Please tell me where you got those pendant lights.

Ok back to your question. What about 1"x 2" white tiles, not marble, just plain white with matching grout.

Love your kitchen and I really like the mirror too, although it seems a bit small for the space. But that got me thinking that the mirror with a mosaic glass tile surround could be very pretty and unique. Almost like a framed stained glass piece of art. With a mirror center you'd get lot's of the reflective quality of glass, without the huge cost of glass tiling a large area. Lot's of ideas to play with here, etched mirror, a combo frame around the mirror of glass tiles and/or then finished on the outside with decorative ceramic tile pieces. Might even want to check out your local stained glass store. There are very pretty silver backed/mirrored glasses in a wide range of colors and even quite a few with inlay patterns, foils, and textures. When hit with these types of delimmas I usually just decide to live with what I have until I find the "to die for" solution that I know I'll love.

Teri

so lovely! me too, love the lights!
i'd go for a 3x6 cream colored crackle subway. good luck, it's a beautiful space!

WOW...really love your cabinetry and those lights are gorgeous. I'll leave the backsplash question to the experts here...best of luck.

Oh wow!! So jealous. I looked at Madre Perola(that's what my guy called it) quartzite and loved it. Unfortunately it was out of my budget at the time, I kick myself for not doing what I really wanted. I ended up with Costa Esmeralda and cream cabinets. I just got my sonoma crackle 2x6 tile and I think something like that would look beautiful and classic in your kitchen.

Love your pendants...where are they from? And I need some roman shades like the ones in your dining room. Are they custom or did you buy them somewhere? I was thinking of getting basic ones and adding groisgrain ribbon to the ends.

Great job.....really beautiful kitchen. Enjoy it!

Thanks all for the compliments...camarogranny--interesting ideas about the glass mosaics, and positano, I love the crackle tile too, so I'll keep that in mind. I may post a follow up of some finalists and see what people think. Does anyone have an opinion about the 4" backsplash? Keep it?

The lighting, which I feared would be way too big when it arrived, but which everyone seems to think are great (whew!), are from Troy Lighting, "Maidstone" is the style pendant. Found them on line.

And Positano, I was so close to getting Costa Esmeralda too--it's a beautiful stone. I made the roman shades in the dining room--if you sew, it's not an advanced project (I really only do remedial sewing) but I now need more shades for the kitchen and I may do what you were thinking too--just add the ribbon.

Doesn't sound like there are too many strong opinions about whether to keep the mirrors or the backsplash--my pictures may have been a little far off too. Here are a few tiles I've been staring at! Thanks again people...such fun to get all these opinions!

Here is a link that might be useful: pics of tile ideas...

Darn...I am not a sewer. But I should really learn. You did a great job.

About the 4" backsplash. Personally I like the look without it, but either way your kitchen looks gorgeous. I think I would do without the mirrors and just get some gorgeous tiles.I like the coloring of the square gray one on the right. The others look a little peachy to me.

Backsplash is such a hard decision....took me a year and a half!

Your kitchen is beautiful. I love the creamy color with the wood. It is just so subtle and elegant. My kitchen is the same tone and it is just so easy for me to live with. I have a 4 in. backsplash too that I am still deciding on. Leave it or change it. I actually don't mind it most of the time. Kind of feels different because most have full backsplashes which I like but still can't decide. I have a cream color crackle subway sitting there too. It will be interesting for me to see responses you get because Im asking the same question. Thanks for posting your kitchen, it turned out so pretty. Beautiful pendants. I like the mirrors. They are different and it is nice to see your personality.

Well, since your asking for opinions....I've always been a bit bothered by plain walls behind counters, even when they have the 4" backsplash. They feel unfinished and rather naked to me. And it always SEEMS as if they'd be splashed with stuff and hard to clean. I agree with your instinct for subtle and timeless...which it seems to me could be met in several ways. A cream/white crackle or plain subway. Or very subtle white marble would both look perfect in my opinion. The choice of which depends on the subtle differences in color, which can't really be captured in a photo online.

And I think the mirror looks fabulous. If you like it...I don't see any reason to think that adding a tile backsplash around it would change that. I know we often say that the backsplash is the jewelry of a kitchen. It doesn't have to be. In your case, the jewelry is the mirror and the counter and the backsplash is the lovely skin it's set against. And skin, we know isn't a blank sheet of paper...it has it's own subtle texture and color. It's just in the background.

I really like the mirrors...they are a great trick for the eye.

I am not usually a fan of granite backsplash, but your 4 inch one looks good to me, and if it were up to me, I would add some simple subway tile to finish it all off.

Very lovely kitchen!

KA:)

Well, thanks again ladies. Such helpful and nice comments. You're giving me confidence in my decisions. I'll probably be back with what I finally decide, but it sounds like the mirrors are fine, if not forever, at least for a while and we all seem to agree that I need to do something on those walls..when the undercab lights are on, the walls look white really...very washed out. But I'll keep looking and if anyone sees any great websites with tiles that are a bargain...please think of me and share! I'd love to not spend another grand on this final detail!! Thanks again--