Jillius: hiya! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the time you put in to pulling together those inspiration photos and the collages/mood boards (what do you call those?) While I'm not going to use Bianco Drift, London Grey is very similar to it in colour so your collages are really helpful for getting me started on visualizing what I want for the backsplash. I really like Faith's kitchen. It feels fresh, airy, contemporary, calm, and has a lovely natural feel to it too. She's got gorgeous marble on the counters and backsplash too. It's going into my favourite kitchens folder! Totally agree about the island - it would have looked so great had she kept it wood; but I gotta give her credit for being brave enough to bring in a pop of colour there. I do like having a warm-looking kitchen but I feel like going too warm leads me towards a more traditional look, which isn't what I'd like. The way Faith pulled it off suits me. Love the analysis you did comparing my Shitake collage to the Saint Paul Craftsman photo. I'm getting a better understanding of colour now. Still very mind boggling but I follow when you all help to spell it out for me! Ha ha... You might be expecting too much from the counter selection SO TRUE! I think that's why it's been so challenging. I realize now that I don't really want the counter to shine. It's the backsplash that I'd prefer to stand out. Many months ago, I wrote in my Sweeby Test: "The perfect backsplash will complement the cabinets and work harmoniously with the cabinets to create one well put together look, like they belong together. And possibly provide a pop of colour or visual interest in one section of it. The perfect countertop will be really easy and unfussy. Low maintenance. Just like backsplash, it will complement the cabinets and help connect and tie everything together" I think London Grey will be the right choice to help pull everything together. I do like the Craftsman colour scheme, but not for this kitchen or house. It is too dark and traditional for my 90s home. I was REALLY drawn to the light aqua subway tiles on the bottom right of that collage and the ones that have different shades ranging from light grey to bluey-grey. That just might be how I get in my pop of colour! I'm surprised that blues and greens can look warm - is it because they contrast well with my oak and the floors? I really want to stay away from orange and yellow tones for this reno simply because I don't want it to end up looking too similar to what I currently have.

@Beth H. - thank you for your comments. I don't think we want to have dark counter tops. The kitchen is open to our family room. The minimal wall space in the kitchen will be painted a light blue color, as will the walls in the family room. We were thinking about: a) white cabinets and island b) the Calacatta gold marble 3" x 6" tiles for the back splash c) light(ish) counter tops on the perimeter and island (perhaps with some grey coming through d) medium brown hardwood floors We thought about using walnut for the island surface, but decided against it due to maintenance issues. If we didn't want to have dark counter tops, are there any other options? Thanks!

I would love to see how it turned out. We're doing a very similar renovation. So far our walls are alabaster and we've only purchased lower cabinets. I painted them Mindful Gray (BM). We just purchased our counter tops yesterday and they are unfinished butcher block. So now I'm panicking on what stain to use on them (our floors are Allen + Roth Russet Oak Laminate). I don't want the floors & counter tops to be too matchy and I'm considering just oiling them without staining. So many decisions!

Well, looked at Corian yesterday, some were good, but learned it can scratch easier than quartz. So, today, I narrowed down to 3 whites. Vicostone "Pure White", MetroQuartz '"Absolute White" and Silestone "Iconic White" in Suede N-boost finish, since the polished is too white. They all look good with the new cabinets. Fabricator/company where I'm purchasing from said, they are all very similar in quality and manufacturing. They feel however, that Silestone Brand is a small step above the other 2 brands. Well, the MetroQuartz, which I had never heard of, matches perfectly with the high gloss acrylic cabinets, and the Silestone came in lots more $$$. Is MetroQuartz a good choice and trusted brand? I also like the Vicostone. How do I decide?