We do not have a backsplash in our guest bathroom and the powder room off the kitchen (both have pedestal sinks). There are also no tiles behind the sinks, just bathroom paint. So far, everything is holding up well (5 years)even thought we also have kids using both of the bathrooms :-)

Hey all Here is a closer look at the cabinet-tile-granite intersection on the other side. Also, the extraction hood is white as it has the protective film still on it. I guess the oven had blue film on on vs the white on the hood - the hood underneath is stainless steel. Thanks for all the opinions - agree with most that we are leaning to the white but also know we have ROYALLY screwed up on the cool/warm tone mixture. More thoughts welcomed... just not sure if we should now grout white or choose another tile all together. We are obviously not good interior designers :( We considered the following tile - but that would involve ripping out the current one, a change order and the cost of the new tile. Again more thoughts welcomed :(

I did the half row under my border just like you are proposing because I didn't want the mosaic to end up in the electrical outlets. It worked fine! I did switch to diagonal above the border though. For over my stove, I switch back to square laid (the transition is behind the stainless shelf), and inserted a mosaic square on a diagonal. I think your colors work very well together.

ellendi and A2gemini - both of your designs you created with the Grazia Rixi tiles are stunning! I need do some google searching tonight and this weekend for simple backsplash ideas. That's what I want - simple and classic. I can embellish with the nick nacks and change those out as they get old and boring. ellendi, I love yours that it doesn't have any accents, just the brick tile. I am drawn to that shape, as it's the similar to the subway I have now. I am leaning more toward that at this point than the square as I feel it fits my kitchen and overall decorating style better. A2gemini - I am drawn to yours because it does have the accent tiles that bring the colors of the granite subtly into the backsplash. After some thinking, I am afraid that if I just use the accent tiles that I posted yesterday (ellendi, I agree, nix the ORB pencil liner) and not anything else that draws the granite colors in it will look, what word am I looking for, too contrast-y? Too sharp and not subdued? If I use the brick shape only, is it even possible to incorporate accent tiles? Gosh, I do sound like such a newb and high maintenance. But please don't give up on me yet! What about if I did a row of bricks, then a matching pencil liner, and then more bricks all the way up? What is the consensus of the the artistic folks reading my plight think would look best with my granite? Which, by the way I have fallen in love with again now that I have found the Rixi tiles...I had been cursing it for the past month or so as it, IMO, has been so hard to find something compatible! Also, there are two areas that do no have cabinets above them. Just to keep things simple (especially to the DH as I know he would never go for a 'no' backsplash idea in those areas) I intend to replace the existing footprint the same way. Do I end those two areas with the matching small end piece or go for the more grand and elaborate end cap? (forgive me, I don't know the technical names...) And, just to complicate matters, one of those areas has a cabinet door that will open up touch the area, so perhaps I do need to just do a flush end cap...