Take a DEEP breath :) Although after everything you've been through, I'm not sure I could either.

Grout makes a huge difference. And I remember in our last kitchen renovation being nauseated with heart palpitations even after the grout because I didn't think anything matched. Once the appliances, lighting, furniture, cookbooks and general kitchen pretties went in, everything blended wonderfully.

FWIW, I think your tile has a nice edge to it - I wouldn't at all call it traditional. And your countertops are gorgeous!

I would never classify that as "traditional", myself. Personally, I think it looks fine--goes well with both cabs and counters.

Hi sfmo..

Please get off the ledge....You have a beautiful kitchen in the making and it needs someone to love it, admire it, cook in it, and clean it.

Your counters are beautiful and from what I can see in the pictures (they are kind of dark on my screen) the backsplash compliments it. To me, it IS contemporary. And if that is your biggest problem with it then I don't think you have one.

I really hope you're off the ledge.

KA:)

That backsplash looks contemporary to me, not traditional. It looks great with the cabinets. I think it works well with the counters too, but it is hard to tell colors in the photos. BTW, the counters are gorgeous. What type of stone did you use and how thick is the edge?

That is a subtle and beautiful counter. The backsplash complements it well, drawing attention to its matte finish by providing just a bit of polished contrast. I love how the small shape of the tiles echoes the large shape of the triple window.

It looks very crisp to me, and reinforces the clean modern lines of the cabinets.

It is a beautiful combination. I think you are just anxious about it now that everything is coming together. Grout will make an amazing difference. Can't wait to see the completed project pictures!

Oh my gosh, you are all the best. I will take a deep breath. I will wait until grout. I will...probably never remodel another kitchen again. LOL.

Thank you all so much.

The counters are my beloved Opal White Quartzite with a 2" mitered edge. They had to round the edge a bit because of the Quartzite's finicky nature.

Oh, I hope I get to post some pictures of a completed kitchen SOON.

Grout does makes a huge difference, but i think it looks good now and will only look better. Not just saying that either. We are struggling with our backsplash choice and have a contemporary kitchen with lighter counters and espresso cabinets too. Tell us what the tile is. It might work for us too.

You have a cool space. Love the corner window and the shelf above it.

I think it's beautiful too! And definitely not traditional. I can't wait to see it with grout!

I agree with you. I hate it too!!! You need to remove it immediately, package it up, and send it to me. And send me your tiler too, cause I will need him to reinstall it in my kitchen.

;-P

(seriously? i think it's freakin beautiful and perfect with counters and cabinets!)

I think it is beautiful. And I am with everyone else... not Traditional at all!

Another voice saying its gorgeous! Really!

Like jabelone, I am also looking for the right tile to go with my light counters (Cambria Snowdon White) and espresso cabs. I will be waiting eagerly to hear what that tile is...

Remember, everything $uc%s toward the end of a renovation. Every decision is questioned. Everything looks bad. Everything just feels doubtful. I get it. Been there. Twice! You will be fine and this kitchen will be spectacular. Just keep breathing.

I think it's absolutely gorgeous. The same thing happened to me with mine - I freaked out before the grout went in, but it was really different with the grout. But like others have said, I think it's beautiful even before the grout. It's stunning and not traditional. Stay strong!

Back away from the edge....that's it, a little further...

This tile is NOT traditional. With it's size, it's edgey, and with it being stacked, it's edgey, very modern. I like the combo of a little sparkle in there, it's that "surprise" that every room should have.

So climb down off the ledge and wait until the grout is done! And post more photos, it is looking great!

The counter and backsplash are very, very compatible and extremely well coordinated. Yes, it looks a little glitzy because those tiles are small, irridescent and catch the light which is exactly what they should be doing given the slight translucency of the countertop.

I think it's a beauty and once the kitchen is finished and you have all those dark cabinets in there you are going to be very happy with it because it reflects light and you will need that.

You're too deep into it to have any objectivity at this point, I'd wager, but it's really great. No worries from what I'm seeing!

amy -- shame on you. LOL

I think it looks reallllly good! Cannot wait to see it when it's all done! Your kitchen is gonna be SO nice ;)

I don't see it as traditional either. Since your windows are so large and the backsplash so small once its grouted and you've added your things to the countertop I think it will blend right in.

Best of luck!

Contemporary, cool and complementing your worktop beautifully! No need to change anything.

It appears to all work great together, imo.

