I think a backsplash will tie everything together nicely! Very quickly done here, just plain subway: Fireclay buttercream color: Fireclay wave - gives you an idea how a darker tile would look: pencil tile with orange grey black It's much easier to work from a picture taken from 'straight on'. I can photoshop some more options and the results will look much better if you could have your friend take a few more pictures.

You are going to get people's individual tastes and ideas, which might not be what you like. I went through hours of photos and narrowed it down to half a dozen looks that caught my eye. I then searched for the manufacturer of those tiles and which local tile stores carried them. I went to see them in person and ruled out a few of them right away, as the photos made them look warmer than they were in real life. As soon as my kitchen is at the same stage as yours, I will go and borrow the tile sample boards from 3 different tile stores. Look at them in my space and make a decision. Your question is very open ended, so you are just going to get a wide range of tastes and ideas. Maybe if you had some sample tiles in your kitchen people can be a bit more specific in their feedback.

Emoyi Red Rose Pattern Peel and Stick Wallpaper Backsplash Tiles Shelf Liner Paper for Cupboard Closet 17.7''x98'' by Emoyi Look at Amazon... and this: Art3d Oyster Mother of Pearl Square Shell Mosaic Tile for Kitchen Backsplashes, Bathroom Walls, Spas, Pools 12" X 12" Pack of 6 by Art3d Which you will see comes in a variety of neutral hues such as gray, tan, gold, etc etc... And would be quite beautiful in your kitchen, in this small scale size. And you don't need to do anything with the countertop, it is fine and works well as it is. Just a few more places to look outside of Lowes, and you might find something you really like that preserves what you already have in place. As far as adding another strong element(ie Tin Tiles? ?) to the stone and wood and gypsum and upholstered surfaces all around your kitchen living area. Your appliances are metal, so your backsplash would be fine if you liked a pressed tin tile, and your sink faucet might be chrome? and your sink might be porcelain, which is fine with tile and countertops of formica. So it's mainly about the color and the size of the pattern and diminutive would be better since the scale of your formica pattern is small, ...or a solid tile or paint or wall paper would be fine also. It's your home, you are the one that will be enjoying it daily. :D Mother of Pearl, can be like jewelry for your kitchen.

Eld, you need to visit the statehouse in Austin! So pink. I wouldn't have expected green to work with that counter but it's really nice! Show a bit more of the kitchen and you'll get some suggestions. Black could be stunning but it is more likely to turn the room into a lightless hole. You don't HAVE to remove that 4". Normally one doesn't have both, but if you don't mind the look, it's fine to tile over it. Makes it easier to clean, too, if you get most of your grime on the lower portion of the backsplash. If you tile over the 4" of granite, you will be shamed on this forum, but it's okay everywhere else. :)