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halifaxmama here is the granite and a light i like so you can get my taste! I am supposed to be having the kitchen painted tomorrow but that was before the electrician told me it could be a good idea to take out the backsplash to install a garbage disposal.

Thank you!!

Contemporary Chandeliers design by Other Metro Rejuvenation

halifaxmama whoops, light didn't post, sorry! Not necessarily in blue. Maybe white, brass, who knows!

halifaxmama susan - all from Lowe's.

Cancork Floor Inc. BLUE!! The lights with the blue tile are to DIE FOR! Love the colour!!!! Mod is RIGHT with these two pieces! The blues will help pick-up the blue flecks in your granite!

LOVE THE BLUE!!!

sackos If you like contemp i would not put more stone pieces or multiple color in your backsplash. I would stick with one simple clean color such as the gold/tan tone in sample 2, in a glass tile. The granite is busy enough on it's own. I do like the granite however. :) good luck!

lovekiss The granite is busy enough on its own, so I would choose a solid color back splash so as to not compete with the counters. Maybe a solid color glass tile in a subway tile size (rather than the mosaics you have pictured). To me, busy counter + mosaic tile = too much going on.

Natalie Second and first in that order. Installed vertically. :) nice light..

Scott Design, Inc. Your granite offers a lot of color possibilities for your backsplash. It sounds as though you would be settling for one of your current choices. Think about ½” x 1” mini-brick in polished stone or glass in one of the colors found in the counter top. It adds texture by virtue of its size and depth of color without being "busy." You can place them on an angle for more of a non-traditional approach. You could go one step further and separate them into 1’ sections with metal or long glass liners that could possibly complement the overall “plum” approach to your decor. (There seems to be burgundy particles in your top as well). You sound as though you want more latitude in your creativity than what Lowes can provide.

halifaxmama I usually agree that busy near busy isn't good but in this case I think I'd like to have something that draws the eye in and away from the granite. I don't hate the granite or I'd do something drastic. It's just not my taste! BUT I have found I am already loving its durability! I love placing oven-hot dishes on it!

feeny May I suggest that putting something busy and in different colors above your granite is not going to draw the eye away from it. Rather, it will draw the eye to the competition (and possible clash) between the two visual fields. Your best bet for downplaying the granite is to follow Scott Design's suggestion of a more subdued backsplash that will harmonize the color palette of the kitchen as a whole. Then people will look at the coherence of the whole kitchen rather than at any one element.

halifaxmama Yes, I know you are right! So any suggestions?

feeny Personally, I would pick one or at most two of the lighter shades out of the granite and use them in either a glass mosaic tile or a glass subway tile or a natural stone backsplash. Here are some pictures of kitchens with similar gold-tone granite (though with less black) with simpler light back splashes that harmonize in the room:
Jennifer Brouwer Design Inc
White Galley Kitchen

Or if you are looking for a more modern glass mosaic, maybe something like this third photo, which will bring together the white of your cabinets with the golden brown tones in your granite?
Tempo Bamboo Mosaic

Scott Design, Inc. Go to the following 2 websites. There are many images using small format glass and stone. I really recommend that you avoid blends.
http://products.daltile.com/catalog.cfm?log=4&subType=1
http://akdo.com/products_detail_coll.asp?pid=4902&collid=110&subcollid=

Natalie Hi---here are some examples for you---none are exactly what you have, but consider the dark cabs as your wall color and the light wall and ceiling color as the color of your cabs. I'll try to find a white "cab" kitchen for you...
[houzz=contemporary, custom-designed kitchen][houzz=Molassas Way Home][houzz=Modern Evanston Kitchen][houzz=Wesley Grove Condominium Kitchen]

halifaxmama Thank you all so much!! You are giving me a frame to work with and a bit of confidence - not a lot but a little bit more than before! ;) please keep the suggestions coming!

halifaxmama Ok, would this color work? It is closer to a sea foam than it is photographing but the granite is photographing darker too because of the flash

Natalie No--- Sorry...

