Mosaic is too busy for me too, but I've got my inner magpie too. I chose natural stone with glass inserts.

Mine is from Oceanside Glasstile and their catalogue is full of things to die for. ...including mosaic squares. Check them out! A lot of their gallery pix are flat out over the top but check out their "Products" pages to see the themes and accents.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oceanside Glasstile

Oceanside tile is to die for. There is no Showroom near me though. I dont think they do mail order either.

I love the maestro mosaics

Here is a link that might be useful: Maestro

I have no suggestions since I can't decide on one for us - BUT, your kitchen is lovely!

Nice kitchen and it does need a backsplash (or at least counters)! Love the cabinet style.

Do not miss Motawi tile when you're in Ann Arbor. Not sparkly, but it would be wrong to miss it. And if you like sparkle but hubby wants earthy, Pewabic in Detroit is a mandatory destination. You can still get the funky old iridescent glazes they were famous for.

Anyway, at least check out their websites and see if they are remotely interesting. Both are handmade and kind of retro, which may not be your thing. The Pewabic glazes don't really show on a monitor well, but you can get a feel for the style of the tile, if not the sparkliness.

I know how you feel. My cabinets are in also but not our granite. I've been told by everyone from the tile showrooms to the granite yard to wait for my granite to be installed and to live with the granite/cabinets/floors a little bit and then decide. I've seen my granite only outside and vertically...not how it's going to be in my kitchen! I just broke it to my gc today that I'm not going to know my backsplash/paint color until after everything else is done. Good luck with your decision.

I love my slate mosaic. Natural stone, not glossy shiny but with some coppery slate mixed in it has just the right amount of sparkle. For me anyway.

Good luck with your search!
Robin

What about a glass tile, which would reflect light, in a neutral or subdued color? Interceramics makes some beautiful glass tile.

Your granite choice is gorgeous! I think glass tiles would compliment it really well. Either all glass in a bluish iridescent color --- come in sheets of 1 inch squares. Or a combination of ceramic tile in a neutral color with a glass tile in the middle. I saw some really pretty 2 inch glass tiles with a pattern inside and they looked great with ceramic tile.

My very, very first thought was glass tile when I picked the granite. Now I need some names. Where to find????

Robin, I love yours too.

Our appliances are in( all stainless) and we have temporary countertops and a sink lent to us my the KD. At least we can use the kitchen!!

You don't want to use your granite for a backsplash? What does DH want, instead of the mosaic? What if you put up about anywhere from six to twelve inches of the granite as a backsplash and then topped it with just a row or two of your fancy, sparkly, "magpie" tiles, and then put in those tiles into a mosaic centerpiece above the cooking area?

Have you fooled around with the Susan Jablon Mosaics website? There she has an interactive tile design program. I only spent a couple of minutes there but put together a quickie four-row border in some blues and greens and grays. It was fun.

Here is a link that might be useful: Susan Jablon Mosaics

Would a mosaic of the greys and blacks with just a few blues thrown in be subdued enough for DH?

Also, I have had almost no luck finding exciting tile at the big box stores- not even any glass besides a (really boring sandblasted) listetto!

This is OT but Blue Nile restaurant is one of my favorites- it's one of the less than 10 things I like about Michigan! I've only been to the Ferndale location, but I think the one in Ann Arbor is the original.

I think having a DH might be easier since "he" probably wouldnt care. When you have 2 women in a relationship, things can get touchy!!! LOL.

I just asked Robin what she wanted for the backsplash and she said " I have no idea". Hmmmmm, where do I go with that.

I'll have to look for Blue Nile. I usually eat at Zingerman's when in AA.

Nah. Most DHs that I know "have no idea" either. My own DH has as many ideas as I did - that didn't help matters necessarily.

Well, then ask her if "subdued" means monochromatic, means not a lot of grout grid lines, means a different sort of material? Getting to know your own style is worth the work. Good Luck.

We picked our backsplash. I looked all over Ann Arbor, MI as well as a tile place in London( ON). I also ordered a bunch of samples online. My granite installer told me that home depot was having a sale on glass tile so I buzzed over there and found the perfect tile. We ordered it yesterday( special order). Its a 3 x 6 glass tile in a light blue by daltile. I'm a tad nervous about installation at the baking center. I'm hoping my GC has a good tile installer. It should be ready for pick up in 7-10 days. When its installed, I'll be ready to post my finished kitchen.