Wow. Okay, I totally admit that I have an extremely stunted ability to visualize anything at this point. I am walking back from the ledge...if you could only keep me from walking over to the kitchen every 15 minutes to check on the tile (the tile guy thinks I'm a bit high maintenance at this point, I'm sure)! Well, right now I hope that SOON I'll be able to see the promise that y'all see. Thanks for the kind and incredibly generous votes of confidence.

The backsplash tile is Walker Zanger Woodridge Pearl in their Mesa pattern...which I gather is not as traditional as I thought! The beloved counter is Opal White Quartzite with a 2" mitered edge. The fabricator had to round the edge a bit because of the quartzite's finicky nature.

Thank you all. You're fabulous.

It's a little difficult to see with all that beautiful sunlight streaming in your kitchen, but I think it looks wonderful. To me it reads contemporary and fits beautifully with your countertop. Would you consider sharing what the tile is? And the countertops? And maybe some closeups of those countertops? Thanks!

I think it looks great. But my favorite part about your kitchen is your windows and your view! Beautiful!!

yes, it's difficult to even see the colors etc of the counter top. too much glare of the sun on both.

so, couldn't say if I think it looks good or not.

OH no no no!... no ledge jumping, standing, or leaning. Adore you stone and love how it looks together. Not just a little... LOVE LOVE it. It looks fantastic. I love clean lines and the mitered edge on your stone is amazing. Love it stacked, love the slight variation of color it brings, love the subtle irridesence. WONDERFUL!

It looks fine, but I would have chosen some color combinations, such as the Brick type that Bolero Tile manufactures.

Greg

Small scale irridescent mosaic, espcially brick-shape is a "modern" choice, meaning mid-20th cent to contemporary. It does a wonderful job pulling a traditional kitchen to the modern side -- if anyone remembers the white NYC kitchen with the square pearlized irridescent backsplash that's a good example.

This is not the usual color -- one thing that's very individual to the OP's taste. Nothing wrong with the all white, or the earth tones with granite but it's always great to find someone with a unique color vision.

Who doesn't check the tile install 75 million times to be sure it's going in straight, you didn't make a mistake, it's sealed, the grout will be the right color etc. etc.??? Puh-leeze.

Always remember: TKO is good! (around here anyway).

I think it's gonna look gorgeous! And more contemporary than traditional for sure. Also, in my opinion, mosaics take on a more fancy feel than a larger tile does. Great choice. All tile looks like hell ungrouted! We're wrapping up a new build, by the time we got through the backsplash and one tiled bath, that old nauseated, regretful and disappointed feeling brought on by ungrouted tile was just par for the course.

I love it.
But I do understand the entire feeling you have of doubt.
I am second guesser, And after hearing about the stress
you have had, I can see why it is hard for you to be
objective.
In a day or two or more you might look at it with a new
perspective and see the beauty so many see here.

Pat yourself on the back you made a wonderful choice.
~boxerpups

I absolutely love your backsplash!!!! I am helping my daughter with her kitchen renovation so I am quite familiar with the difficulty of backsplash choices, but yours is absolutely stunning. I hope hers turns out as nice.

What are you talking about? It's absolutely lovely! Can't wait to see finished pictures with grout!

SFOMom, thanks for the tile ID. I will be sure to look at it when I (next) visit the tile store.

And yes, Rococo, it is a shame! You caught me... We will be here two years in November and I am aiming to have that tile chosen and installed before our anniversary. I finally realized that the only way I can leave room for painting the cabinets is to go with a "white" backsplash. That F&B CAG kitchen recently posted sealed the deal.

It looks great! Definitely modern in design, not traditional. Step well back from the ledge, everything looks great! As I told Marcolo in another thread, Stay Calm and Carry On!

The counters are so lovely. With the backsplash it all looks more than a little magical to me!

BTW, absolutely nothing wrong with being high maintenance! At least not to the fellow TKOs here.

I was afraid to look, but was relieved and pleased that I did. I really like it. My first impression was: Clean-lined, simple elegance, and contemporary. Not at all too casual or at all traditional. I don't like 'sparkly,' but don't think this seems that. I'm glad what others have said has calmed you. You are still missing a lot of elements to the whole vision. I think it will come together beautifully.

amy -- missed the F&B CAG kitchen but waiting for your "new" ~~ cue music ~~ "at last.... my backsplash love has come along" thread.

You were eyeing tile similar to the OPs if I recall.

Step away from the ledge!! Your backsplash is beautiful--definitely not traditional IMO. I think it looks great with your cabs and counters. Can't wait to see the finished reveal!!!

I completely empathize with your doubts. I haven't started our remodel but am already paralyzed with doubt. Luckily I have lots of time to figure things out since we're now not planning on starting until next spring (depending on how my new business goes). Have a glass of wine and relax; your kitchen is going to look great!

