What about stainless steel? I'm thinking a solid backsplash would not compete with your granite. Or glass?

WOW! I love your space. My vote is for the #2/dark option. It makes the beautiful cabinets "pop" and matches your pulls/knobs, and the darker option highlights your pretty stone.

The first choice is too busy. It clashes..

The last choice isn't bad.. But I love the darker option.

Be sure to share pics when you're done.

Nice kitchen! Are 2 and 3 the same tile? At first I thought I liked the dark color on the wall:

This is the tricky part... Bianco Romano is an obnoxious cream and grey. Too cream for grey, too grey for cream. So, I have to find something outside of the grey or creams. (See below the taupe/grey tile)

Thank you Mrsshayne. It's slowly coming together.

Mamagoose-- thank you so much!! I wish I could have done that... I really don't like the brown now. Gah.

I don't like any of those. The problem is that your cabinets are very warm, and your granite reads more cold. I would go to the tile store & just keep bringing home samples. Someone on here posted some grayish/taupe glass tiles that might look good. I wouldn't go dark if I were you. Your space is so light & bright. The dark might ruin that look, especially if you are taking it up around your window.

I think the best way to bridge the cabinet color and the counter color is probably a plain, cream ceramic tile. For more interest you could do a herringbone pattern or a shaped tile like arabesque/scales/diamonds/cross or even beveled.

What about hanging beadboard and painting it a color that suits you and the space?

Or, gasp, NO backsplash??

Personally, I'd shiplap the heck out of that whole wall!

Have you looked at Houzz photos of kitchens with Blanco Romano for inspiration?

Here's lighter, Ann Sacks Ghost Gloss

KitchenLab · More Info

Here's blue-greeny

Contemporary Lighting + Classic Design · More Info

Here's darker, Walker Zanger Sharkskin

River Oaks White Kitchen · More Info

I've always liked the look of a full granite backsplash, so that's what I'd do.

I think you shouldn't try and match any of it. Pick a light blue gray or green gray color instead.

We have Bianco Romano granite too, but our cabinets are stained maple. Our kitchen is largely "warm" but my daughter insisted the backsplash should be a taupe grey tile ( picking up on the subtle grey streaks in the granite. I was dubious at first, but after trying various creams, beiges and Browns, I decided her choice worked best. It's a simple subway, but large (4 "x 12"). We've had the backsplash in for 1 year now and I love it.

I'm with cpartist. You mentioned your granite looks a bit green. Pick a pale green or a blue grey. That blue-greeny one that localeater posted would look nice.

Really pretty countertop. Gray is very popular. The backsplash is not busy and highlights the tones in the countertop.

Take a deep breath! There will be a tile out there, but it will take a while to find it. You will need patience.

Your granite has movement, please do not do a mosaic. As we say here, one star in the kitchen. Yours in the granite. Don't do travertine, it has it's own set of issues and that is why it is now our of favor.

I agree with Mayflowers. Your granite reads as an over all gray. Personally I wouldn't add an entirely different color for the backsplash.

I would keep the tile to a simple ceramic. To me glass is more contemporary and your kitchen is traditional. I would only use glass as a last resort if it is the only tile that has the color that you need.

If you see the granite as gray/green then start from there. I see it as more gray, so maybe a light gray?

I too went through the same thing with my kitchen. I was talked into a brown Giallo granite for my Dove White cabinets. Same issue. The two colors were competing. I put a white backsplash in thinking that if it worked with the cabinets it would be fine. It didn't. I would up with a cream crackle tile which was a good transition from the white of the cabinets to the brown/ cream in the granite. But, it was extremely hard to find!

I was so desperate to finish my kitchen that I contacted the Color me Happy, Maria Killiam. One bit of advise that struck with me was that the backsplash has to relate to something. And, that something can be the wall color. That might be something else to consider.

Keep looking and posting.

It's not a "tragedy" it's just a mismatch between the cool counters and the warm cabinets. No backsplash is going to fix that exactly. For situations like this I usually try to find a mosaic tile that blends warm and cool colors, like the one you have above, but your counters and cabinets are both so busy, even this strategy is not going to work.

You could step away from tile (no travertine was a good call) altogether. I think at this point you might want to consider a 2" splash made out of the same stone as your counters, and paint - something similar in color to that of the drywall paper; it is actually a good hue.

