I think it looks fine as is so if you choose to go with a backsplash, stick with something neutral. Your window is amazing. How is that done? i don't see the window frame.

I don't think your kitchen really needs a backsplash, but it looks kind of unfinished with the white paint, so I would either repaint or add a backsplash. Painting would be easier and cheaper :)

Laurie

I would pick up the gold in the granite and repaint the kitchen and eating area that color. The white is not right, IMO. Beautiful granite, BTW. I tried to talk my father into that one, but he's color blind and it didn't have enough contrast for him.

Your cabinets and granite are really wonderful togerther and I like others here wouldn't want a fancy backspash to drown out the beauty of that granite. It should stay the focal point as it's so pretty.

That said the white paint is already a little distraction. I would suggest a subway glass tile all one neutral color. On that is in your granite. Like this perhaps.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Glass & other tiles

I don't feel Fire & Ice would work with your particular granite. I think Fire & Ice is too busy to go with your granite.

I do like the glass tile idea or a nice gray paint that would tie the cabinet pulls and stainless together and then let your accessories add punch to the room.

Jodi-

Beautiful! love the window and the granite up the stove wall! Use very light cream tumbled if you want Or I will post granite just like yours what they did! Michael and Michael (Yeah!)

"sand" alfagres: gema series: 4x4: granite reflection changes the color of the sand tiles! I think they did a great job. He wanted to make sure I found him a slab with lots of purple garnets! I did: Your looks amazing!

Love the garnet fecks and I hope you will be able to draw them out into other elements in your kitchen or adjoining eating area. A friend used this opaque glass tile in his bathroom and it is quite inexpensive and easy to work with - both are important as you are not looking for something to feature but rather to blend. Tile has a nice mottled quality in colour and just a bit of texture. It is very thin and can actually be installed without grouting.

You could look for something in a garnet tone to add sparingly as an accent on the backsplash if you were so inclined. I think a backsplash, even a white one will add a level of finish to your kitchen that just paint won't.

Here is a link that might be useful: spectralight

nice link: saved it!

Thanks for all your suggestions.

I wanted so much to follow with ci_lantro's suggestion because then I'm done. I'll gladly let you snatch that paint brush out of my hand. ha ha.

But at the same time if a little tiling will tie up the project, then I'm game.

jodi_socal: I'm a little disappointed when you said fire and ice won't work. I just LOVE that F&I BS. But then agin, I think I know all along it's a little too much for my kitchen.

Caryscott & petra: Thanks for the picture petra, it says a thousand words. Is spectralight glass tiles? Prices are pretty reasonable. What about that milk green color? will it work? maybe with some garnet pieces sparingly mixed in.

I will take some pictures and post two HD Behr's paint card to aid in the discussion of color.

Thanks again ALL!

oooooh I love that milk green tile! I would definitely get a sample of that and see how it looks. The muted color might be the perfect way to let your granite remain the star.

I agree that the bright white paint makes it look somewhat unfinished. From a utilitarian aspect, I have painted walls above my backsplash now, and even though the paint is supposed to be scrubbable it still shows lots of splatters and spots.

Erika

I love your wood floors do you mind telling me what color they are and if they are prefinished?

Thanks

I really like your beautiful granite and cabinets, but I don't like the backsplash in such a light color. To me, it has such contrast that it becomes the focal point. You don't want a really dark backsplash either, since the counter and cabs are already so dark. I would choose a simple grey-green tile and no accents. What color are you planning on for the dinette area? Maybe you could continue that same color there, or maybe a lighter shade. Maybe you can paint the backsplash for now, and see how you like the color. Or maybe photoshop it in? Good luck.

I just want to be clear that my friend didn't buy through that website - they are all about making custom mosaics so I don't even know if you can get sheets with a single colour from them (if not I am sure they can tell you where you can, my friend bought his blue\grey\white - not custom - mosaic pattern in sheets) . He bought through a local tile retailer\distrubutor but when I wanted to show an example to someone else I found that particular website had the nicest samples. The greens are particularly nice, I really like the milk green as well. I'm not remotley certain you need the accents or if they would even look good and with that product your option for an accent might be limited because it is thinner than a lot of tile.

It is glass but I think fused with paper or something, it's for pools so it has held up great in his bathroom where he has it floor to celing on the wall behind the toilet and vanity and then he has a 6 inch line of it around his tub\shower.

Hi cindyp, I did not replaced my floor. Those are the oak floors we upgraded when we bought the house in 1988. So they are 20 year old! They are equivalent to what we call engineered wood floor today, factory prefinished and I believe the color was called something like honey oak. Honey Oak was popular in the 80's and is classic enough to be still relevant today.

caryscott: Appreciate your explanation of the tile web-site. I think simple is what most of you are advocating, be it paint or solid glass tile.

