Or what about this ming green marble? http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Classic.Tile.And.Marble.inc.718-331-2615/picture/view/1383839 I saw something at the tile store that was similar, though I don't think it was marble, and when the salesman who had been helping me saw me looking at it, he laughed and said, "I hope you aren't selling your house any time soon, and if you are, you better hope a leprechaun buys it." Yeah, I know, not the best salesman. We aren't selling our house any time soon, probably in about 2 years, so I do want something that is pretty neutral or universally appealing. This doesn't seem like a crazy color to me (and I am a little color shy)--it seems like a pretty neutral green, no? Anyone have this marble, or an opinion on how it goes with verde butterfly? I hope I'm not being too much of a pain with all these questions. I'm just so anxious to get this decision made, and I really appreciate how helpful everyone on this forum is.

cbeth, many of us have had difficulty with the backsplash because we did not have a vision of all three elements, the cabinet color, the granite and the backsplash. As a result, we have ripped out brand new backslashes and replaced them. I don't think this will be your case. I agree with Joanie. Take your time with the backsplash. There are so many tiles out there. Your granite can take you in many directions. I would wait until after the granite install. Your granite will be horizontal and reflect light differently, as will your cabinets. When you are ready to make your choices, you need to do it in your environment, with your lighting situation. Case in point. In the showroom, my Dove White cabinets had a creamy look. In my kitchen with lots of natural light, they looked stark white!

I would go with the whole wall of mother of pearl too. I am biased because I am going to do it that way for my kitchen too:) OP, Sorry to hijack your thread but I wanted to comment on Pipdog's beautiful kitchen and ask her a question too. PipDog, I have said it before but just want to tell you how much I love your kitchen. Also, is your cabinets a warm white? I have a creamy white cabinets in the perimeter with espresso in the island. And a black granite in the perimeter with kashmir white in the island. Marble seems to gray for my cabinets and I don't want to do off white for the backsplash. So, I was wondering if the Mother of pearl may be the one to pull in the cream and grays together?

My first project with glass tile involved my removing two columns of mortared mosaic glass squares because I didn't like the angle of my tile cuts. In the process of pulling it down I cut myself (no big surprise). What was a bit of a surprise was the surgery I needed two months later to remove a shard of glass lodged on the tendon of the middle finger of my right hand. It could have severed that tendon at any time, which would, of course, have been disastrous. He needs a wet saw, a diamond blade for it, personal protective equipment (I wore goggles, boots, gloves, but my gloves weren't leather) and health insurance! Regarding the tile, seeing all the samples together, Tusk has the right undertones, and would be my choice. You can choose anything you like, of course, but I don't think Gardenia is the right one. I am partial to the glazed thin brick and show it below in Alcatraz and Glacier. I totally get it if you feel you already have enough brick! But this may be a better color family for you.