Oh my gosh, no to the cubes. Just no. The color doesn't work anyway -- too gray in tone against the floor and wood cabinet, as showing on my monitor.

hmmm.... I was thinking that too. In some light the tile seems fine, but the tiled flooring is... well... frustrating! I don't want to compete with the yellow tone and make it MORE yellow.

Cobes look busy to me.

I'll defer to the experts but I just wanted to say I love your counter tops and cabinets. Just gorgeous!

Thanks Mich! It's been in the works for a very long time... so glad to be at the backsplash stage!

And thanks for the feedback Celery and mxk3. Thoughts on what I should get?

@Neo Nelle Believe me, I know the feeling... to actually have a working kitchen again is like manna from heaven!

We went with an arabesque and love it. I don't think the cubes work.

hahahha! YES!

Those arabesque are pretty. I think I was drawn to the straighter lines of the cubes, but I don't want to do subway.

While that tile shape looks neat, my eyes have been forever ruined. Every time I see the tiny cube tile or hex, I think of the old video game Q*bert and chicken wire.

I also see the color difference. Under the window, the tile looks dirty but by the cooktop the color looks an okay color.

For the kitchen, I'd go with less grout lines and steer clear of mosaics. It's a pain to clean grout, especially by the cooking area and sink. Less grout, less staining.

okay - I like that! Less grout less staining. My new motto!

Another vote against Qbert. 😅However, I agree that straight/clean lines are wanted here. Have you considered a longer subway, like a 3x9? Or a thinner tile in chevron or herringbone pattern?

Thanks biondanonima for your feedback - I'll start a search for those and post some photos for more thoughts.... I feel it's going somewhere exciting.... we shall see!

I did a beveled 3x6 subway in a herringbone pattern and love it!

Inspiration:

Sarah Richardson Design · More Info

My kitchen:

New Build · More Info

Very pretty! That's a great example for me to visualize. Light uppers, warm lowers - yum!

Love the pickets!

I'll head to the local tile shop and see what they've got too.... I'll post again with photos <3

That is interesting to me that your wall is wood and not drywall.

Yeh! It's 1/2 inch plywood. When we removed the old kitchen, that's what was there. The cabinets are well mounted!

I think the picket will look fantastic!

(ignore the window, lol, quick and dirty late night photoshop)

Oh WOW! THANK YOU! That's fantastic! @cd7733

Hello! Here's a sample from the store. They are 12"x4". We are looking at "Frost". (The white ones).

Questions:

1) Does THIS tile go with out kitchen? (or does this "white" have grey in it?)

If its okay, then...

2) Matte or Glossy?

3) And lastly, grout colour?

Left is Matte, Right is Glossy.

Here it is with white paper to block out the other tiles.

Only someone standing in your kitchen looking at the actual materials can decide which of the tiles will look best. Monitors don't render colors accurately. For grout, use a color to match the tile.

I think that picket size is a bit large to be used for an 18" high backsplash area. Lots of cuts and very few full sized tiles.

I hear you Diana - but I don't think I can trust myself! lol.

Would you typically recommend glossy or matte for a backsplash?

Oh? I purposefully tried to find large tile chispa - to minimize grout lines (as recommended above).

If you can't trust yourself, how can you trust strangers on the internet who are not in your space? Maybe hire a color consultant for an hour for professional advice.

Glossy vs. matte is a personal decision, no right or wrong. If you want contrast, and your counter top is glossy, then go with matte, or vice versa.

And chispa has a very good point about the size of the picket tile on a backsplash, unless you install it horizontally.

Thanks for the advice. I value the work that interior designers do. I did hire (and pay) a consultant - for many hours - and... long story, I'm here now. All I can do is ask your, or others' opinion, weigh the opinions and jump in. Many people were able to give opinions on the first tile I posted, and it's led me in a great direction.

What do the tiles look like by your sink under the window?

Here they are by the sink :)

I like the glossy white! The matte tile looks gray with the natural light coming behind it. Can you see it standing there with your eye?

From the pics, the glossy white goes well with your counters and cabinets.

What are your thoughts?

I know how frustrating and overwhelming this can be. I was in your shoes last April!

Yes - I was liking the matte texture, but I think the glossy is the right one in my kitchen! In both sides of the kitchen it seems to read really well with the counter. (I can see the slight grey in the matte too). Thank you for helping me. Now I'll just consider size carefully, but I kinda like the mock-up picture, and they are nearly that size.

Any opinions on grout? I thought a slight darker would tie into the dark lowers... but I also like the what Diana suggested of all same-same.

The grout color will all depend on how you want the tiles to look. A light gray will frame them and make the shape pop. While, white grout will give a subtle shape.

For my white tile backsplash, I chose white since it's a beveled tile and the shadow would give enough shape:

But in my masterbath, I choose a light gray with a flat subway to make the herringbone pattern prominent:

New Build · More Info

GREAT photos- The Scandinavian Inspired Condo shows what @chispa was saying about tile size. I think that size is beautiful - but we'd need to take out some cupboards -!! lol! Now I'm considering laying them horizontal, or going back to find some 3x9. I may have to order in samples. My town is a WEE bit small ;)

I like your tile savvy-ness @cd7733! Your kitchen and shower look beautiful :)