I went looking at Sonoma tiles last week. They have 2x2 tiles filled with crushed glass, very sparkley, that can be used as an accent and/or border with plainer stone or porcelain tiles. You might want to try their website dealer locater to find a tile store that carries them nearby. You don't say what DH DOES like, which makes it hard to come up with anything you would both like.

Sue

"You don't say what DH DOES like, which makes it hard to come up with anything you would both like"

DH is actually DW. Robin doesnt know what she likes, therein lies the problem. She did like the glass tile we picked, I'm just hoping she likes it when its intalled.

Sorry, randi! :)

"I want something sparkly and cool like a mosiac tile. My spouse, not so much."

I thought she didn't like sparkle, that is why I suggested using them as accents, which she might find more acceptable.

Anyway, I personally loved the Sonoma lines, and found even other brands could duplicate the looks, but the Sonoma boards provided good inspiration, also.

Sue

If you get close to Farmington Hills check out Virginia Tile. They have a wonderful selection. They are in Indoplex Circle and there are a couple of locations that you can check out while there.

Well, I have nothing to offer tile wise, but if it makes you feel any better, my backsplash just went in--a year after my appliances and counters! ;-)

I just couldn't make any more decisions, so I took my time. Your kitchen looks great! If there is a lot of stuff going on in your stone (a lot of movement...) you may not want too busy a backsplash. Just a thought.

UPDATE:

Our backsplash went in on Thursday. Still needs to be sealed. I'm meh about it. Its a daltile blue glass from HD. I still think a smaller mosaic would have looked nicer.

{{gwi:1589109}}

I ordered 2 more outlet covers, I have to pick them up in MI.

{{!gwi}}

Beautiful kitchen. We have been waiting for this picture..thanks! We are in the same position as you, as we have almost the same colour cabinets & labrador antique granite. The ONLY tile we seem to like the Dal-tile glass subway that you have chosen. The sample we have seems a little darker that your pictures show it as. We are hesitant because we wondered how we would be able to cut it to fit around the plugs. It looks as though there was no problem for you. It doesn't sound like you are loving it, why? Also, why did you chose the white grout over blue coloured grout to match the tile? It looks nice, but we are undecided on which way to go.

Hi,

We actually chose a sandstone colored grout( it matches the cabinets). Our first choice was the blue grout, but they were out of it and our tile guy was all lined up. I wish I would have went with the blue.

I found another tile I liked a lot better after I'd already bought and paid for this. It was from mosaictileent.com. They have numerous shades of blues and I found a few I liked. They werent subway though, I think they were 2x2's. Don't get me wrong, I do like this, I think I would have liked the other better. These tiles were a b*tch to cut( so says the tile guy). I don't think they're the best qaulity either. They are made in china, but what did I expect for 8.70 a square foot.

Well I'm a magpie too :) So I have both a mosaic (behind the range) and a subway tile, but I do have to compliment the fact that you went with a blue. I like it with the granite. A neutral would have been safer, and oh so boring :)

By the way, we need to use the term DS...oh wait that's taken....(Dear Spouse dear son might get confusing) Or I like "SU" (spousal unit). My DH or SU as the case may be :) was told early in the design process that "I don't know" has a three day window to be turned into "I don't care" if he can't figure out what he wants :) Since I'm the designer...that's a challenge for him heh heh But he's one opinionated SU so normally he comes up with something :)

He had definate influance on the backsplash. I was HORRIFIED with the cost, and he decided that it was the "only" one that worked LOL so my inner magpie won LOL

randi, I LOVE your backsplash! After seeing pictures of your beautiful granite, I initially thought that a mosaic would be too glitzy, competing with your gorgeous granite. Then when you said you found blue glass, I couldn't envision how it would work. But it's perfect!
The color complements your cabinets wonderfully & lets the granite speak. Yet the backsplash isn't a 'wallflower," it's beautiful in its own right. Very well done!

I would have had a tough time making the decision to go with the blue but WOW it looks fabulous. What a beautiful splash of color. And so economical. Definitely a hit.

thanks everyone. I actually think it looks better in person. We left for vacation( still here in Florida) a few days after it was installed so we didnt get to see it sealed. The installer was going to seal it while we're gone. When we get back after xmas, I'll post my finished kitchen pics.

I am finding that selecting the backsplash tile is the most difficult decision that we've had with this kitchen!
We have heard that glass tile can be brutal to cut,so thanks for confirming that fact!