The other option would be something I'm not all that fond of....a grey colored tile with cream accent stripe, or possibly a cream colored tile with grey grout. This is going to be tough. You're going to have to experiment. I would not add yet another color to the mix.

No to the multi-colored mosaics - definitely too busy with the granite. I like Lisa's taupe grey a lot, and definitely agree that a color like a sage-y green would be another good way to go.

Hmmm, my new granite, although called Colonial White, looks very much like yours. My uppers are an off white and lowers are chestnut QS oak. Looking at your lovely kitchen, I don't think: "your counters and cabinets are a tragic mismatch" but maybe I'm in denial, lol. Your kitchen, to me, has an English country vibe and I personally think your granite supports that old fashioned, elegant feel very well and when considered as a whole effect. (Your counter, like mine, does indeed have green occlusions when viewed close up and I've always thought green and yellow looked good together.)

I wouldn't choose the mosaic look, for the reasons other posters have mentioned. But if you want to make a sample board and try, I think colorwise, it's possible you might like the result.

Anyway, I'm waiting on my tile and did what benjesbride suggested, chose ceramic in a couple shades of creamy, pale off white. We shall see, I guess. Here's part of my kitchen.

I'd like to suggest that you look at Winchester Tile's website. Take a look at their Palomino or Papyrus. They're lighter than anything you've tried. Sage or blue green tile did look lovely but I was afraid I would tire of it. Another color that I (and DH) thought looked great was a matte somewhat reddish brown tile called Abbey Stone by Sonoma Tile. That was unexpected, and too dark for the effect I want, but it was pretty with the stone for some reason.

Oh, you can see the corner of my red coffee maker peeking out. Talk about things that don't go together, lol!

Thank you eld6161, you are totally right (taking a deep breath!) and I will keep gathering samples.

Thank you, barncatz.... I will check out the tile suggestion. It's incredibly hard to pick out something without having the granite and the cabinets with me!! I walk the aisles, holding my phone up to different tiles.... clearly that is not working.

I love your kitchen, it reminds me of pictures from my sister in laws family...they live in England and have the most amazing spaces.

For the comment about my "tragedy", I am choosing to ignore that one all together. The granite shows warm and cool...grey and creams running through it make it fickle, sadly... I have yet to hear anyone say Bianco Romano is solely a cool color granite. I am very thankful for all the helpful suggestion and comments.

I dont see the trsgedy. To me, the granite looks like a warm gray/greige, not what I'd consider gray. I'd try some of the colors from the mosaic tile.

Try Adex "Hampton" cracked glaze tile in bone. The color sound be perfect and the very subtle crackle is more interesting than plain without being busy. Just be sure tile person seals it BEFORE grouting.

Definitely not a mosaic. You do need a single color backsplash. However I strongly disagree with some comments not to use a light blue/gray or green/gray picking up on the subtle green in the stone. It will create a subtle secondary accent to the cabinets/stone combo and tie it together.

If you try and match the stone, the cabinets will look off. If you try and match the cabinets, the stone will look off.

Nothing wrong with what you did either. It's what we call a happy accident and you'll find a happy solution.

Agree with cpartist not a mosaic the granite needs to star. I liked lisapoi's light gray above.

I agree with everyone else -- no mosaic!

If you can find a visually "quiet" field tile that works with both cabinet and granite, you could do a small accent in a brown that picks up your beautiful island color. Maybe a dot or diamond, or some sort of rectangular frame between stove and hood. If you found the right colors, someone at the tile store could give you suggestions.

Solid color solid surface. No competing lines, geometry or color.

So funny! I just saw this in Frontgate and thought of you!

I thought you tried cream but I see it was white that you tried. How is that tile with the cabinets?

Really like that last cream tile. But I love subways. That is my favorite option by far.

Your tile setter can create a herringbone pattern for you from loose tile.

I like the cream tone. There are a lot of choices for cream tile. Do you like the color with the cabinets?

I like the cream subway. Here are some subway patterns to consider..,

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/shake-it-up-5-creative-new-ways-to-lay-subway-tile-208519

beautiful kitchen and I think cream is a winner!!! Looking forward to pics!