Wow! It looks like you put a lot of thought into your new kitchen. Is it for a new house, or are you remodeling an existing space? How high are the ceilings? Your top rendering is awesome.

If it were me, I would go with all hardwood floors instead of tile, but, of course this is completely subjective. I do think that the slate tile is too busy. I like the limestone or travertine look, but again, you would need to be
careful of having too much pattern on the floor because you don't want it to take away from the stateliness of the kitchen.

As for a granite color, what kind of colors do you like and what colors do you have in your adjoining rooms? From the stained cabinets you picked, it looks like you gravitate to the warmer colors. In that case, you can find granites like "Delicatus" that has warmth and movement. I would think you can find several granites with rust or gold. Santa Cecilia would also be great if you like the more spotted granite.

Good luck!

ALL of your inspiration pics have light colored counters. I'd let that tell you something! Something like Bianco Romano or some of the elegant creamier ones with some black or other veining/movement...some Delicatus I've seen is like that and some is busier...I'd stick with sweeping movement, rather than too many little explosions. I'm not big on the overall spotted types, especially in the golds/tans, so that's just a personal bias.

I love the mosaic examples you've shown. Understated elegance, where the others are very nice, but a little more 'expected.' The mosaic just sings to me more.

I like 'squareness,' so wouldn't choose for myself to angle the sink posts, but I think it'd probably look fine.

You're doing fine! Have confidence in yourself. Your inspiration photos should really help you, because they're all in the same type of direction. It's when someone has a lot of variation in their inspiration photos that it gets more challenging.

I agree with going with hardwood floor as I perceive the slate as busy and vying with the counters and backsplash. But that is my preference.

I also would go with the wood floors for the same reason, that they won't compete with the rest of the kitchen. I like the mosaic back splash. It is clean and neat and beautiful.

I think the square posts look nice, especially with the shape columns you're talking about... it would repeat the shape. You could round the end of the granite there to soften it. You did post mostly kitchens with light granite which is my preference. Maybe a warm light granite with caramel and grayish swirls? I'm a backplash lover so I definitely love the idea of doing something eye catching behind the cooktop area. It'll look smashing with the curved hood. Do you want to frame something out? Glass and framed ceramic are both beautiful though completely different looks. Depends on what you want. More contemporary... a glass mosiac. Ceramic with some kind of frame behind the cooking area is traditional. BOth would look great. Personally, I'm a glass lover. I think a little contemporary touch would be more unexpected and really shine. But that's just a taste thing.

My ceilings are a 8', and it's not a new build. Just remodeling the current kitchen.

Sounds like hardwood would be the best choice, and that was what I was leaning toward too.

Remodelfla, I didn't want to frame anything behind the cooktop till I saw that very last picture, and loved it. Is there any way I could use that and have the main field of backsplash be the glass mosaic? (I am asking anyone, not just remodelfla only here :-))They look complimentary in color, but are not the same materials. If not, can I find something else "pillowish" or "quiltish" and frame it behind the cookotop? I am a quilter so I suppose that's why I am drawn to it - which is neat that it reflects that part of me. What sort of framed thing would work with those glass mosaics?

Solistone has some curved glass subway tiles but the colors are a little limted. Here's an example in white.
{{gwi:1939216}}

They also have some small mosaic pillowed ones but there's something about the way the installation looks in pics that bugs me. Here's a site I found while googling that seems to have a large selection of tiles including the Solistone.
www.glasstileoasis.com
This is all if you choose glass.

I think it's a cool idea to pursue the notion of a quilt look since that's a hobby of yours. So many options!

try to call out to mairin....she used that backsplash behind her cooktop with subway tiles. it is really pretty. i like the pillowy look as well....i used something called raised basketweave but only behind my cooktop, no tile elsewhere. here's a pic of it to give you an idea......

I like your choices so far. I think you should go with a lighter granite and definitely the hardwood floor. If you are worried about water on the wood, then consider doing inset tile "rugs" in wet areas.

