After 18 years of living with a kitchen I hate, I'm finally having it remodeled. Here are the color particulars:

Cabinets - ginger spice maple with shaker frames.
Countertops: Giallo ornamentale
Floor: Armstrong Alterna luxury vinyl tile (grouted) -- Bisque

Yes, it sounds very, very beige, very ordinary. But I am planning to retire in about 1-1/2 years and trying to chase a possible buyer's taste is futile. So I am going classic classic classic -- not "trendy" but not "hopelessly dated" either. I think if you can get "Well I don't love it but I can live with it for a while and the house is in a good location", everything else is gravy.

So the one last piece of this picture is backsplash. I like this 2" mosaic at Lowes (and the price is right):

http://www.lowes.com/pd_47326-74035-WD1022HC1Y2_0__?Ntt=weddington+russet&UserSearch=weddington+russet&productId=3034008&rpp=32

...but a) it's more beige, b) 2" mosaic may be more trendy than I want to do, and c) do I really need a backsplash?

For paint colors I'm looking at two color families -- bright leafy greens (unlikely) or salmon/yellow/orangey color family (more likely because the kitchen only gets eastern sun filtered through trees and NO afternoon sun, so it's kind of dark). I'm thinking that with the strong pattern in the granite, ANY backsplash is going to be just too busy, make the kitchen look smaller, and be more likely to be an "I Hate It" point for potential buyers.

My sister is a realtor in North Carolina and she says she has never had a house not sell because of having no backsplash, but she HAS had houses not sell because buyers did not like the backsplash.

Right now I'm leaning towards one of the following options:

1) 4" backsplash of the granite from the countertop (my contractor does the stonecutting himself so I'm sure there will be enough)

2) Use the 2" mosaic only behind the stove (which has a raised section itself).

3) Use the 2" mosaic but go only 2 tiles high to make a 4" backsplash from the tiles.

Any thoughts on this? Kibitzing wanted!!