Looking up Caesarstone eggshell, it doesn't appear very white. It looks speckled:

http://www.solidsurfaces.ca/catalogue/details/34/710

What colors have you already out of the running?

It is speckled, but is very white. The tile we bought and were planning to install is a greyish copper glass tile, but now that my husband is getting involved, he believes it will be too shiny. I have attached a photo of the tile on the counter.

Here is a pic so you can see how white the counter is

What feel are you going for? If you want light and airy, I say do a backpainted pale blue or aqua glass subway tile. Or even better, add texture with a beveled subway tile.

Have you looked at the crackle glass subways? There are so many different colors. I think it would look great!

Oh, I see. The pic I posted is extremely close up. It does look white.

I would install about a 2 foot section of the backsplash tile. Mock it up if possible to see how it actually looks.

Yes, it will set you back to do or pay for work that you might tear down, but you're already in the hole having bought the tile.

We custom ordered our kitchen tile and have very little excess because of the cost. It would have been a real bummer if we hadn't loved it, but we did.

If we realized that we made a big mistake in the choice, we would have eaten the cost and chose another backsplash.

Can you take another pic of a few tiles against the caesarstone?

What style is your home? What other colors do you use in the home? Is the island natural maple? How much wall space needs tile? Looks like you have less than the standard 18" between cabinets.

Going by that small area in the photo, we could suggest every color under the rainbow, right? Got more pics?

BTW, I have what mark rachel posted. Different color, but same subway tile. We love the variation, the crackle and the bounce of light it gives.

Here is a pic of our island and floor

My neighbor has absolutely gorgeous dark brown subway tile.

Oh, just saw your pic...not dark brown for you! But that soft green subway might be pretty!

Thanks for all of your suggestions. I am new to this forum. Our house is from the 50's and we were going for a west coast feel (we live in north vancouver). Here is another pic . We are changing the appliances to stainless steel, of course.

Quartz is a little more contemporary material, and I think your designer is way off base to suggest glass tile, which is also contemporary (and some say fading in popularity). She's not looking at the bones of the house by suggesting glass, just matching to countertop. The tile you posted is too urban loft bachelor pad, not 1950s family home looking for a little upgrade. I would stick with a simple traditional ceramic tile.

White cabs aren't necessarily a PNW feel--I'm in Oregon and did wood cabs with quartz counters. What does a west coast feel mean to you? Are you thinking an ocean-inspired or woodsy color palette?

The island reads rustic to me. It's really pretty.

Just curious- is your tile custom or can you return it?

I liked white cabinets for the brightness . By west coast, we meant woodsy

I hope to return the tile

Or maybe something with some texture. You just need to the tile store and bring home several samples. Get a few that you like and even a few you don't so much like. They all look different once you get them home in your space. If you take some pics of them we could do some mock ups.

If you can return the tile, then this is just a bump in the road. Not a pleasant one, but one that can be remedied.

We did have a "whoops" during our kitchen redo. I hated our vent hood and had it pulled out after install.

Fortunately, we got it from Costco, so back it went for a refund.

I'd suggest looking at a soft green ceramic tile, possibly crackle. Heath andFireclay are both handmade in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are pricey, but beautiful and originate on the west coast. Have you tried looking for local handmade tile?

Mark_rachel. I love that texture. Is that ledgestone?

Mark_rachel. We are in the process of updating our fireplace too. It is just around the corner from the kitchen. Would the textured tile in the kitchen and the fireplace be too much? Photo is on next comment

I'd warm up the feel with a caramel or khaki ceramic tile...play off the maple wood you already have. I've been in some relatives homes in Seattle and visited even further up Wash State and Alaska and Vancouver...definitely get a warmer feel rather than more cool tones with the loads of white. It will be a nice mix .... white and maple...and a handsome ceramic tile.

I would agree with crl - try a ceramic crackle tile. Fireclay is great, but there are less expensive similar makers.

We have Fireclay- they were pricey but beautiful and well made.

A couple of inspiration photos.

Vineyard View · More Info

Studio Remodel · More Info

Check out Encore crackle tiles. I also like the gray herring bone floor tile in the pic above!!

This is a great forum. Thank you all for your suggestions. We will hit a tile store and do some more searching on the net using your ideas

Blfenton: can you recommend a tile place on the north shore (or at least metro vancouver) to go to for tiles?

Our kitchen style isn't popular on GW, but maybe a green glass backsplash like the one we have will look good in your kitchen. We have maple doors and a mostly white counter/floor (the flash makes them look less white).

We really liked these two places for tile selections. (Links below) They are both quite close to each other in Burnaby. And of course there is always Home Depot which is quite close to them as well on Gilmore just off the Lougheed. You can get tile overload in a very short space of time!

Ames Tiles

tierra sol ceramic tile

i like this line that thebuilderdepot.com offers as well:

Highland Park Tile

perhaps the dove gray color?

Andyscott - I remember when you were deciding on backsplash - your kitchen & your backsplash look great!!!! Did you post a reveal that I missed?

Tracy - please come back & post pics from yourntile shopping trip(s). I like the idea of a ceramic crackle. The color variation with a crackle will add some interest without competing with the speckles in your countertop.

romy718, thanks! We wanted a modern Ikea type look - it's very different than what we are used to seeing in our friends' homes. No, you haven't missed a reveal. There's probably very limited interest in our style kitchen on GW, plus I need to take more pictures without artificial lighting.

Here's a caramel/khaki tile like herbflavor recommended, though this kitchen looks a little cold with all the stainless and modern range hood. These tiles also have a slight variation. They are Heath Ceramics.

Marina House · More Info

But you have a lot of possibilities with shapes, color mixes, etc. for your small kitchen that would be overwhelming in larger kitchens. You can kick it up a notch.

Here's a Houzz search on ceramic tile for a traditional white Shaker kitchen. I would make an Ideabook and post tiles that you like so we can get a feel for your taste and what works in your kitchen.

http://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional/kitchen/backsplash-material--ceramic-tile/cabinet-finish--white/cabinet-style--shaker/query/backsplash