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 )

Hi, I've always loved that style of pottery--it's lovely! Have you considered a honed slate? We really liked the Andhra Blue--there is variation in the colors, but a bit more subtle than the picture above. The colors range from grayish-blues to grayish greens. It looks good with a dark grout, and has a very natural look. There are some pics on this website of a few different slates/quartzites available. As for backsplashes, I'm in the same boat. We're using the slate in our bathrooms with a white pebble border/backsplash. Don't think pebbles would work in the kitchen. Maybe a combo of metal and different shades of blue glass tiles? (to pick up on the different blues you have between your pottery and cobalt glass) Good luck--it is truly overwhelming, because there are so many beautiful things out there to choose! Here is a link that might be useful: Slate pics

lmao. what Jan said! Although, I had to help out my guys who did my herringbone wood floor. it's the starting point where everyone gets messed up. after that, it's simple. Look up how to properly start a herringbone layout and read it. you need to use a speed square at the end of your tile in order to get the proper middle starting point. much easier to illustrate than trying to write it out here. This is how I showed my guys how to start it. see the blue tape w/the two lines? you have to start on the middle after you mark your corner. that's the only way you will get perfect even cuts on both ends. this is how most do it, and it's not correct IF you want perfectly symmetrical left/right borders. All he's done is set the corner of the tile on the line. doing it like this will leave you w/one side smaller than the other: see how the sides of the window don't match? this is what you don't want. your tile guy should be doing a dry layout in order to determine where he starts so he doesn't get this look or these tiny triangles. Again,,,see how the ends don't match below? the right has longer tiles than the left edge. that's because of the way he started his first tile. And don't do these vertical tiles for your edging. get proper bullnose tiles, pencil liner or a Schluter edge. This is a layout board of my herringbone for my shower. took a few hours in order to get this almost perfect. since this was an odd size, and the tiles were even at 3x12, it couldn't be perfect. the right bottom corner triangle is the only portion that doesn't match. luckily, it's not readily visible! Even the subway tiles are perfectly matched. this layout took hours to get exact, even around the niche. 2x6your 3x9 will be 1/3 larger. 3x9 is a good size for a backsplash. this is a regular 3x6. again, a 3x9 will give you 1/3 longer.

I do not see the advantage of opening that wall it looks odd to me and galley kitchens are honestly one of the easiest to work in. I also can’t see the herring bone in the space I would choose a simple gray porcelan 12 x 24tile and use the conter top for the backsplash all the way to the bottom of the cabinets. I am really not sure what that picture is with the white cabinets.