The 'pillow' tiles are wonderful but they seem to work best in a lighter-coloured space with tonal balance. I like the look of the mosaic backsplash in your inspiration pic dealing with the columns.

So far I think you're doing an excellent job. Look forward to the finished pics.

Gglks, maybe the pic is Mairin's - it's someone's kitchen on here, I just don't know whose!

Mairin - are you out there - does it look like your behind-the-cooktop backsplash? If so, I'd love to know the name! If it comes down to me for real, for sure using it, I will start a new thread asking her what it is. But it's still just ideas at this stage.

Would you guys agree that I have to pick between using margieb2's mosiac or mairin's pillow tiles, but not both together? They are too similiar, right? My gut is telling me they are.

But would it look ok if I looked for something pillowy, but as big as subway tiles or maybe 4x4 and framed those behind the cooktop, and used the mosaic on the rest?

Would that look OK?

Do people even use a framed in piece with mosaics? The people who use mosaics generally use it exclusively it seems.

I really am super in love with margieb2's mosaic enough that I would almost rather just use it exlusively than to have to abandon it to work in a framed in piece behind the cooktop. Subway's are my second choice, but the mosiacs win over them :-).

Needs, You're doing fine!! You have consistency of taste which means you will have a cohesive design. My kitchen is way out there and much more likely to flop. Yours is going to be the serene, beautiful haven you've been striving for.

Specifics:

Either the wood floor or the tile will look fine, but I wouldn't do the variegated slate of the center floor picture. It's overwhelming to your other choices and will fight for attention. Very few people want the floor to be the star. Any of the colors in the slate floor would be fine, as would the beige, but keep the amount of color variation to what the beige floor on the bottom has and you'll be fine.

The gray tones floor you like might be an excellent contrast. The backsplash colors you love are from the same family as the cabinet color. If you use wood, go darker or lighter. But I think the reason you're drawn to the gray is that you want that contrast. If you go for the kind of light countertops that are in your inspiration pictures, and get some subtle gray veining in them, they'll tie it all together. You'll have subtle contrast.

Re the sink legs, I think you'll loose the drama if you angle them. It's the shadows created by the stiles and the incuts that give it the drama. Instead, you could round or clip the corner of the counter to save your hips, and leave the sharpness in the wood.

You could do something creative with the pillow tiles. A single row of pillows in the colors as shown, in the Margie mosaic, as a stripe. Just the size and texture contrast, rather than a big color burst. Or pull out some of the mosaic tiles and replace them with pillows every so often as texture accents (this is my favorite plan). That way, the color similarity works with you instead of against you.

Try putting an inset under the hood in your rendering and see how you like the look. I'm thinking that it might be better without it, but that's so personal. If you don't do an inset, you can always hang a plaque if it needs more decor, but if you put the medallion it had better be right. :)

I don't think the oversized pillows will give you the look you're going for.

There are all kinds of things people do with mosaics. If you're seeing them only without framed pieces it's because (a) they're often in truly modern kitchens and (b) because that's the look you like and therefore subconciously that's what you see and remember. You can have whatever you like.

You have good repetition with the arch in the opening, under the hood and under the sink. Nice!

plllog, thank you. Your post offered me lots of reassurance and I feel more confident. All of you guys have been helpful.

But plllog, I love your idea of using the pillows as texture accents by pulling some of the mosaics. It sounds like the solution I've been looking for.

I think you are also right about the drama being created with the sink posts by keeping them the way they are, and losing that drama with angling. Thank you for pointing that out.

I am starting to feel unstuck and ready to move forward. Thank you! Thank you!

You're welcome!

BTW, I found the tile, by doing a search on mairin and pulling up every related backsplash thread she posted on, and I found the tile by finding the kitchen photo I originally saw it on - and it's acutally tearose21's kitchen, not mairin's! It's 2x2 pillowed onyx by Ann Sacks, and guess what they had as the accompanying field tile: another mosaic or subways :-).