Your kitchen sounds beautiful! Love soapstone. My marble was sealed after installation, but prior to grout. Grout color is tricky - at least for me. Do a sample board and select grout in different colors. I am unable to look at the little grout samples and say "that's the one." Best of luck

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 )

If you mean the NEMO in NYC Flatiron they are very helpful…I would be concerned only with the gunk collecting on the raised grout althought I love the look you chose. Having said that, I have white grout on white Mexican subway-type tiles (from Ideal Tile here in NYC) and I never had an issue with dirty grout and doubt if I've ever cleaned it except in tiny spots after frying. Looks nice…..Nemo is a good place with good prices….wish I could remember name of the lovely saleswoman I had there a few weeks ago. Having similar problem myself after choosing black and white granite honed counter and wondering if I should do white subways….this is in a newly bought Florida condo…granite seems to be the "bargain" material for countertops now even if some may call it "out of style!"

Here is a link to google, how that backsplash should have been installed. There are some u tube videos too. I watched one video, where they used grout, between the countertop and the backsplash, and grout should not be used there. Caulking shud be done between backsplash and countertop. My backsplash is also caulked in all the corners, rather than grouted. Once you watch these videos and read these articles, you will see that your thinset was put on improperly, and thats why your tiles are falling off. Please read carefully. https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=uI4VW7HdLszKjwTtrqSoAw&q=how+to+install+glass+subway+tile+backsplash&oq=How+to+install+glass+subway+tile+&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0l3j0i22i30k1l3.3755.12143.0.14244.41.29.3.9.9.0.173.3348.9j20.29.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.41.3556...0i131k1j33i22i29i30k1.0.70wb9L5GlO8