didn't have time to read all the answers. I have no backsplash and have never regretted it...been over 6 yrs. It is painted with BM matte...which has ceramic in it. It is as beautiful now as it was when first painted. I love the fact that I can showcase other things ...art etc in my kitchen and no competition. Also if I ever want to change it is as quick as a paint brush...expense is minimal..paint only ! All in all I think it is serene as you point out . Here is one pick. Since I have a lot of high heat cooking in my kitchen..built in deep fat fryer as well as gas cook top I can definitely speak to the longevity of paint only. c ( more at this album )

Removing the 4" back splash won't mess up the counters. It might scuff up the wall just a bit, but it doesn't matter because you are going to cover it back up with a full back splash. Many fabricators like to do a 4" matching back splash because it is easier for them. It means they don't have to do a perfect job of scribing the counters to the walls as they know they can cover any gaps with the 4" back splash. NHBasket, of course you weren't going to change a kitchen you had just completely finished. The question is what did you do when you built your new house? I don't remember the details of your new kitchen, but I'll bet you didn't do a 4" back splash. The OP hasn't tiled yet, so they still have the opportunity to easily remove the 4" and do a cleaner looking all tile back splash.

If you like blue, you might try using a blue gray finish on your island cabinets only? It seems like so many try to attain a finished kitchen that reminds one of the old sienna color photographs. No one really wants to live in shades of brown and gray all over the world. That can be monotonous. I really like the backsplash slocoja shared in her photo. I bit of shiney is really pretty with the silver chrome appliances, but maybe limit it to one or 2 lines thru the center of your backsplash, and than use the choice for your countertops in the backsplash. I think you might enjoy that more long term. Especially since you have so many different heights of window frames, cabinet trim, lines of molded cabinet doors and vertical lines in your windows... Do a couple of lines of your silver, or even a dusty blue or blue gray even if you can find it(goes with any other color you can think of for the next 3 decades, like blue jeans do? LOL) if you like that amongst the backsplash which matches your counter top, and let your island be the color you have planned in your picture if so... That way your eyes won't tire of all the movement in the kitchen, so many angles on your backsplash, the reflection etc.. I would do it at the height that splits your outlets in half, one to 3 lines of horizontal mini tiles. Very pretty!!

I would find a nice ceramic tile in a white that matches the cabinets. Your cabinets are looking a bit peachy/warm in the photos and the white tiles you show seem to be more blue/cool. It doesn't look bad with a small sample, but the cool and warm whites will be very obvious when you do the whole backsplash, which is why I suggest you match the cabinets. You could do an arabesque, but I would find a flat one, not as detailed as the ones you show. Your counters look really nice? Is it stone or quartz?