metallic tiles..mosaics or inserted squares/etc don't have color but can be interesting...stainless steel backsplashes come in hammered, textured styles also. Think texture not necessarily color and you can get what you want in a different way. You don't want stuff to clash...it'll bug you....a kitchen is a place everyone goes.

You're living there, not someone else. Do what you like. When/if you decide to sell then you can change if you want.

Keep in mind, some of the most expensive art out there is clashing looking. A lot of it like Pollock, I personally think is crap and marketing but people revere it. Others I can appreciate even if I don't like them such as Klimt, Van Gogh etc... My personal taste for Old Masters is considered banal and boring by many.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and you need to choose what to live with every day to feed your soul. You will hear hurtful and cruel comments about your taste. It happens to everyone. Just ignore it and stay true to what you like.

If it gives you joy then do it.

figure out how to get a better granite that goes with what you love. I can't believe you can't get a solid black or calm white that would look good with colour for the same price

We can't. It wasn't in the selection of ones we could pick from. They were all busy to some extent. Especially the lighter colored ones. I did that so the kitchen could be lighter- the cabinets are sapele wood which is on the darker end of the spectrum.

I've been looking at some metallic tiles, but none of them really "grab" me. A lot of them are more modern, and I don't like modern style.

Add color with paint, art and accessories.

look at Ann Sacks website for great tile ideas....something should grab you.

The granite we picked is something called Venetian Ice - that or Napoleon. I can't remember which one. I thought it was Napoleon but the granite folks said we picked Venetian Ice. They were very similar to each other.

Is this it?

I think so? Honestly so much of it looks the same to me. But I'd say this is a close enough rendition of it.

Paint and art are easy ways to add color and personally. They're also easy to change when your taste change.

I agree with crl and bananasuit. Hang some colorful art over a plain backsplash.

Add an open shelving area with art, colorful pottery, ceramic or glassware, colorful covers of cookbooks, etc.

Add a shelf under your wall cabinets (if you have the space). and add colorful items.

Have glass insert wall cabinets. Add colorful dishware and/or colorful wallpaper in the back.

Check out this site http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2009/03/belgian_farmhouse_inspires_a_p.html. Although I think her counter tops are soap stone her backsplash is really fun. Maybe you would like it. I think you should do what you like. Good luck.

I do like her backsplash. :) She's got a plain counter though, which is my problem. My only options were "busy". However I do like the colors. Very vibrant and happy.

Well, this may be crazy, but how about using colors like these? (These are tiles from a Mpls tile shop.) (Your question reminde d me of a recent thread about what kitchen rules posters had broken.) I'd search Houzz Tours looking for "eclectic" or "creative" houses for inspiration.

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Crl- I have see that 1st pic before and am in love with those orange pendants and the flowered curtain!

Lily Spider, I love color too. I am going to tone it down a bit in my next house because my DH finally told me that there is too much color for him. With that granite, I would either keep the backsplash plainer and add fun accessories--especially art--or, I would do an accent behind the stove in a wild, fun, earth-toned tile. I like some of the options posted above. Also, think about fun, interesting bar stools and pendants.

barncatz are those from Mercury Mosaics? If so, I do like their stuff. Those colors could work- in addition to being colorful, it is toned down and earth toned which actually could work with the rest of the house being "sort of Craftsman-ish". Also, we don't have a stove, it will be an island cooktop so there isn't any spot to do an accent piece like that. I do like some of the pictures posted (like the talavera tiles!), but the ones with plain backsplashes and colorful accents are not my thing, honestly. Still too plain and the color isn't where I want it. I'd look at that every day and say "i wish it had more oomph and pizzazz".

I think the tiles barncatz found are from Syzygy tile in Silver City, New Mexico. Their tiles are wonderful!

.http://www.syzygytile.com

Yes, they're Syzygy, thanks SharonNM. I guess I think you CAN use a beautiful muticolored tile with that granite. I think some of the stacked, linear , mixed media tiles look busy because there's so many horizontal lines. I think that granite can play second fiddle, even to something like the talavera.

Barncatz, Love those tiles!!

barncatz I went to the Rubble Tile site and they are also a vendor for Pratt and Larson who I was also looking at. The tiles you posted also look like they could have been from them as well. I like the way you think. :) You're making me feel better. I think you're right about the business of the tiny mosaics. They are gorgeous but maybe I'll need to think of something else or somewhere else to use them. I love the Susan Jablon ones a lot.

In our previous house, we put up a tile backsplash just like the ones used at the Belgian-inspired kitchen in Portland. I scored tons of different colors when HD was closing out their colorful square tiles at, IIRC, about 50 cents a tile. I like lots of color, too. It makes me happy. :)

Anyway, I wish I had a photo handy but we had a laminate counter with a bit of a faux stone look to it. However, much less movement and all the color tones were much paler than your Venetian Ice. Our cabinets were Hickory which is a busier wood with a lot of grain and visual interest. I thought it looked great. But I'm unsure if you could pull it off with that particular stone.

I agree with getting out your paints, markers, crayons, whatever, and coloring on paper what you think you'd like and then hanging it in the backsplash area to see how it looks. Don't just do a small bit. Make colored copies and really cover that area to give you a good feel for how it might look. It might look great or you might decide you need to bring color into the room with the art and accessories. I dunno.

I think people should do what makes them happy. I also hate to see people spend time, effort and money on something that doesn't work for them. I think a test run is a good way to make sure you are going to be happy with your choice.

Can you ask that your stone be honed instead of polished? It's amazing how much quieter all that movement can be when the stone surface isn't shiny.

Well, I was just speculating about why some posters get feedback that there backsplash choices are too "busy" but you should not listen to some abstract rule in your head and hate your space! You should listen to your DH, lol, he lives there too. :) Susan Jablon has some mosaics I think would be gorgeous with your granite, so find one you both like. It's your kitchen.

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Does anyone remember th GW thread, Colorful Mexican Kichens? I did a quick search, but didn't find it. There could be some great ideas in there.

Of course it's your kitchen and you should do what you like. We're here to make sure that if you end up with a kitchen that looks like barn's last post, it's on purpose, because that's your taste, not by accident because you're not a good visualizer.

There are lots of ways to work color into a space. Since there's not much you can do at this point anyway, consider honing the stone, then worry about the bs afterwards. We will help you find something you'll love.

Lol, eam44! Perfect explanation.