Where exactly, behind the sink? What are the other finishes/tiles in the room? please include photos with the vanity chosen.

If they are 13" long, and you do vertical, you will only have 2.5 inches of the top and bottom tiles, almost exactly like what is represented in your photo. A popular color grout is frost, that might look good with the tile you have shown.

Vertical. Can you show the color tile you are getting?
Either way sample some grout colors.

This is the layout of the kitchen. Stain of the cabinet will be tad lighter, flooring is going to be very light. Tile and granite are shown in next picture. The tiles are going to be behind the sink, cooktop and on the wall in the right side of the picture.

Could just be the photo, but I'm not sure that the tile harmonizes with the stone.

Since the stone is so active, I would really consider a more "quiet" appearance for the , so not the pickets.

rebasheha, I have the same concern. My husband does not want to go rectangular on tiles. That why I am trying to tone it down with orientation and grout color.

Would appreciate any other suggestion on tiles.

Sorry for my original comment, for some reason I thought it was a bathroom.

Seeing the photo and your choices, I would have all the correct finishes done first and then choose your backsplash tile. You said floors are lighter, cabinets are lighter. Honestly, the backsplash does not seem to be the best option. If you are sold on this tile pick a grout color almost the same so it reads as a solid and not adding more pattern to the mix. Your countertop has a lot of movement, so your backsplash should be as simple as possible. As for horizontal or vertical, it's really a personal preference, either direction would be okay. You could keep looking and make sure you buy enough to do a full mock up with different grout colors to confirm. But overall don't buy your backsplash tiles until everything else is in place. Good luck!

IMO in general horizontal is more restful than vertical.

I think modpod's suggestion to get everything in before choosing is wise! Just give it some more time to cook.

You really need it to be understated and cooperate with the other finishes, your colors don't match at this point. Looking more closely at the cabinet photo, I don't think the picket really goes the door style you have chosen either, it's fairly traditional while the picket is modern and fun, even quirky to me.

I'm sorry your spouse doesn't like rectangles since that excludes like 80% of tiles, lol. What about squares? small hex mosaic? small herringbone mosaic -- I feel like that would be more in keeping with the look of the cabinetry. Maybe look at a smaller, less elongated picket if the shape really appeals to you.

this is from Fireclay tile. In your situation you would want to do grout as close in tone to the tile as possible, so it creates only a very subtle pattern.

The tile and granite colors look gorgeous together on my monitor, so it may be rebathsheba's screen.

And why would a rectangle shape not be "too busy" but you cut the corners off the rectangle and suddenly you've gone to heck in a hand basket??

As for tile orientation, I think you're going to have to look at long picket tiles placed both horizontally and vertically to discover your preference. As Mindy pointed out, vertical means only one complete tile. I couldn't find such a photo in my quick search but found horizontal. But I will never forget a Houzz thread that devolved into bloodshed over tile direction. When the OP finally chose a direction, everyone who had argued against that direction loved it.

You could try making paper cutouts of your tile shape and taping them to the wall to help decide.

If you go to a specialty tile shop, not a big box store, they can help you find a grout that comes close to your tile color. Otherwise, I agree, something "soft" like Mapei Frost might work well.

We will be picking up the light fixtures and hardware over next couple of weeks. I wish we could see everything at one place to get better idea. This is going to be our first house and I feel like I am failing to visulaize it. We know that we want the stain and Blue Dunes countertop. I will try to find the picture of stain on the wood we picked. Flooring is white oak with natural stain.

We like this color of backsplash(one shown with the granite), but the picket seems to give too much pattern. Debating to change just the shape or both color/shape.

Stain, tile and granite all together. The tiles will have bit variation in color from tile to tile and give baby blue, powder blue shade in person. The cabinets are Shaker with bead, Stainless steel appliances. Leaning towards Agreeable gray wall paint, Satin Nickel hardware(have oil rubbed bronze option too) and satin nickel plumbing fixtures in kitchen. That is all I have got right now.

Just change the shape. If you were in love with the picket, you'd know by now, but the stain, tile and granite look beautiful together. The tile will pull out the blue in your counter that otherwise might tend to read more brown and/or black.

It is often hard to visualize, no matter what house number you're on, that's why web photos get saved!

PS Your choices sound very sophisticated and lovely.

barncatz, I have options of rectangular or square in same color tiles. If I go rectangular, then option to put them in stack or brick style. Any feedback?

Stack seems pretty modern or mid-modern to me, unlike your cabinets and counters. Plus, a brick pattern seems better suited to the spaces being tiled.

