Hi everyone, I know this is an old thread but we are looking at Karis. Wondering if anyone has paired it with a backsplash that is NOT plain white or gray. Anyone here familiar with Karis, do you think it would be too busy to pair with a marble backsplash? Or if anyone has pics of it paired with a marble backsplash, would love to see them! Thanks!

Hi @embeth we have karis countertop with carrara subway marble. Here are some pictures for your reference. Hope this helps! :)

Embeth, Is there a reason why you do not want a plain white or gray backsplash?

Are you afraid a solid tile will look too plain/boring? Here is LG Aura (a "relative" of Karis) paired with an off-white herringbone backsplash. A light gray grout was used with 3 x 12 subway tile. You may not have seen many pictures of a quartz countertop paired with a natural stone (e.g., marble) because sometimes the two materials (real stone vs. manmade) compete with each other. Maybe you could look at some pictures of the solid tile in different patterns to give it the beauty you are seeking. There is a reason why so many pictures of patterned countertops are paired with solid tiles--IMHO, there can only be one major pattern in the fixed kitchen finishes to be timeless and to avoid looking too busy. Even you are questioning whether marble and the quartz are too busy together, so maybe your gut instinct is trying to tell you something. When you are trying to pick out finishes for a kitchen, it is hard not to fall in love with so many beautiful individual items. However, if you were to put them altogether, you might find that they are competing with each other. Sometimes it help to think about what do you want to be the star in your kitchen--counters, cabinets, or backsplash. Then enhance the main focal point with more supporting items. The backsplash is the backdrop for your kitchen. Most folks put some things on the counter to add finishing touches and color. Remember you are striving for an overall, cohesive look. You want to say, Wow! What a beautiful kitchen." instead of having the pieces fight for your attention. And you want the finishes to be ones that you can live with for a long time since they are so expensive to change.

Karis is a beautiful quartz for a countertop. If you want something more than plain tile for the backsplash, you may want to think about using the countertop material for the backsplash. (Hard to know what to recommend without seeing the space.) If you consider this option, be sure to hold one piece of the material vertical to the horizontal plane of the countertop. In other words, when selecting the countertop/bashsplash, hold them as they would be installed--horizontal counter; vertical backsplash--instead of laying one on top of the other. Orientation can make a big difference. If you are near a place with the large slabs of Karis, take several pieces of marble with you and then view it. Sometimes I find it helpful to take a picture of the combination. For some unknown reason, I can spot it better in a picture than in person. Good luck with your kitchen. I know the Karis countertops will be beautiful!

Irma, Thank you so much for sharing your pictures! You have a beautiful kitchen! Are you happy with how the quartz and marble look together then? I’ve seen some people say quartz and natural stone shouldn’t be paired together because it makes it more obvious the quartz isn’t real. Your pictures look great though. One more question... does your Karis have the longer veining in it? I was picturing it with more longer veining than what I’m seeing here. Would love to see a picture of your slab if it’s not too much trouble. Thanks again. I’m jealous your kitchen is all done and beautiful :)

Thank you @embeth . I personally love the result of my kitchen. I do not think the quartz and the marble is competing each other.. I can’t really find a picture of my slab, since its been a while since I did this.. but here’s a piece of karis before the backsplash was installed.. hope this helps :)

Barbara, thank you for your response. Such great advice, and I think you hit the nail on the head. I saw this marble arabesque backsplash that I really liked (the pics don’t do it justice) but I’m not in love with the softer, more plain countertops that might pair with it. Karis was my favorite countertop. The decorator asked the same thing. “Do you want the backsplash or the countertop to be the focal point?” And the problem is.... I don’t know! Lol The lady in the kitchen store has suggested I install the Karis and decide on a backsplash after the countertop is installed. She said she’ll order extra samples for me to bring home and try. She thought there was a chance the arabesque could work with it. I’ll attach some pics since you were so nice to give me the thoughtful response! Everything in our kitchen is changing except the cabinet color. Floors are being refinished, different/darker stain. Already have new lights for above the island - just not hung yet. Beige wall color will change. The dingy dark backsplash has to go!! The two quartz samples are Karis and minuet. I prefer the veining in the Karis. If anyone wants to pipe in feel free :) oh and we’re adding some trim or wainscoting around the island.

Thanks again, Irma!

Irma's kitchen illustrates why I love a white kitchen. The accents of red are beautiful finishing touches. She can easily change the colors with every season and any color will look good. And her white kitchen doesn't have to have a lot of colorful accessories to look good. I envy the natural light in her kitchen which helps to make her kitchen a beautiful one.