johking Hi. I agree with "less is more" as per couple of comments earlier on (especially sackos and love kiss, plus the advice re metal trim by Scott design) You mentioned you were needing to put off the planned painting which was happening tomorrow! May I suggest you take slow down on that front. If you haven't sorted splash back, giving yourself another colour to tie in with is asking for trouble! Get your three or so preferred tile samples (as a large as possible but at least a3 size) from the supplier and lean them on the wall. Put them far apart as possible from one another and leave them there. Then just go about your business as usual. Trust me, when you walk pass distracted with other stuff, you will glance at a sample and it will hit you as a "hmmm, yeah" or a " heck no way!". As you discount a sample, take it away, leaving the remainder. Also remember the light at different times of the day will change its look, as will any tinted glass which may end up in your light fitting. Don't feel you need to restrict yourself to the samples you have initially trialled. All may be duds! When I did this, I had to take back samples and start again...but given the cost and longevity of this feature, DON'T RUSH IT! Good luck. Joh

lovekiss As an observation, you seem to be really drawn to blue. While there is certainly nothing wrong with being drawn to blue, I think you run a high risk of quickly getting tired of a brown-blue color scheme, and you may not want to commit a hard surface, such as a tile back splash, to such an inflexible scheme. I would save the blue for accents like pretty containers on your counter top, dish towels, artwork, etc., and keep the back splash a more neutral color that is based on one of the colors already in your counter top. That way, if you tire of the color combo, you can inexpensively switch out your accent pieces for something fresh.

Johking makes a really smart suggestion about slowing down the decision-making process. You are committing a fair amount of time and money to this, so don't rush your decisions. Live with your options for a few days, don't be afraid to say that your first picks weren't quite right, and be picky.

halifaxmama oh yeah - we called off the paint color in the kitchen - he is doing the trim and some other rooms. I had a guy in today to give quotes for a new backsplash and a new countertop. Not sure if I am going to do either or both or just one.. waiting to hear how much it will be. But I do want to concentrate on choosing 1) a backsplash that I like to go with current granite and 2) a new laminate (or something else) countertop and a new backsplash. Once I decide on what I like, then I can weigh what each would cost... To be honest, I just don't like the look of granite it at all unless it is just a solid color so laminates or something similar might be the best option!

thank you all for your kind words of advice!!

Interiors International, Inc. I love the 2nd one.

Susan Jablon Mosaics Hi there halifaxmama!
I like your idea of using a blue tile to add some contrast to the yellow in your current granite. I would also suggest going with a single tile backsplash, just incase you do decide to change the counters later on. With a uniform tile, as long as you chose a neutral surface for the counters, it will still all work together. I would also like to suggest a stainless steel backsplash as an option. It would work with the hardware, and help to modernize the space. Below are images of some tiles from our site that I think would work well for your kitchen. Best of luck in your design!

johking Hi again. Just wanted to add the option of coloured glass sheet rather than tiles. It gives a great seamless look, easy to clean and looks great. Plus if it isn't used behind hotplates (you could run a sheet of polished stainless steel as stove splash back if required); you can substitute with a cost effective poly product which looks identical. By the way we call them splash backs in Oz in case you were thinking I was dyslexic! PS glad about the delayed painting plans!

halifaxmama thank you all again -- Susan, I am leaning towards blue. I like the way it works with our plum dining room and it adds a bit of "me" to the kitchen - and of course the 3 males I live with (hubby, 2 boys) will like it! So if I did a blue, what wall color would you recommend? I am sorta anti-beige only because that is what is in there now and it feels dreary... I was thinking maybe a off white that has a grey/blue hue? A charcoal grey? Probably would make it feel too dark - although it's a galley so it has a lot of white with the cabinets... Any ideas anyone? Thank you all!!!

Susan Jablon Mosaics Mixing shades of white is usually not a good idea, one shade can make another look dingy, so I wouldn't recommend off white walls with your white cabinets. I personally like the idea of a gray color with blue undertones. Something a few shades lighter than whatever kind of blue tile you choose. I like Benjamin Moore's Feather Gray with blue tile. Another option for you would be to go with a medium shade of gray tile, and paint the walls blue. That way, you'd have more options for any other changes you make to your kitchen in the future, i.e. wall color, counter tops, cabinet color. The blue is Benjamin Moore Swiss Blue.

halifaxmama ok, this is the blue I am still thinking of! It is the same blue in the photo above but that flash really made it look sooo different. I have had it sitting on the counter for the past few days and it makes me happy! I am definitely in to color and unique color combinations so I am not afraid of taking a risk (you should see the rest of the house :) so as long as you all say it "goes" with it.. I think this is it for me!
I was thinking grey too.. The only problem is that our living room, which is one room away, is a very light pearlish blue grey... So would that be too much grey? I definitely want the kitchen to be upbeat! It is a dreary place right now.

attached dining room is half the plum wine color and half a lighter-colored small scale pattern.

living room (off dining room) is the white/grey with plum/grey/azule furniture.

and I am thinking seriously of this light!

taptoesena Halifax... What's the name of the purple paint?

newyorkgirl One of these stone pictures would be great! I really ❤ them!

halifaxmama Ben Moore's elderberry wine. I really like it. It changes with every light