Silestone is nice. We have "Topeka" Quartz as our kitchen countertop, which until now, I THOUGHT was Silestone. Though, I don't see it on their website. The problem with engineered countertops like Silestone, is that you can't accurately mimic natural stone color flow. Instead, it comes off unnatural with almost repeating patterns. That would be why Lyra looks more like pen squiggles.

Thanks so much - these are great suggestions! I'm aiming to hit 3 tile shops that are pretty close to home and hopefully swing by Lowes too. @kompy, great idea! I got the 8x8 glazed one from the Tile Store online and will head there this am to see if they think it's possible to cut it down. My kitchen is a very narrow galley and it seems like smaller-scale works better here. It's great to have the Meram tiles as a backup; I know from staring a lot at your beautiful kitchen that they would look great with the counters. @browniepie, I love herringbone! One of my favorite kitchens of all times is GW member @enduring who has the most awesome herringbone backsplash. Lowes is in the complete opposite direction of all the other tile stores but now I definitely have to go there! @tinker1121, I hadn't really been looking at glass tile but somehow I'm craving a very small amount of shimmer, so I definitely need to see that Jeffrey Court mosaic. @romy718, thanks so much! The cutting board is my poor man's version of the Stages sink, which I could neither fit nor afford. Instead I have a 30" Krauss, and figured out that an Ikea cutting board fits perfectly!

Hi Ashley, Beau Beautiful kitchen! I believe your countertop is the silestone Calcutta Eternal Gold? i really like your backsplash and I’m having difficulties picking one. Do you remember who makes it or where you purchaed it?

I wouldn't pair it with a brick that has a light whitewash where you might see the clay color of the brick shining through... I think you could go with a fully glazed white brick... such as https://www.fireclaytile.com/brick/colors/detail/snow/  I'd stick with white and not do the grey. Keep it fresh. I've used Lagoon before and paired it with a white Ann Sacks Savoy HIve Ceramic.