Embeth, I kind of like the marble arabesque backsplash with your current countertops! (not what you want to hear!). Sometimes it can be hard to see beyond the current items to have the vision of new ones in their place. You are right, the marble is beautiful. But, as you point out, the arabesque might pair better with a softer, more solid countertop. Your instincts are guiding you/hinting to you as to what goes well together from your perspective. Your kitchen has great bones, so new finishes will have the potential of a swoon-worthy kitchen. If you can wait to install the backsplash, it might help to select the backsplash after your countertops are installed. If you are set on the Karis, the veining also may influence your choice of marble backsplash that you select since different marbles can have different looks. Some marbles can be tricky, so you want to see many samples of the same lot. Marble is a natural stone, so color vaiations in the same group of tiles can vary. Quartz is manmade meaning that the colors should be the same regardless of the slab. Don't be in a hurry to select the backsplash. New lighting can influence the colors that pop out of the counterops and the tile. You do have a lot of countertop in your kitchen. You are really going to see the island countertop. Have one that you love. For now, you may want to search for pictures of kitchens with a marble arabesque backsplash to see what types of countertops others put with the backsplash to see what appeals to you the most--the countertops or the backsplash. You already understand that you are selecting a partnership of the two together rather than each in isolation.

Embeth, think about the look of the backspash with the location of outlets and switches. I am the type of person who likes very few items on my countertops. I don't have appliances sitting out on my counters. Because of this, I chose undercabinet outlets. I have no outlets/switches to interrupt my backsplash (see herringbone tile pic above). If I had a lot of plugged in appliances sitting out like a coffee machine, I would think about appliance placement with outlets to hide their cords. It was easy for my electrician to change wall outlets to undercabinet ones. Sometimes a traditional subway tile backsplash looks better if the outlets are horizontal rather than vertical. Just want to mention this since it is not late to think about what kind of outlet arrangement will look best for you.

OK very late to the party here! I am wondering everyone's thoughts on the upkeep of your Aura and/or Karis quartz? I love both, and unlike most we are putting in dark kitchen cabinets, so I need to decide between the two. Burn marks are my biggest fear, with a whiter quartz, I have read so much about how you will get burn marks over 150 degrees, which is about everything you cook or make in the kitchen!!! I have 60's laminate counters and have for 20 years, we can't do a thing to ruin them - so I worry from 20 years of habits how easy it will be to ruin these super expensive counters. Stains? Heat? Any advice would be wonderful, I love all the pictures from everyone, they are so helpful!! Thank you so much!

My vote is for Karis!! I have seen both and in my opinion Aura doesn’t compare. The countertop is super durable (I’ve had it for a year and a half now) and I can put a hot pot/pan from my stove directly on the countertop no problem. Good luck!!

Also, we are big wine drinkers and have never had red wine or any other liquid stain it. Although I wipe away spills pretty fast.

JM, there’s really no maintenance to do! I was told not to put hot pans directly on the counters and use trivets.

Yes Lauren that is my worry. The whole heat thing. I even read to put trivets etc under crockpots or electric skillets etc. Which is just so not what we are used to, I even read to put your coffee cups with coffee on something in some places. The low maintenance is selling me, I just worry so much about the heat issues. Especially if we choose white, would definitely show. And Renee, I just saw Karis today in a store. Hadn't seen it before, more white and less grey than Aura so that's why I like it. Thank you!

"The whole heat thing. I even read to put trivets etc under crockpots or electric skillets etc. Which is just so not what we are used to, I even read to put your coffee cups with coffee on something in some places. The low maintenance is selling me, I just worry so much about the heat issues. Especially if we choose white, would definitely show. "

I don't put trivets under my crockpot, or my GF grill, or anything other than a hot pot just off the burner. And you should do that no matter what your counter surface is. LOL on the coffee cups!!! That's just silly!! No staining - nothing.

JM, I asked my installer about the crockpot/skillets, and he said he had never heard of that, and that those things should be fine. We haven’t had any issues.

Great thanks all you've eased my mind, I so appreciate it. And yes, you can read just about anything online, that's why it's nice to ask people with experience with certain products. And I know we should put pads under hot pans - but we've never had to. Definitely spoiled Thanks all!

Karis people- what’s your backsplash? We are doing Karis with white cabinets perimeter and a gray island, trying to decide on backsplash. Anyone go with a light gray? Not sure if that would look ok near the gray island or if white would be better? Looking for a bit of texture or contrast maybe since it’s a lot of white. Also did I mention I’m not the best with decision making? This post (especially Renee’s beautiful pics) have convinced me to go Karis!

Kelsey, we went with a white subway tile with white grout and arabesque tile over the range. I love an all white kitchen though. Always have. I feel like if I want to change up colors I can do it with flowers, accessories, etc. good luck choosing!!

Beautiful photos. In your opinion, would Karis work with navy island and dark wood floors (dove white Kraftmaid cabinets)? Im leaning toward it bc it’s just so pretty. This is my last question before I make my final decision!

I think so! We are using it on white cabs with a gray island, and the gray really makes it pop! I would imagine the blue would provide the same level of contrast

Awesome! Thanks.

