Hi there! We have just installed a very similar beveled subway tile in one of our homes and it looks magnificent (photos are to come very soon!) With the subtle grey tone to the bench top, the brighter white splash back will provide a nice contrast. I would suggest choosing the white of your cabinetry to be similar to the tile allowing the benchtop to be the feature!

I agree with robandlyn - finding photos you like will help your decisions, since you can actually see them in 'action'! Also, a black benchtop will show every spick and speck, and may make the space look smaller because it's so dark. Perhaps a grey would work better?

I just recently did a massive search for contemporary patchwork tiles for a client! You can find some nice options through Di Lorenzo Tiles, Beaumont Tiles and Academy Tiles.

Cherry Pop - great looking tiles, however your decsion to use them as splashback will depend on their size and the height of the available area to tile. With such a strong pattern you don't want to trim a tile to fit the height. The ideal solution would be to install the window so that the distance between the underside of the window architrave, near the bottom of the window, and the installed benchtop is exactly one tile in height. This will need some careful measurement and juggling of trades to get it perfect. Or you could change your pool tile to be less of a feature such as this simple, white, square, contemporary mosaic. As it is smaller, and has no pattern then it doesn't matter if a row needs to be trimmed to fit in the available wall space. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls