Thanks, L! In 7 years, the countertop decor has changed a bit, but I still haven't gotten tired of the irises. I know they might be more suitable for a bathroom rather than a kitchen, but they make me feel good when I'm doing the dishes. I'm glad you chose those glass tiles; if they make your heart sing, you'll enjoy them for years to come. Sue

Good morning! I had a short shift in bed. Our DD called and woke us up. She's in Senegal, Africa helping with primate research for 6 months. It's broad daylight there! In my little microcosm of tile life, I've got my next test underway. This time with a 1:2 ratio, 1white:2gray. Hoping for a slight tone down from the dark. And, I'll have to remember to start getting the soft trowel out to smush the grout into place, instead of the putty knife I used to stir it up with. That explains the multitude of scratches on my samples, if anyone has noticed. Now there's and analogy I can use in the macrocosm of my life, always use a soft trowel so I don't leave scratches. Ellendi, The grouts at the tile store are all their standard colors. They didn't offer to mix up custom grout. I'm a DIY'er and never thought to ask for them to do it. Of course I ask them to give me all sorts of advise on what I come up with! I guess they are providing me with therapy. I thought about Ivory too yesterday, but as a blending color. I think I might pick some up for blending today and see if it warms the dark up a bit. Having an ever so slight peach, to the Ivory grout, it might mix with the dark gray and move it to a warmer tone. I'll reevaluate, it may be something I'd like straight and on the rocks, :) couldn't help it. BTW, my grout is sanded. This morning the dark gray looks a teeeny bit lighter, and the center has receded a bit so may not look as flush as it did yesterday. Yesterday was a rush job, using a hairdryer to dry the grouts. It must have dried even some more overnight. Don't strangle me if after all this I go with the dark gray. Getting the hairdryer out and another cup of coffee before I get ready for work...

Blue I'm going to print this and put it on the door of my house. People walk in after hearing "mosaic marble rug...crocodile tile...stainless steel and granite...26 different knobs in the kitchen...and hand done plaster" and I can see them bracing themselfs for horror. (I'll cut out the part about your dissent on my vote though :oP You might give my GC ideas) heh heh Red, I'm curious...have you laid out a herringbone with those tiles. That would be fun and still carry over the traditional.... I've made quilts in the tumbling block (similar to the raking stretcher run you like) so I am also infusing my opinion of that pattern on this question. I like the tumbling blocks on a quilt, it's fun and quirky, and on a huge surface (big square) it looks great. I don't however like it on a pillow unless done in tiny pieces because you don't really get the feel of the tumble without a large rectangular expanse of the pattern. I see the same issue with your walls. If you had an open wall or were tiling up to a ceiling with a glass hood, you could get the feel of the pattern more because it would be easier for your eye to take it in. But you know...I bet either way you go...it's going to be gorgeous. THe tile is lovely, and your kitchen is yummy. You make me want to do a white kitchen now :oP ANd I'm running out of kitchens to do!!

Here is Fireclay Luna Brick, both are the same tile sitting at two different counter locations. It feels "earthy" , it is not a perfect match, but it gives enough contrast for the white cabinets and is light enough to give the space brightness that I want. My concern is the variation between each brick. Fireclays web site's pictures are sometimes misleading. I attached Fireclay's image of Luna installed as a backsplash and it shows a lot of variation from one tile to the next and then the other photo they have looks more consistant in color, confusing. Plus their color looks totally different from my sample. Do you think it will be too busy for my space? That is a good idea to order several more samples of Luna. I do plan to do this myself. My bid came in at over 1,000 for a professional. I probably won't do a herringbone if I use this size of brick.