I love it. Definitely reads contemporary to me. Can I ask what it is? I may just check it out for my (contemporary) kitchen.

A fabulous combination!

I love it!

Please step back from the ledge. The backsplash is gorgeous and works really well with the counters and the cabinets. Frankly, I think is is perfect.

SFOMom, I woke up this morning thinking (yes, that is an indication of my obsession with tile!) that I would love love love to see better pics. I know the last thing you need is another item on your to-do list. But, please know I will be eagerly awaiting the moment when you can post a better view of that tile. TIA! Oh, and I sure hope you're feeling better today...

Rococo, I'll put a link to the CAG cabs below. Yes, I was looking at something similar, but I was still fixated on blue. I have decided to paint the ceiling Teresa's Green and the walls some version of white, depending on the tile. I was down to OGT and P&L Intaglio, but now I need to see SFOMom's tile, as well. I just don't have the time to go into town until after school starts in a couple weeks...

Here is a link that might be useful: Be still my beating heart!

I think it's PERFECT with your counters!!! Both are quite lovely and have a soothing, contemporary vibe.

Also, remember, the tile could very likely reflect a little less light once it's grouted (the light isn't able to bounce back or reflect off the sides/edges of the individual tiles after grouting), thus, reducing the sparkle (which isn't a lot or too much, BTW).

Great choice!

I just want you to know that I'm still holding my breath. It took forever, well, three days, for the tile guy to finish with all the tile. Grouting is today.

Amy, I will do pictures soon. Oh, yes, I can't wait. In fact I would have done some pre-grout photos this morning, but the lovely SF fog is back. Without lights, the kitchen looks really dull and dreary. I'm afraid the photos will just be a dark blur.

I've got to say that I've learned so much from this remodel. I went into it ultra-prepared. I had all my materials. I had even hired a designer to give the final okay on everything. He was incredibly expensive, but I thought with something this new, I needed someone to make sure I was making all the right decisions. Well, once those horrible counters (yup, the designer okayed those) had to be scrapped (as well as the backsplash tile purchased to go with those, as well as all the paint colors, as well as the design concept which is now at the 11th hour having my cabinet maker do new uppers and bookshelves in wenge), I learned that kitchen remodeling is not for the faint of heart. The best decision I made was to hire a fabulous contractor. If I had it to do all over again, I probably would have skipped the designer (it cost me thousands just to have someone say okay to everything I considered). I found GW rather late in the process. I just found Houzz last week! I would have spent more time on both sites.

You see, I have stepped away from the ledge. I'll post pics of the backsplash tomorrow...I hope. And I hope it is truly fabulous and perfect. And if it is not, I plan on putting things on the counter so no one will notice. Yes, I'm starting to feel that this all should work out.

I know everyone is saying they understand the doubt, but I don't. That combo is lovely and magical, and I think will be copied shamelessly by many!

Whaaaattt??? It's PERFECTION. I'm very honest - and that backsplash is perfect. Not too casual at all, and definitely not too sparkly. PERFECTION.

You poor dear. I can't believe you have had to go through this twice, on the same house. Hope today goes well and that the grout works a small miracle for you.

Oh, and I'm sorry I have been spelling your "name" wrong. I got so excited about that tile, I just lost my mind. :-)

Okay. I must say that all of you are just a whole lot smarter than me. The backsplash isn't horrible. True confessions time. I did hate it still a little (even after the grout) until I put this vase on the counter. Suddenly...WOW...it looks like a nice kitchen.

So, how did this evolve from being panic and trying to figure out how I was going to explain yet another wrong decision to actually liking my soon-to-be-completed kitchen? I think I had a picture in my mind of how I thought it should/would look. It does look different than my picture. I also think that I fell into the trap of not seeing the potential of how it will look with...a vase on the counter, installed appliances, etc.

So here is this morning's version.

And here's a close-up of what I thought looked like clashing patterns of the backsplash against the counter.

Thank you all lots and lots for your support. It really helped. Meanwhile, it looks like we're about a week away from "almost done." We'll be able to start using the kitchen in another week, but the upper cabinets and bookshelves will be about a month away.

I totally agree about the contractor. But there was never a doubt your kitchen would be beautiful -- you just had to come to love it and I hope it will grow on you more and more.

All of us had the same learning arc. I think that's what's so addictive about this process and this place. If I could do another one right now I'd be loving it.

Thanks for the new pics. Wow! Yea!

I love it when things present more as a solid/neutral from a distance and then reveal themselves as you get closer. I'd say they are perfect for each other.