Thanks so much for the recommendations guys, really appreciate it! What colour would you recommend for the splashback if we're going glass? also we might be tenant in the property, will glass be okay there? (also.... how much more expensive is thus going to be that tile? I have no idea on costing here :S) Also I think I may have oversold the messyness of my cooking haha I'm not that bad but I do worry about discolouration of grout.

Ok so depending on floor colours and overall look that she is going for I think (if she is really adamant) that the blue could work if you change the Amaro cabinets to a whiter shade - this will give it an overall crisp, oceanside feel with the warmth of the soft walnut. Otherwise I would contrast it more with a mid-tone colour splashback in grey/brown tones. Again this totally depends of her tastes... Here's a photo that you could show her with the blue splashback - granted it is a little deeper than her selection but at least she can see it on a realistic scale and of course the timber/white cabinets are flipped in this one. Hope some of that helps!

okay!!! A lot of these commenters obviously thought what I did - that the cupboards are a deep browney grey!! I think the responses would have been very different if we knew the cupboards were white. If you re-read thru the responses you will see that. Perhaps try re-posting the dilemma with a better pic. One of those original tiles may actually look ok.

I think that it will look too busy with the contrasting cabinetwork and the patterned tile on the floor. But then Australian tastes and styles in kitchens tend to be cleaner and more understated than our American cousins. I would keep it simpler, with a plain large format tile to make cleaning easier and to visually expand the space. Your current tile is very busy and probably hides grease splatters very well. Best of luck with your considerations, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls