Yes. People do tile only one wall and it can look great. That wall is more often than not the stove wall, although people are getting awfully sink-proud these days too. It sounds like one looks into your kitchen perhaps diagonally toward the log wall and straight-on toward the stove--?? Since you have logs all around your home, does your design lend itself to making your one wall an attractive focus in this area, letting the logs just be background? Or would it be best to allow the eye to just benignly skim over this area and move on? One entire wall laid out specifically to create a good picture can look fantastic. If you can't imagine that wall featured in a magazine or at least copied by your friends no matter what you do with it, though, you might just do a quiet tile or other backsplash, that, as you say, blends with the rest of the background.

Thanks avidinternet and others for your posts. I spent many hours over the last days staring and thinking. Thanks for the support that most of the options would work. The recommendation to keep to three colors has been very helpful. I was trying paint colors with slight yellow and green tones and feeling that they were not quite right. Now I realize that the real color focus is the birch cabinets (duh..) So, based on reading this post and many others, I went back to my inspirational photos (so GW :) The backsplashes sometimes introduce a new color, but work when they also pick up on at least one, often two of the main colors of the rest of the kitchen. For example, painted white and natural red birch cabinets with black countertops and a sparkly mosaic backsplash that picks up the cabinet tone, is reflective like the white and brings in a green, which is then used for a wall color. My challenge is with two different counters (though both are gray) I have to careful, especially with the movement of the island (the head cheese comment made me laugh :) Color wise, I am leaning towards BM Revere Pewter for the walls, more of a light gray/putty with a very slight green undertone but not a "color" like the others. Backsplash wise, it is either some calcatta (mosaic - hand cut or not, mini-brick or 2x4 brick) but need to determine if more white like the Statuary Calcutta, more color (Calcatta Tia) or in between (Calcatta Med brick.) I still have a soft spot for the Sand Chelsea art glass and love the triangle glass mosaic, but (1) I fear is is less "natural" then everything else I have chosen and (2) it is ridiculously priced. I have included a link to the same backsplash album, but the last two photos show the paint colors and tile colors options I am leaning toward (colorful Calcatta Tia and less colorful Calcatta), not necessarily the format of tile (yes, I think the flat octagons are too much, but I love that tile :) I did not have a sample of the more white calcatta staturario. Does anyone have thoughts on polishes versus honed on the walls? The Pietra countertops are honed and the Super White island is polished (for now, though we may change.) Thanks again for the direction, any other input appreciated. Here is a link that might be useful: Kitchen Backsplash Options with Paint colors at end

Thanks lanugget! I looked up Benjamin Moore Lancaster Whitewash on BM virtual fan deck and it said "no matches found" I guess I have to make a trip! I do love the color of your cabinets and trim..on my monitor it looks 'white' but soft..no tans or yellow under tones..?? I really think the clear glass tile would work great..I also think getting the SS back splash on your cook top is also a great idea..love it with the shelf. my own feeling is that either one of them would work very well. I also love your cabinets. They were custom made?? How were they painted, was it sprayed? who did you get to do it? I have been going back and forth with having my cabinets painted..this started over a year ago.. I posted on the decorating forum (love it there) and everyone told me not to do it (they are cherry) so I chickened out. They are pretty cabinets, but I have always felt a vintage style kitchen would work very well in this house..the age calls for it for sure, I really need a plan..lol Thanks again and let us know what you decide with the back splash..can't wait to hear..your kitchen is really beautiful and I am sure you are all smiles when your in it :) ree

Do you have natural light coming in? I am not sure how small your kitchen is but if it is dark I too would avoid a dark counter. My former kitchen was 10 by 15 but it opened up to another room with buckets of light coming in from giant windows. Dark worked in that small kitchen. My new place (about to be a reno'd) has a bigger kitchen and I would not go with dark counters as it does not have natural light coming. I need to stick with a medium to light counter. What about a lighter granite with a traditional edge? Maybe like this one... If your instinct say the space is small and dark go with your instinct. A few other ideas that look so pretty. Maybe this one below would not work with the floors but the one above might.