I think you can get a more traditional vibe going with similar materials. What if you were to use a beveled white ceramic subway and a quilted stainless behind the range. Same idea... more traditional application.

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 )

Lynn .... glad you like the Jeffrey Court field tile .... yes marry him (AND live happily ever after in sunny California!!) .... can you tell, I hate MI in the winter!!! I'm sure both you and Susan are doing much more extensive remodeling jobs than we did. I didn't get new cabinets. Really couldn't afford that and besides, my dad built those for me 32 years ago. Now, they DO need refinishing, and come spring, I'm going to decide just WHAT to do about that!! But I want to live with the rest of the NEW stuff for awhile. I did go to Beaver Tile and the lady there helped me a LOT!!! They are a tile showroom and do not sell to the public, so I have a tile store nearby I am using. But the young girl in that store just doesn't seem interested in my small project. She has made a few suggestions regarding the field tile (which I had already decided on); but as for the *sparkley* inset, she ONLY sees dark brown. Well, to get to the point, yesterday Kathy, suggested pulling the green out of the granite. So, I am getting samples of the colors: Thatch and Morrell. She thought the Thatch (caramel) color would blend OK (she's not sure about the glazing around the tile however; but the Morrell, would blend good and be a little more contrast. I am *trying* to put a pix of the Morrell in here. Read descriptions under pix!! Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! OK .... Picasa seems to have CHANGED where to find the html code so, hoping this works (oh, why can't I be tech savvy!!!) Well, I CAN NOT FIND anywhere those codes on Picasa .... so, you can (hopefully) copy/paste this in (hoping it shows up and you DON'T need a password) Could this be because I used a pix from a website and NOT an actual photo I took??? Here goes: https://picasaweb.google.com/114185928512321257398/November232011

honor- you are right, I think the samples seem gray and since the granite comes in tomorrow and we still haven't decided on tile, I guess we have officially given up on a Wednesday install! Or at least I have! Beekeeperswife- lol, well right now yours is in at the top of the list (in ivory), but I think we are going to order some more samples too. If I hadnt done a damask pattern in the other room I think I could pull the trigger but it might appear that I have a damask obsession (I do, a little) but so far its the only one we both tentatively agree on! I wish I would have ordered some samples earlier. Word to the wise, dont procrastinate like me! I also found that a lot of the handmade ones take like 8 weeks to get in so that rules out a lot due to my waiting so late. Oh well. At least I finally ordered hardware today. All my masking tape hardware is falling off and I cant get my doors open so I was forced to decide!