I think matte but can't help much on a suggestion! Or maybe if there was something that was matte with some shine mixed in here and there but not every tile? That's just to my eye...
Do you think a honed marble backsplash with some polished pieces mixed through would work? I often wonder if I do marble countertop if a marble backsplash is overkill... hmmm.

I know this isn't the style you are looking for but I love the play of matte and shiny. Perhaps you can do that with your subways (even without marble of course).

thanks little fishie. i want to stick with 3x6 ceramic tile based on vintage look of my kitchen.

Yes, but maybe you can do matte and mix in some shiny. Good luck : )

Subway Ceramics makes a satin-finish subway that is also flat, not pillow-like, like the original subway tiles of the turn of the last century, and you can set it with thin grout lines.

If you are a matte kind of girl, why not go with that? There are lots of beautiful matte tiles out there.

I think you're fine with a matte finish. You have the shiny hardware for the bling.

Go with the matte finish. This is your kitchen and you should go with what you like.

thanks for all the responses. do you have some brand recommendations of matte tile you like? i am not seeing a lot of it but i must not know enough about the right lines.

Ill be watching this...I have soapstone, and any glossy tile just doesnt look right. Before I go with cararra honed subways, just want to see if there are other options. Headed out tomorrow to a few stores, so if I find anything, I'll let you know.

Sorry I can't help where to get it but I really think matte would be the way to go. I too am a matte kind of girl, satin floor, 10% sheen on cabinets, I did polished super white because the kitchen is dark and wanted a bit of reflectiveness, but do wish I had done matte subway instead of the gloss. It is VERY reflective when under cabinet lights are on. Good luck!!

Hi all -

Quick update on this. I got several matte tile samples and in some lights they look OK but in some it looks really bad. Very flat and not good. So my conclusion is matte finish is not the way to go after all.... now exploring the shiny but with a bit of a handmade look so not so hard edged...

I think the shiny looks fine...it will brighten up the counter...also someone on here mentions getting Groutbooster for the BS! good luck and look fwd to seeing the finished product!

I think what you have looks good but have you looked at AO's "Cache" line? It is a little irregular due to being handmade but is pretty nice stuff. I used it in a 20s style kitchen and liked it a lot. The matte isn't bad and the glossy is lumpy enough to not just SHINE. (Of course true vintage kitchens have perfect "sanitary" tile but we don't have to be literal in our interpretations.)

Anyway if you like the handmade, measure-each-piece-before-you-use-it look, it's worth looking at:

Here is a link that might be useful: AO's

foir - thank you so much, will check out this line tomorrow. i think i need to stick wtth a gloss tile but am also concerned that my current selection is too machine looking so i really appreciate the suggestion, will check it out!

Keeping me in suspense - what tile are you going with babushka cat? Did you find one? Your kitchen is beautiful!

Hi Babuschka_cat,

I really empathize -- I also can't stand *shiny*, and thought I'd probably eschew tile altogether for my own (slightly more vintagey) kitchen.

But lo and behold, when I found a glossy hand-painted ceramic, it worked really well. I second the experience you had feeling that the matte tile looked dull or dirty in certain lights.

I can absolutely reassure you that although it's glossy, it's not shiny in the same sense that a polished granite counter is shiny. It's not rhinestone-on-white-denim, bright-red-fingernail, big-hair shiny. It's just right. The nature of handmade ceramic means that it's not perfectly flat and while it reflects, it also has a very subtle surface texture that breaks that up slightly.

You must have seen my zillion tile photos on here before -- if you're interested, Solistone makes my yellow tile in a white, and it's pretty affordable at $12 to $15/sft. Because it's hand-painted, it's got lovely subtle variation in the white. Order a sample?

Here is a link that might be useful: Solistone Nieve 3x6 tile

I would also suggest handmade... Aside from tile imperfections, most handmade tiles have variations in colors, too, which make for beautiful interest and a 'vintage' feel. I love the handmade (and USA-made) tiles from Heath Ceramics. You can requests samples from them for free. I have a few of their colored tiles, but I've noticed that on their website, their whites have graded variation, too. I'd be very interested to see how color variation would look on a white tile...

Here is a link that might be useful: Heath Ceramics tile colors

thanks all for following my story and the follow up emails! i did come to the same conclusion that i think handmade is the way to go and have a finalist selected. just waiting for a few more tile samples on order to be sure the color is right.

if the one pending does not pan out, will check out the ones listed above!

thanks again

Anyone know the pricing of Heath Ceramics subways? I downloaded the PDF that is supposed to show pricing, but those pages are blank. They're about 45 miles from where I live, but it would be good to know if it's even in my ballpark.

Linelle... I believe the prices are listed on the last few pages of the PDF file. They are something like $16/sq ft for the modern basics colors and $27/sq ft for the made-to-order tiles, if I remember correctly. They also have lots of overstock tiles for just a fraction of listed price, so definitely worth checking out in person (I was told over phone that the overstock list posted online isn't always complete).

Look at Sonoma Tile in the crackle finish. that's what I finally picked as it had a sheen to it, but the crackle gave it a perfect vintage sort of look. It's coming in on wednesday and I can't wait!

thanks Lisa 616. i was hoping sonoma would work but the color was not right with my white cabs. :(

Just looked at the Heath tiles - they have some possibilities for my kitchen as well!
The field tiles listed in the catalog about $28 per sq foot. I would go and look if it was closer to our location :-(
Some other handmade tiles
Epro from Ohio
Motawi from Ann Arbor (but need a thick wallet!)
Pewabic from Detroit.
Both Motawi and Pewabic are out of my price range!
Good luck- I keep hoping something I see will work for me, also!

Babushka
Did you ever find a backsplash tile? I'm looking for something similar, white matte but with a handmade look. Your kitchen is similar to mine, would love to see how it turned out, or just update photos.

Check out a line by florida tile-Pietra Art/Classic Mosaics. 3x6 subway /China White---you can get in polished or honed. Even the polished isn't super shiny.
It's on one of the many boards I have home now.. I don't know price yet. We haven't gotten that far. I really like the looks of the product though.
#1 for me right now.
Good luck in the search.
P.S.--there's also one on the board called White Statuary that looks interesting.

i have not been able to find a white tile that looks good. my marble is very warm and my while cabs are BM simply white - i should have used a warmer white paint. oh well! so my latest sample is sonoma tile color twine. waiting for 2 SF of samples to comme in later this week for yet another sample board.... :0

babushka--visually this China White resembles marble without the veining. I looked at it on the internet and the color does not resemble at all what it looks like in person. Internet shows more creamy when actually it is white.

ever been in the downtown subway stations in new york with all the old tiled walls-they have lustre/shine..it looks good. In a way, the shiny tiles seem more in keeping with the slightly old fashioned/traditional style you have going on. I'd go shiny but look into how many different levels of shine are available.

yes, i decided shiny is the way to go, now just seeking out the right color...