katmandu,

I'm right there with you! A little behind actually, as my demo starts next Monday. I have backsplash, pendants and dishwasher to decide on. It feels so good to have the rest of the decisions behind me...now just hoping and praying it all comes together! I laughed when you said you'd stayed true to your vision...I have never had a vision. I have never seen a single magazine pic or finished kitchen where I've said "YES, that is it, I want it to look like that". I'm going on pure hope that mine comes together :)

No advice here, but it looks like we're buddies in the active construction phase. Here's wishing both of us luck. (hmmm, sounds good, I'm off to open a bottle of wine:)

Anita

Well... this is hard without pics... let me ask this first you lucky almost marble owner.. is calcutta one that has the soft gray veining or mostly white? AND.. what kind/color cabs? Now if you have white cabs and the marble is the one with gray veining (lots of "if's" here) a picture of a frosty light soft gray glass subway came to mind against the nordic black. If wood cabs... then I'm picturing the marble subway tile. Can't wait to see pics!

I love crackle subway, I bet that will look really pretty with your counters. That was one of my choices, but we ended up putting in calacutta subway. Our counters are honed black, island too. I think the two matte stones look nice. So really either one would be nice. Funny, I am stumped on pendants too!

I am just so excited that you have started! This is wonderful news.

I think because a specific look for your backsplash hasn't made itself known I'd recommend waiting until your cabs and countertop are in. By that point you'll have a better feel for how the space is coming together and which surface will fulfill your overall vision best.

Unfortunately I'll be zippo help with the pendants -- somebody recommended a mercury glass pendant from Napa Style and someone else pendants from Shabby Chic. Not sure if either of those might make sense with the aesthetic of your kitchen ....

I really am so happy for you!

Gambarimashou!

Anita, Thanks for the sympathy. It will be fun to go through the process together so to speak. Well, my vision is a bit loose, but still in the same basic form as when I started planning in earnest in Feb. I, too, am praying it comes together. We already had our initial contractor totally flake and disappear on us but as it was before any money exchanged hands or he began, and as of day 2 I am really happy with the guy we found to actually do the work (I know, it's still early), so I think it was probably a blessing in disguise. Keep me posted on your progress!!

remodelfla, Yes, photos would no doubt help. I have to figure out how to do that, although kitchen is totally empty right now. Perimeter cabinets are a creamy white with the nordic black counters, island is a dark cherry with the calcutta. The calcutta has a lot of white with grey and some beige toned veining, and the nordic black, in case you haven't seen it up close, has a little white veining and some earthy tones (although brown would be an overstatement). The subway I was thinking of using is a "latte" color - yes I am in seattle, land of coffee, ha. Largely thinking of that because DH really doesn't want too much white. While I love grey, and particularly the idea of frosty glass subways (am sort of also considering an icy sea greenish color which DH really doesn't like), I think the warmer neutral would work better.

msheidi, yours sounds really pretty! good to know the matte finishes look good together too.

rm, old friend, thank you for your infectious excitement. You are right, waiting may be the way to go. I am motivated by wanting to get my appliances in, which I understand there are differing opinions on, but the people I am working with seem to advocate not putting them in 'til everything, including backsplash is done, to help "preserve" them. I want to minimize that kitchenless time, but of course, it would be foolish to save a few weeks only to regret the choice. --oh and I love those mercury glass pendants recently posted. But I admit wondering if I'd get tired of them. I have some mercury glass candle votives that I love, but not entirely sure I'll want them hanging from my ceiling in 10 years. : )

Thanks so much for all your kind advice. I have to admit, I was reluctant to post after reading some threads lately where some people seem to chastise those of us who are "too involved" with the whole process, or the products. But hey, it's still a huge thing to undertake so I am so happy to have you GWers as a resource!!

I know I wrote to wait, so what am I doing suggesting something but ... here I go!

With the creamy perimeter cabs I would stay away from anything cool, as you wrote. As I was reading your response to remodelfla I nearly jumped out of my chair at the grey / sea green tiles, and I mean jumped in a "stop katmandu!" sort of way.

I think you are after a classic, timeless kitchen. I think the tumbled marble will be plain wrong, I think it'll be the only rustic in the sea of refined elegance. I think something in a subway-ish shape (doesn't have to be the classic 3" x 6" -- could be similar to redroze's yummy 2" x 8" tile) is going to make much better sense in your kitchen and not make your eye stop when you see it. (And what I mean by that is remember Cybill Shepherd [the actress] back in the '80s wearing a black velvet strapless ballgown with day-glo orange high-top Reeboks? Clearly she was making a point [I get it -- I like comfy things as well], but the eye stopped on those sneakers like "what in the hell???")

It's one thing for the eye to stop to say "ooh-la-la!" but another to wonder why the discordant note. Maybe I am projecting way too much onto your kitchen, but in my mind's eye the tumbled marble will be wrong. Oh wait, I should clarify that when I think of tumbled marble I'm thinking of something really rustic -- I am NOT thinking of something similar to mindimoo's gorgeous backsplash. Is that what you were thinking of? Because that could look terrific! Tying the island countertop together with the perimeter in its backsplash ... I kinda like it!

