An update, I just tiled a kitchen and it looks great. Remember to seal the grout, particularly behind the cooker, BEFORE cooking your first meal.
Pro tip: if you need to turn boring white grout into WOW bright orange, Thai yellow curry paste lightly sauteed in peanut oil will do the trick quickly and cheaply. Stays orange after repeated cleaning too.
I forgot about this thread. I went with glass. Partly because it's a combined kitchen/dining/lounge and I didn't want the kitchen to stand out.
I did the window sill and returns in glass, too.
$1,080.