Dear mizbe, Sorry not to have a useful suggestion for you other than to recommend classic white subway tiles. (They are trendy now; but I believe they will never truly go out of style since they are so pervasive a part of 20th-century American design history.) I can only gush: sounds like your kitchen is going to be gorgeous! Can we see pictures soon? I can't wait to see your luce di luna. And I bet many Gardenweb readers will want to know how it holds up to stains, etching, etc. compared to marble since it is frequently suggested as a substitute for marble.

yep that's my kitchen. Sorry it's not in your budget, but gpraceman does have a good idea about granite tiles. I have seen these used in place of granite slabs for the counter, when a budget dictated it. "To Me", they did not look that bad. I had to redo the area of the granite where the cook top is, due to a bad choice I made about cooktops, a 36" semi-circle Caldera. It died in about a year and the company went broke, so I had to replace it with a rectangular induction cooktop, Hence the granite rework. Well I could find Granite remnants (Arandis Gold) for next to nothing, (I paid about $75 for a little less than a half slab. So you may be able to do that too, and then have it cut to sizes you want for the tile, myself, the bigger the better, and the less grout lines. Thanks for your kind words about my kitchen, it is pretty unique, and as we tell folks here, Do what makes you happy, after all, it's your kitchen. For those of you that do like tiles and grout, that's great, as long as it's what you want, and you're not following others or doing what you "Think", might help sell the house later. Gary

Furletcity, you have actually been very helpful. I hadn't thought about raisig the height of the window covering go give more height. I guess I've been thinking inside the box. Do you have a particular color of roman shade in mind? I'm not sure what salmon/pink cast looks like but the tile color is called illusione caramel. Sorry you had to go back and forth. I don't know how to post the pictures inside the messages without using links. I'm not sure about the scale either. Other suggestions for a backsplash? TIA. Roseabbey. Thanks for your suggestions. I wasn't thinking of using matching granite tiles for the backsplash but rather using one of the canaletto tiles with 3X3 granite inserts. You are right that the counter is dark. Do you have any thoughts as to what kind of cabinet lighting? Thanks again. Keep the ideas coming. TIA

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 )