Okay, so back to my mind's eye: I love the idea of a nearly-ecru (maybe your latte?) subway -- not the golds of igloochic's backsplash but something with that kind of character (and hands-down that tile is my favorite element of her kitchen), or a backsplash like that of your neighbor and our friend Mindi.

I am babbling and it's late for me, but hopefully you'll be able to wade through my divagations and know my intention was good!

And I think the mercury glass pendant would be wrong for your space, the more I think about it -- too cool in color! I know, I am so redundant.

I really am so happy you found someone (GC) so quickly and are able to proceed apace. I felt horrible for you about the flake -- what a kick in the stomach! But I'm grateful it happened before your project started and before any money changed hands! You've given me another reason to keep checking in here for the next few months -- I'll be following your kitchen!

Oyasuminasai!

I have similar elements in my kitchen and will be having my backsplash installed in a week or so (if the tile guy ever calls me back). I'll post the pictures when they are done.

I have cream cabinets with honed Absolute Black counters on the perimeter and a dark cherry stained island with white marble counters (honed Imperial Danby). I am putting in a crackle subway tile in an oyster color...kind of a dark beige. With mine I'm putting a fine pencil tile near the bottom in a garnet color. I like the idea of all neutral with this little bit of a jewel tone color. My backsplash will also have some of the garnet color incorporated into it as well.

Here's a picture of my kitchen sans backsplash - there's a sample of the subway tile color leaning on the counter to the right of the sink.

Find a big tile store near you and go there. One near me has TONS of display boards set up that you can take home. I thought I wanted glossy subway tiles, until I actually saw them in my kitchen. I was also afraid the high gloss tiles along with the high gloss granite with undercabinet lights shining on them might be a bit much. So I decided on tumbled travertine with a travertine and glass mosaic accent. Still hav't figured out the pattern, but I'm getting closer.

I too would wait until your cabs and stone are in and then choose based on the light, etc. in your kitchen. I know you want everything done, but I would probably wait. If they are worried about "dinging" up your appliances, you can always keep that blue protector thing on them so the finish doesn't get marred.

Now, that said, Lissa, your kitchen is gorgeous! I think I will move right in! Looks like a great place to cook.

Kat--I think a soft green might be nice. Would depend on the color of the green. Here are some samples of things that might look good, depending on your taste and DH's taste. Not sure what style you are going for in your kitchen, more classic or more modern. So here are some green and other color/style alternatives.

That mission tile west trillium is one of my all-time favorites. I'd love to have that one in my kitchen!

Wow, thank you all for your input. I can't get over the helpfulness of this forum!

rm, your musings pair well with mine. Thank you!

Lissa, your kitchen is beautiful and yes we are going for a very similar look. I hope mine looks half as good as yours!!

ccombs - good idea on trying out lots of samples.

wow, mustbenuts, I envy your skills at inserting stuff since I have not yet taken the time to learn how to do that, so thank you so much, and for your time in posting so many ideas!

After seeing Lissa's, it does make me think perhaps I should indeed wait and do it later and just protect the applicances. Hmmmm. I'll keep you posted.

Hi Kath... ya still wanna do coffee sometime?

I'm so glad to hear things are underway at your house! Actually, now that I think about it, I did see a cloud of remodeling dust as I gazed across to your hill/mtn the other day!

Like you, I was stuck forever on pendant lights! We still don't have them in, hence, no real final after photos yet. However, we finally did. After months of searching and many trips to all the lighting places, I went to Sea Ltg Bellevue for a client one day and they had a new installation and I found the perfect ones...spot on. Then, we wavered back and forth on finish. The, last week someone posted those Shabby Chic pendants and I reconsidered. But, I am going to order them today (search the thread, Pendant lights I think I found them) - Yippee!!! Your plight is making me do it, finally, DH will be so happy!

As for the backsplash, did you know that Pental has a ton of different Calacatta tiles? They are darn cool and would tie everything together! You can search them online, they have the same one I did (Thassos Marble- not tumbled) in Calacatta too, it's a bevel edge subway shaped brick...maybe along with coffee a trip down there is in order?

{{!gwi}}

I think rmkitchen is spot on with her comments, as always!!!

lissa - that is one gorgeous kitchen!!!

It's an exciting time at your house! And a bit of take-out food on the menu? Keep us all posted and let me know if there's any way I can help!

Mindi

PS One other thing to remember is that a lighter and even slightly reflective surface behind dark counters will help the lighting conditions also!

Katmandu -- I'm stumped on the same two things. I've decided to wait on the backsplash, partly so I don't have to decide now, and partly to save some bucks. I just need to live with the space for a while and see if something sings to me.

Ditto on the pendants. The ones that I like seem to be out of our current price range. I'm thinking that I'll get some inexpensive pendants that I can live with for a while, then replace them down the road when I've found some I really love.

Thanks for the compliments on my kitchen. I had a tough time deciding on a backsplash and actually had to force myself to finalize the order. I hate the idea of putting the whole kitchen together and then possibly ruining the vision of what I wanted it to be with the wrong backsplash.

I think waiting on the backsplash is a good idea. You can live with the kitchen a while and get a feel for it. Do you need more light, do you wish it had more color in it, do you want to keep it simple or dress it up. You'll be able to think these things through as you use the kitchen.

Best of luck.