Here are some sample paint chits. The BS paint currently is the top light color (Lunar Light) of picture #1 on right. Same card is on the left of picture 2 & 3. The second card (one that I have not painted or used) has tinge of green that I thought could be nice to paint in the dinette room and maybe beadboard that will continue into the family room. The beadboard is hopefully a trick that will work with the dinette/kitchen so I don't have to painstakingly remove the rest of the rail chair height wall paper in family room. :) I need thoughts, advice and sets of other eyes!!! So please vote or give me other suggestions.
Card 770 (lunar light, belvedere cream or fossil sand)
Card 780 (sea salt, baked brie or ocean pearl)

Paint #1

Paint #2

Paint #3

That's a tough one, but I'm leaning towards the Ocean Pearl.

Laurie

I like the ocean pearl, by far.

Look at Brutuses Nantucket Gray on this post. This might be a good color for your kitchen.

Laurie

Here is a link that might be useful: Brutuses Nantucket Gray

Posted by budgeteer_s (My Page) on Wed, Dec 31, 08 at 18:18

Thanks for all your suggestions.
I wanted so much to follow with ci_lantro's suggestion because then I'm done. I'll gladly let you snatch that paint brush out of my hand. ha ha.

But at the same time if a little tiling will tie up the project, then I'm game.

jodi_socal: I'm a little disappointed when you said fire and ice won't work. I just LOVE that F&I BS. But then agin, I think I know all along it's a little too much for my kitchen.

Caryscott & petra: Thanks for the picture petra, it says a thousand words. Is spectralight glass tiles? Prices are pretty reasonable. What about that milk green color? will it work? maybe with some garnet pieces sparingly mixed in.

I will take some pictures and post two HD Behr's paint card to aid in the discussion of color.

Thanks again ALL!
Correction: My tiles were Alfagres: Gema4x4: different from what caryscott posted: I loved what caryscott linked:

speaking of little glass tiles: these are in 12x12 sheets: These are Busazza: posting picture for fun! $85 per sheets: comes in tons of colors:

msrose: Thanks for that link to brutuses' Nantucket Gray. I think it might be a bit too dark for DH's taste. Remember he is color challenged. That link has a few more of BM's green-gray paint color. I'll have to check out a sample.

Petra: That tile you posted is eye candy. It's beautiful, but at $85 sheet! it's definitely out of the question.

I wonder if it's easier to decide on the paint for the dinette area wall first, and then decide on BS glass tile afterwards. Or should it be the other way round. Decision on tile first, then paint color. Problem is I don't even really know if I'm going with the tile BS. decisions, decisions...

I would definitely decide on the tile or paint color for the kitchen first. Is the Ocean Pearl to dark for DH?

Laurie

I think Ocean Pearl is too dark for DH if painted as BS in kitchen or breakfast room wall. I think he is okay with the midle color of the paint chits. I will need to double sweet talk him to use it for the bead board that I plan to cover about 5-6 feet from the ground (instead of removing the existing wallpaper) in the adjoining family room. This room has the high ceiling and he may not feel as crowded into a dark color.
Any other suggestions, any one?

Hi Budgeteer! Your kitchen turned out fantastic! Are you sure you can't sweet talk your husband into that darker color??? I think it would look great next to the granite.

Can you buy a sample of the Ocean Pearl and paint a whiteboard that you can place around the room at different times of the day? Perhaps that will help entice your husband!!! I wound up painting my kitchen BM Northampton Putty - which is a greenish brown. I got 9 of their paint chips and taped them together to get one big test swatch since they didn't sell any of that paint in sample jars. That big test swatch helped me decide upon my color.

I can't believe your floor is 20 years old. It still looks good!

Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

this might sound crazy: walls might look better dark! then your countertop will really stand out: (almost as if you put granite up the wall everywhere.
I re-looked at pictures: yeah: I agree white really stands out. But the granite behind stove draws eyes back.

The lighter paint may not do the trick! Paint is cheaper mistake vs. tile!

ocean pearl: my choice: but if it doesn't work: try darker.
I could totally be wrong. Just my suggestion.
(Alfagres "sand" glass tiles are about $9 sf and Bisazza expensive! Yeah! but amazing if you only have to buy a few square feet! You would have to see them in person to really understand what I mean. I have all the samples and I love them all: very hard to make a choice on which is more amazing!!!they are all amazing: from Italy: need I say more!lol!)

Bugeteer, Love what you have done already! I, personally, of course, think that you have to go with a 'warm' contrasting color for backsplash, such as Belvedere, and putting some yellow lemons in your trifle bowl along with the green apples, will help bring out the accent yellow in your granite. I advocate going with paint! Lovely!

budgeteer - Have you made any decisions yet?

Laurie