Kitchen Backsplashes That Work

Laura Sampson Lovely. I find it interesting how all the featured cabinets were white (except 1) could that be that the white compliments these designs best?

Amy Hopkins Designs I did this back splash for a client. We collected tiles for almost a year as the house was being constructed. We wanted to add some personal touches so some of the tiles have meaning for each of the family members. It has turned out to be the favorite element of the house for most of the visitors and the home owners. We carried the look through the rest of the kitchen by using leftover tiles from the rest of the house in a mosaic style.

ds design studio happyhomestager, I noticed that too! Maybe I was especially attracted to these photos because the white sets off the colors nicely. Thanks for stopping by.

ds design studio amybeth, very cool and imaginative splash with a great story behind it. Thanks for sharing.

Erika Ward - Erika Ward Interiors I adore carrera marble countertops. The only problem is that I have so much counter space, it would cost me a small fortune to replace them all. Lovely images!

Kristin McAuliffe How crazy expensive are carrera marble countertops? I only have a small strip of space and wasn't sure if it was really out of my price range.

gopg8r Maybe it's just my area but here carrera marble counters are considered a "medium" price range. Perhaps it's b/c it's more gray now than just white? We were able to do our entire kitchen, butler's pantry and all four bathrooms for around $8K ... and that is with the ridiculous mark-up our builder chalked on.

ds design studio Carrara is different than Calacatta. I believe the stone on the island of Fiorella Design's is Calacatta, which is pricer. It is whiter with more dramatic veining and often has gold in it (Calacatta Oro), whereas Carrara is grayer with more blended veining. So gopg8r, you are right that whiter will cost more. Then there are different grades, depends on the slab. Nice to hear from all of you!

ds design studio I think Feldman Architecture's island counter is Carrara. It is a nice white one!

nanci I love that first kitchen backsplash and the kitchen is so warm and yet airy and light. Least favorite....that icy cold kitchen with the blue diagonal back splash...a chilly space to me. Loved the ideas.

Casatelli Marble Very well said!! Kitchen backsplashes are a very important element in your kitchen. One helpful tip I tell most of our clients is to wait until the counters are installed to decide on your backsplash design. That way you can visualize the finished product a little easier.

fletchy These are all beautiful. However, I would love to see more kitchen backsplashes in kitchens that are not white! Not everyone likes a white kitchen ;-)

luckykats Agree with fletchy. I need to put in a backsplash, but my cabinets are a natural knotty alder and my floor tiles are a warm brown. Can't decide what to do with that combo.

Villa Lagoon Tile Luckykats consider using encaustic cement tiles in your kitchen. You can go old world or contemporary. We have a few kitchen examples on the site. Villa Lagoon Tile

nataliewhatley I like the look of using the same granite as the counters.

ljr560 I love all of the backsplash ideas, but would also like to see some ideas for oak, maple and other wood cabinets.

wjoy Great post and very timely. I am renovating a cabin in the North Georgia mountains and about to install the backsplash. I am usually confident about my design decisions but am having second thoughts about the tile I purchased. I LOVE the tile in the Dean J Birinyi photo. The amber glass tiles are gorgeous! I wanted to go with glass tiles but thought they would look too formal with the overall rustic, woodsy decor of my cabin. The tiles I purchased are more like the ones in the photo of the aqua cabinets, but with four colors instead of two. My cabinets are white with my counters and island top being similar in color to the Birinyi photo. I agree with you that the "checkered board" pattern speaks "country charm." What should I do?

Cindi B.Jones Here's a kitchen I designed for a client who wanted traditional elegance, yet clean and uncluttered. I used a pillowed travertine tile, set on the diagonal, and a focal 'frame' with metal tile insets over the cooktop.

