@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!

Nic's,,the 4" piece should come off easy enough. you may tear the paper on the backsplash, which is ok if it's not too deep into the drywall. I guess if you were on scene you could have asked them not to install it. I mean, what difference is it to them whether or not it goes on the wall? to say it would be more money not to have one, is ridiculous. it takes more time to cut one and finish the edges! but, whatever. as for the design, it's a herringbone. and those I've shown you come on 12" sheets so you don't have to do the actual design (which is very difficult) the first one is calacatta marble in a 1x2 herringbone (also comes in a 1x4, which I like better). You can find this all over,,,even Houzz carries it. If you want the marble, then stick w/the Calacatta not the Carrara. carrara is a blue/white and will clash w/your counters. calacatta has a warmer tone to the stone. the 2nd on is a tumbled travertine which you can get here: https://www.pebbletileshop.com/products/Cream-Herringbone-Stone-Mosaic-Tile.html#.WhX_BLaZNT4 this will give you an idea of what it looks like installed (you can turn it longways as well) If you search "herringbone mosaic tile" you should get lots of ideas and places to buy them. this one is from Lowes, allen and roth. you could buy one and bring it home to see how it looks this is the basketweave this would also work. crackle glass by Merola tile. Olean Glass mosaic. I think Home Depot carries thesenothing wrong w/doing a little color. pale green, blue or gray would also work well. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Merola-Tile-Chester-Sage-3-in-x-12-in-Ceramic-Wall-Tile-1-sq-ft-pack-WNU32CSG/300341310 these would also look nice,,,they have them in different shades https://www.mercurymosaics.com/shapes/field-subway-tile/

"My questions are: Do you think this is a good combo? ....Is it dated or traditional to do the different tile around the cooktop? I just feel like all glass will be boring and all chevron would be too busy." Hi Sabrina, my answers are: I don't think it's a great combo. Yes it is a little dated - but if you want it, you should do it, just with better tile. Agreed - you have good instincts. Do you have inspiration images for your space? If not start Google-ing images of kitchens that use your counter material with white cabinets. What you'll find is that many of them use the counter material for a bs. You're also not the first person to struggle to find a tile for it, even here on Houzz. You're not even the first to pull that chevron tile. Most people will pair that material with gray - consider going for white. I know your cabinets are white, but it frees you up to choose a really bold shape, or a large format tile, something more modern and more beautiful than gray glass.

I’m just here looking for other people’s opinions to see if that would help determine if these two match. Yes, we can determine if a paint color and an object - in your case a counter top - relate in terms of color. There's a process to follow, however, so it's a specific color strategy and not abstract guessing while standing in a paint store. We qualify the relationship on the three psychological dimensions of color hue, value and chorma. Using a standard light source called D65. We can also check it under other light sources. The science rule of thumb is if the color "match" or relationship works under 2 to 3 light source models, like daylight D65 and standard incandescent (in science terms called Illuminant A), then it's highly likely that the color relationship - the colors will go together - under ANY light source. This has nothing to do with photos of anything, btw. In order to do this, we need the color data values, the color measurement from the granite sample itself. You would do this using a Color Muse. We do this all day, every day here at The Land of Color. Because we understand everyone isn't an interior designer. Many need a framework to follow to figure out color conundrums. You just need to understand - and it sounds like you do - that your granite sample may not be exact to the slab that ends up installed. I've never personally seen that be that big of an issue, meaning the color appearance from sample to slab is usually close enough that the paint colors identified based on the sample work.