We used iron ore for our island and it’s dark grey with a navy blue tone and is gorgeous with Karis. You could definitely do navy with Karis!

that's similar to what I'm doing now except our island is considered a slate grey. Still have no idea what to do for back splash. I wanted to pair Karis with a light grey marble back splash but everyone I talk to says something different. Mostly about marble making the quartz look more fake. Such a hard decision!!! Can you post a pic of your island with the Karis. would love to see it! Thank you!! Oh I'm doing the rest of my cabinets white and not positive what stain Im doing yet on my wood floors.

Can anyone tell me an approximate price to do a kitchen in the karis? We have two counters and a peninsula to cover. I’m not sure on the square footage at the moment.

We got quotes ranging from 45-48 square feet and costs ranged from $4953-$5520 for LG Karis. Ended up going with Pental Quartz Misterio and it's gorgeous. Cost for 45.3 square feet and a 14" overhang on our island was $4330 total for everything, fabrication, install, tax, one faucet hole cut and no braces ended up needed on the island overhang. Hope this helps, I know I would have loved more people putting actual amounts out there to compare (we are in the Pacific NW.) We had a company locally who would take any quote and beat it - so make sure to shop around! Prices have definitely been going up each year.

While that is great that you posted the price for your counter , there are many other factors that go into pricing countertops. If someone did the same kitchen as you but did an ogee edge - the top would be more; if that same kitchen was on a second floor - that top would be more... if someone had the same amount of sq ft but a lot of it was a large island piece, there would be an additional charge for extra help to haul it in the house.

I always have my customers price the whole top vs just seeking a sq ft price...

Glad you found something you love!!! Enjoy it

To Aclaude : Did you ever go with Aura? If so, could you post pics if you have light wood cabinetry? Thanks.

I'm considering painting my cabinets "Navajo White" (Benjamin Moore) with my Karis countertops. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Is the paint too tan/beige for the Karis?

I love my Karis countertops! Cabinets are SW Snowbound. White subway tile with Avalanche grout.

Thanks @trishyrcc! Super helpful. We just had SW snowbound cabinets installed. I have quotes on many different countertops, but I’m leaning towards Karis. You just helped with that decision!

Kelsey, we just finished our remodel. We used Karis countertops and white Cloe tile backsplash with light grey grout. We also inserted a bluish-gray mosaic over the stove. We are really happy with the way it came out! Best of luck to you!

Sofia

Sofia that looks amazing! And your kitchen has an almost identical layout to mine, lol so this was very helpful for me to visualize! That tile is gorgeous!

Sofia, stunning! Thanks for the pics. What is your beautiful backsplash? I love that it looks sort of two toned. That’s not marble is it?

Thanks Kelsey! Would love to see pics of your kitchen when you are done!

Embeth, Thank you! The tile is Cloe tile in white and each box has a combination of three slightly varied tones of white. As a side note we bought Cloe tile from Lowe's first and the tiles were all bright white. So, we returned them and bought them through Bedrosians, which has the mixed white look. It is a ceramic tile.

Sofia, thank you! I just see that you had already mentioned the tile, sorry. I’ve been looking for something with that variegated look. Your kitchen turned out beautifully.

@Sophia P. Your kitchen is gorgeous! I love your layout and all of the designs you chose. We have just decided on using Karis for our countertop. We thought about using Karis as the backsplash as well, but now seeing yours I am re-thinking that decision. I wanted to use a varied/mixed color backsplash like you did but what I found was marble and I have been told not to use marble with quartz. Would you share with me what color you chose for your cabinets? Also, did you find your mosaic at Bedrosians also?

Thank you

Toni

Hi Toni

Thanks! We got our cabinets through Home Depot. It is Thomasville brand and the color is just called "White".

The mosaic tile is a porcelain tile that we purchased at the Tile Shop in San Jose. I believe it is called Elios Deco Anthology.

@Lauren can I ask where you got your pendant lights? I love them!

AGN I think we got them from bellacor

@Lauren thank you! Your kitchen is beautiful btw!

I ended up on this thread when I was picking countertops. I didn’t find a ton of pics of what I chose so wanted to put this out there. We picked Muse and we LOVE it!

MW, really pretty! Thanks for sharing!

@Lauren - I hope that I haven’t asked you about this on a different thread - if I did, I can’t find it.

Your kitchen is beautiful! Would you mind sharing the details re: cabinet paint color/pendants/barstools? Thanks!

Hi dmac, cabinet paint is Sherwin Williams matched to Benjamin more’s white dove OC-17, pendant lights were from bellacor, barstools are from restoration hardware (they weren’t expensive though), subway tile is daltile rittenhouse in arctic white.

@Lauren, can you share where you got your cabinet hardware from? I love your kitchen, we are also going with Karis!

@trishyrcc Love your kitchen. Can you share what backsplash tiles you used? Are they Datile Arctic white? Or white?

Arctic white

@trishyrcc Hi Trish! Do you remember where you got your backsplash and the brand? Thanks!