I tend to think that similar finishes on the same plane better. If your upper cabinets are glossy, then I would go with glossy backsplash. If cabinets are matte, go matte.

The good news is either will look good, so it really is about your personal preference. One thing that works for me is to put all my samples together on a neutral surface (a white tablecloth) and squint at them. Then trust your gut.

I do love the photo of the glossy one you posted, It doesn not look bathroom-like to me but a late 19th century European fancy kitchen for wealthy people. It only needs and old style terracotta floor or Art Noveau cement tiles.

Hi Kenley,

Will you have the same granite as is shown in the model kitchen? If so, I am slightly worried that the combination of light granite, white cabinets, and white subway tile might make the space seem a bit "sterile". I think you have the opportunity to break this up with tiles -- I would say that going with matte white would be fine, but I would probably add couple of colored tiles here and there (perhaps pick one or two colors from the pattern in the granite). Or if you are not 100% set on the white tiles, perhaps make a mosaic pattern using the colors in the granite. I think that would bring some warmth into the kitchen. If you decide on white tiles without accents, you can bring some color through chair upholstering, kitchen accessories, plants and flowers, etc.

That's what I would suggest, but I think whichever tile you eventually choose, your new home will be beautiful. Congrats!

LT

Glossy.

Matte won't look right in this context.

I don't agree that all-white kitchen are sterile, but if you do want to break it up a bit, go with a handmade, as opposed to machine-made, texture. Specifically, I would go with Moroccan Zelliges tiles, which are undercut, and so allow for extremely narrow (practically invisible) grout lines, and have a beautiful texture and natural color variation.

http://www.emeryetcie.com/en/what/tiles/zelliges/

They became popular in Europe several years ago, and are just starting to appear in North America, so from a trend perspective, you would be ahead of the curve.

Glossy tiles are easier to keep clean but I think you should consider grey tiles.
I like the look of this for a little more contrast with the white cabinets and white granite:
http://mistones.com/travertine-stone-products-leander/gallery/kashmir-white-granite-countertops-40383

Honestly, I think either one would be lovely. I'm kind of inclined toward glossy, but if $ were a factor, I'd be led by that. Is one more expensive than the other? Does it matter to you/your budget?

My neighbor redid her kitchen recently and used non-glossy subways in a white kitchen. Sparkle was added vai cabinet pulls--some glass diamond-cut style knobs and SS appliances. Very pretty.

If you cook, glossy is the way to go. It's much easier to get grease off of glossy than matte tiles.

Matte. If your granite is shiney, go with a matte backsplash. I think the two textures provide great balance. Since you are going to have a lot of white, the matte tile can make it less sterile, more warm. We used a hand-finished, matte subway tile with a grey grout, but the tile had a very subtle brush stroke (hard to explain, it wasn't exactly a brush stroke, but enough of a slight texture to give the matte a little character... sort of a slightly-uneven coat). Matte cleans up just fine with a wipe of a towel or magic eraser. Grab a few samples and stand them up on a sample of your granite. You'll know.

Glossy. We have glossy with gray grout and it looks great. Matte tile won't bounce light as much and light is very important in a kitchen.

Because it looks like the kitchen you'll be getting is so big, I would do the matte tiles. The glossy ones reflect a lot of light, and that's great for a smaller space where your eye doesn't have as much to look at. But I think a larger space like you'll have would have TOO much of a "bling" effect with the glossy tiles AND stainless steel AND more-than-likely shiny stone countertops. So a matte tile would maybe balance things out a little.

I know you can get porcelain tiles in both the shiny and matte effect....maybe if you can afford it you can get a glass tile?? I see glass tiles that don't necessarily look "shiny" but because they're glass, they have more of a depth than just the plain porcelain ones. Just a thought.

The other thing I would suggest (just as a personal preference) is to go with a LIGHT grey grout rather than a dark grey. I personally like grey grout too rather than just plain white, but when I see the dark grey or even black grout, it reminds me of the late 80s, early 90s.

glossy -- easier to clean.

T H E R E I S N O R I G H T O R W R O N G A N S W E R . . .

Go with the classic option which is glossy. The classic glossy white tile is easy to clean and maintain especially if you use pre-sealed grout and seal it again with a paint brush sealer applicator. When choosing your glossy subway tile (try for an antique white) as the titanium oxide white shades we have today are much whiter then what was available in 1800 to 1940). This will help your space feel warmer instead of clinical. I would advise doing the same with the cabinet colors as the same issue exists with white cabinet paint,choose an antique white or off white for warmth. It will still read white in the space but a warmer white. Get samples of the granite, the subway tile shades of white and the wood shades of white to see how they play off one another especially at night.

Have the back of your granite countertops cove up by half an inch to an inch and have your tile installed on that lip so that it is flush with the granite ledge this will prevent having to use a sealant between the granite and tile and will prevent water dripping behind the kitchen sink when that sealant later fails as it always does.

Don't bother with the recessed can lights, you really don't need them despite what lighting designers say. Install under cabinet lighting instead as well as lighting over seating, the sink, the stove area and a general light. Check out Don Aslett's and Laura Aslett Simon's book Make Your House Do the Housework. You could also check out my blog Tenant Proof Design.

Oh Thank You for this link. I love tile, hate grout, and this may be the perfect wall tile. Well after I read about them and find out the cost :}

Glossy.
Much easier to clean and less likely to show glossy splotches. I can spot a glossy oil spot on a matte tile from 10 feet - in my own kitchen. If I ever re-tile, I'm going glossy.

If your kitchen is dark/lacking good light during essential kitchen-using times, I would opt for glossy.

Otherwise, I would go for matte, personally. I think then it would feel a little less "bathroom-y" (your fear) and/or sterile.

One of our clients wanted to do a white subway tile recently so we got samples of the glossy and the matte. The matte actually shows less finger prints than the glossy does. I just tested it after I put lotion on my hands. I think the matte is pretty. It has almost an opalescence to it, so it's not completely flat. We got our samples from Daltile.

Bingo Pi! I have actually done an accent wall in the living room of my garden home 1/2 way up with 3 x 6 white glossy field tiles, set in a subway pattern (no spaces, white grout), as I have limited/natural light. It bounces a great amount of white. Since you'll be in a kitchen, any paint used for walls will likely be semi-gloss, and this will also add to the "sheen" factor for bouncing light (although semi-gloss's primary function is resisting stains/ease of cleaning). Of note with white glossy field tiles - definitely do a sample board and place it in your room once the lighting is installed. I find they are a bluer white, so using gray grout can definitely cool/influence your palette. If the granite counters shown are what you plan to use, they look more yellow-based to me.

Go with a tile you find pleasing to look at. Go look at some different types in person, and see what pleases you. What works for some commenters might suck for you.

Matte tiles (manmade materials or natural stone) tend to get really messed up and stained a lot easier. There are a lot of things you can do to minimize that (sealants, oils, deep cleaning every 3-6 months with purpose-made solutions.) Personally, I've always loved glossy finished tile for my kitchens. I use it all over the counters AND the backsplash. It creates a seamless finish, it's easy to clean with regular cleanser and if you get a stain in the grout, you can just bleach that one spot.

It also helps that you can just wipe down the surface with a damp cloth and the finish of the tile is never compromised. That's my personal experience, but I realize everyone has different opinions and aesthetic tastes.

I like to cook up a storm in my kitchen, but I don't like to clean more than I have to.