I like the longer ones best. If tiles are your preferred choice, I think a white tile that has a nice polished texture look, looks great in a kitchen. With great lighting, the light bounce's of the angles and the stainless steel appliances at night and gives a bit of bling and expense.

Hi Sue, I think it would look amazing if you used some tiles with a bit of texture. The wood look tiles that are popular at the moment would be an example. If you chose a colour that toned in with your floor you would get a really nice cohesive look but with a bit of interest. I've attached a photo of a recent design of mine as an example. Just a suggestion!

Have you already sourced your tiles? I would expect most tile stores could help you find the edging tiles which I think are typically termed 'pencil' tiles for the style you have shown. We used bevelled subway tiles in our DIY ensuite. In hindsight we would have aimed to finish the brick pattern with 1/3 and 2/3 sized tiles (like in your pic 1) rather than full and 1/2 (pic2 and 3) to give a more even edge thickness/profile... Might not suit and we didn't use capping tile (I lost that arguement!) so it is probably more obvious in our bathroom, but just something you might like to consider.

Sorry about what happened to you Niamh. Those tiles look lovely when done right. I hope you can get it resolved somehow. "Whatever you do don't get the same person back to do it again, (even if you hadn't paid them) Biggest tip I can give to renovators is if the trade hasn't cut it on the first run then you're pushing it uphill to try and get it over the satisfactory line. Better to cut your losses and pay to get it done by more experienced tradesperson, more often at a higher cost." Paul Di Stefano Design, I wish the internet had been around to give me that valuable bit of advice many years ago.