The benchtop will be dark grey (the ones you see are temporary), black handles and the tiles will be white with light grey grout. The paint on the walls will stay as is (light grey). Thanks for your thoughts guys. Would anyone go all the way to the ceiling? why/why not? Does the herringbone pattern influence your decision?

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.

I suppose the question is "What are you going to do with the untiled wall?". Will it just be painted plasterboard? If you do decide to just go with the 200mm tiled splashback you will need to be very careful with your tile selection with the sizing and how the edge of tile looks. You should probably select a 200mm tile, as you don't want a cut, half tile in the space between the window sill and benchtop. Some glazed, ceramic tiles also have messy edges, so make sure that your tile selection looks as good from the edge, not just the front, as you will be looking down on the top edge of the tile. Or allow for a tiling edge strip to conceal the edge, but these always make the space look visually busier. With so much happening in your kitchen with the open shelves etc, I would suggest a plainish, neutral tile and tile up to the ceiling for a cleaner, more streamlined look, that doesn't need maintenance and repainting in ten years time. Open shelves often look better against tiles. By tiling to the ceiling there is no exposed tile edge to look messy, which gives you a wider choice of tiles. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls

Hi Mc10. I bought the Calcatta subway tiles on a mesh and will use this Lithofin MN Stain-Stop Tile Sealer once every 3 years. I’m still in the middle of the kitchen reno but got my marbles and they’re exquisite. https://marbleceramiccorp.com.au/lithofin-sealant-germany/1026-lithofin-mn-stain-stop.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwr-SSBhC9ARIsANhzu16AK7RpYQb4yMtmHougfhBuuiyMAu930aAIj-0gu55tx1mM4dc-IOkaAr-ZEALw_wcB