Based on your most recent photos, I do not like that color backsplash with your granite. Yes, I can see the small amount of grey in your granite, but overall it's a very warm-toned granite, and the cool silvery-grey just does not coordinate well IMO -- it's a tonal clash. You could still do a soft color for the backsplash, but you need something with a warm undertone. Same for your wall colors. Pick your paint last, after everything else is in -- IMO Agreeable Grey isn't a good choice with the granite or floor, either.

@mxk3 z5b_MI I read about the undertones after your comment. We picked this backsplash to carry the tone of blue from the granite. We want the cabinets to be darker and it is as dark as we can go(stains provided by the builder). For the floors, we have only this option to go light. I will have to see the backsplash option with the decorator when we visit. What other wall color would you suggest?

I see that there is blue in the stone, however it is not the same blue as the tile -- again, according to my screen so maybe not accurate! The tile has a pure, cool, tending toward green undertone. The blue flecks in the stone have warm, complex, smoky undertone. Blue is a cool color but not all blues are created equal, the undertones make it feel a little warmer or cooler. Ditto for the wall paint.

the stone and wood look great together!

This is from the Stone Gable blog:

I just googled some pics of Blue Dunes granite, and some of pics show it much greyer/bluer than your small sample piece, others show it with hardly any blue. Do you have a picture of the entire slab that will be installed?

@rebasheba I read the same article. :) It makes more sense now. I am still wondering why the agreeable Gray won't work with the stone and stain as it has Gray+Beige hues. We might be able to find better wall color once we change the backsplash.

@mxk3 z5b_MI You and I are on same page. The slab I looked at didn't have much blue,but the sample showed the blue which I loved. I might visit the stone showroom again to look at more slabs to have better ideas before considering any blue in my backsplash.

Attaching a pic of slab we were shown at our first visit.

"It makes more sense now. I am still wondering why the agreeable Gray won't work with the stone and stain as it has Gray+Beige hues"

Color doesn't exist in a vacuum -- what matters is how colors relate to one another. Your sample piece of granite is so strongly warm-toned that the Agreeable Gray will probably look too cool-toned *in relation* to it.

But, maybe your slab isn't really that warm-toned overall and when viewed from a distance - ? . Which is why it really is best to pick paint last to judge how it relates to everything else.

When you say "we were shown" -- did you choose and tag the slab? Or were just shown a representative slab?

We can't tag a slab sadly. It is all through the builder and it was made clear from the start that we can't choose a slab. For our kitchen, they will be needing 2 slabs.

On my monitor, the slab doesn't look nearly as warm-toned as the sample piece, it's reading as a cooler tones of brown. And I don't see blue, I see grey. But obviously monitors vary... If what you end up having installed looks like the slab pic, your tile might indeed coordinate well.

Can you wait to make your backsplash and paint decisions? Or does everything HAVE to be picked out ahead of time?

"We can't tag a slab sadly. It is all through the builder and it was made clear from the start that we can't choose a slab"

Oh boy.... Nature doesn't make duplicates, this isn't a man-made product you're dealing with -- you could end up with a golden-y slab (a la your sample), a bluish slab, or somewhere in between.

Everything has to be picked ahead of time. All the components are at different places, the pictures at phone or monitor are not helping me visualize anything together. :(

@mxk3 z5b_MI Now you know why I am terrified to make a decision here. But I am not feeling the Quartz at all.

"Now you know why I am terrified to make a decision here. But I am not feeling the Quartz at all."

There is a wealth of granite choices, Blue Dunes is not your only option...

If you want something "safe" color-wise that you pretty much can't screw up, look at soapstone. Or, if you research soapstone and decide it's not a good stone choice for you, consider honed Virginia Mist (Jet Mist) or leathered Steel Grey granites. Or some other stone with a much lower degree of color variability.

ETA:

Honed Jet Mist:

Leathered Steel Grey: (this person's kitchen is beautiful!!)

Soapstone is not a choice given to us. Granite and Quartz are the only options. We have considered Colonial White and Silver Pearl as well. We can only choose from what the subcontractor has.

@Vin K hopefully understanding the colors a little better helps you trust your gut on your choices... you are seeing them, we are not!

I can't really comment on the paint colors but hopefully the decorator will be able to advise. This person works with the builder, yes? so they will be familiar with the family of wood stains and granites that this builder provides, we hope!

Yes, rebasheba. All the selection I have been sharing here were suggested by the decorator who works with the builder. I went in with the stain selection and list of granites we picked. I was very confident when we left the showroom. But now I am not sure at all.