In search of the perfect tile

Step 1: Find the cabinetry. Step 2: Everything else. Now that we have figured out the style and look of the kitchen cabinets, we're on to more fun stuff -- picking out the floor, backsplash, and countertop.

I'm drawn to white kitchens and prefer a classic casual yet warm look. Something like this would do me just fine:

White subway tile backsplash, carrera marble counters, white ceramic sink - so timeless. But HandyMan has other ideas. He'd prefer something with a bit more pattern and colour, maybe bring in the brown tones from the other rooms in the house. Here's some of what we've found so far to suit both our tastes.

The backsplash:

Our first love was this hexagon tile in a calcutta marble. So beautiful! The shape is something you'd see more typically used on a vintage bathroom floor, so we thought using as a backsplash would be a new spin on an old classic and very unexpected. Unfortunately, the more we looked at it, the more we realized what a pain in the butt it would be to cut all the tiles and have them sit straight and flush with the countertops.

The mini subway tiles were great too, but the travertine ones were a bit textured and would be difficult to clean. The scale of these was also a bit small for the space.

Now the mini brick tiles in marble -- awesome!! We found these "Venus Marble Mosaic Tiles in Milky Way" from Olympia Tile. The showroom sample had a bit more pink and yellow than the sample we took home, so I'm hoping with a whole backsplash of these we'll get a bit more variation and interest. The shape is pretty unique too, 1 x 2, and I haven't seen this used much. I think its more interesting than the popular white subway tiles but still gives the same classic kind of feel. What do you think??

More to come!