Here's a picture of my kitchen. Thanks!

beautiful kitchen! since you need something cleaner friendly, you could do linear glass tile in which ever color you like. You could do your carrara backsplash, you would need to seal it every 6-9 months with the best sealer on the market (501 is good). If you are up for that, and using a stone friendly cleaner (which you probably are since u have the countertops!) then go ahead. maybe get one with some visual pattern. check here for some ideas. they have MofP as well. http://tilebar.com/collection/marble.html

Yes, beautiful kitchen. Love the staggered height wall cabinets. You can have a marble look with porcelain! I've seen it in sheet form that would be perfect to run behind your cabinets. And, behind the stove as well or put stainless back there...or even stainless or metal tiles. As long as you wipe down right away, you can keep things looking nice for a long time.

Yes they do have similar styles in porcelain, but to me it doesn't look the same. Search around that site and see if any of the other tile designs in other materials strike your fancy. I know you said you don't like the subway, but you could get a glass tile in a 2X8 and lay it in a herringbone or find shorter ones and do a chevron. Don't know if you care for mosaics, or penny rounds, those would also look nice. You are going to have to narrow it down to a look you are drawn to, and then go from there. Search kitchen backsplashes on here to get some ideas as well.

Your kitchen colors are presently very neutral, so you could use the backsplash as an opportunity to introduce some color. To keep it from becoming too busy, I would go with a white or clear glass tile (I am not a fan of subway tile, either) with a band of a brightly colored tile, such as an iridescent black, through the middle. A little will go a long way, keeping cost under control.