Roberta Philbrick We have a very small kitchen here at the Love Shack and we went with white subway tiles with a black "ribbon" tile accent and it added just enough pop. Don't like too busy of a backsplash because kitchen can look cluttered real fast. Here's my blog post with more photos, enjoy ;) http://con-tain-it.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/04/metamorphasis-monday-new-kitchen-tile-faucet.html

nikki_mccormick We recently highlighted a customer's kitchen remodel where she also chose to replace dark cabinetry with cream glazed ones. She also used subway tiles, a mix of neutral colors, in a zig zag pattern. There's something about the light colors on the cabinetry, tile and island that simply welcomes you into the space. We also chose white subway tiles for our own home. Love the crisp clean look it adds to our kitchen!
Nikki
DirectBuy

Karen Viscito Interiors Love my beveled arabesque tile backsplash. The backsplash can be such a difficult decison for some people.

InterDesign Studio Custom made 3-dimensional tiles from Ann Sacks.

Fiorella Design Hi Debbie,
Thanks for posting my project! Another beautiful but more contemporary project is this in Menlo Park. The blend of marble shows no seams and is truly stunning in person. But probably the priciest backsplash I've done to date. Sometimes though you just have to splurge!

linbar These are all beautiful, however, I got rid of my kitchen tile countertops because of the grout issue. Now they have put it in the back of the stove top where it can get really icky. I think I'd go with a solid surface in a complimentary color to the counter tops.

JEANIE Frozen in fear - that is me with backsplashes. So many choices, how will I make the right decision? More ideabooks, please and add lots of those general guidelines and ideas! Thank-you! ;p

dancingfish I also noticed that most of the cabinets were white and the all the counters very light-- the choices seemed almost easy for a backsplash.. I have a deep green/black marble counter and oak cabinets I really want a backspace but have no clue what direction to go in... also I want easy clean no water marks (I already deal with that on the counter!)

ds design studio Wow, thanks for all the great comments and photos! Looks like I will need to find some backsplashes with wood cabs. Stay tuned.

wjoy, you can still use glass if you like. Since your kitchen is rustic, you might want to look for tile that is hand poured or irregular around the edges. Check out this site to see some examples: http://www.stonepewteraccents.com/SPA_sumi_minibrick.html
Good luck!

Susan Jay Design instead of glass tile, how about just a big piece of glass?

Susan Jay Design or a big granite slab?

suphiya patel Here is one example with antique glazed cherry cabs.

suphiya patel glass tile and soapstone tiles in subway.

Catherine Jewell I also agree with fletchy, please show more examples with wood cabinets. I would also like to see more contemporary examples using a variety of materials possible glass and metal tiles mixed with stone and or granite. My cabinets are honey spice stained cherry wood with glass upper doors and brushed steel door handles. Haven't chosen granite or blacksplash tiles yet.

Rebekah Zaveloff Wow - this post got a lot of feedback! I'm not surprised! I'm a tile nut and I agree it absolutely makes a kitchen! Here's a few with wood cabinets and mixed wood and white. For more ideas on tile to use with wood cabinets check out www.designinabag.com

ds design studio I started a book for examples with wood. To view, click on my name at the top.

Between Naps on the Porch Debbie, Who knew there were so many kinds of backsplashes...amazing! :)

jeremyandjenniferj This is a white kitchen, but the backsplash is a marble with some tiles more beige and some more gray. I love how it ties in my all over paint color (BM Natural linen) with the gray in the carrara marble island.

ds design studio jeremyandjennifer, I love how you can combine the warm and cool tones with that color.

maryjo, the Menlo Park splash is stunning and worth the splurge!

debramg2365 I am also looking for kitchen ideas with oak wood cabinets and more country but not rustic. Seems everything is white cabinets, subway tile and modern design. Guess I'm one of a few who do not care for those designs. Maybe my design is termed "old fashion". LOL

Sonja Hilliard, DVM I say, why limit yourself to tile?

rebeccasekse Jeremyand jennifer, could you pls tell me the kind of kitchen bar stools you have and where I could purchase it. I am building a modern house and just loved it.

mary elizabeth hulsey My Favorite is Beveled Arabesque Tile from Mosaic Tile Stone

mary elizabeth hulsey mosaictilestone.com is having a sale on Beveled Arabesque Tile this weekend. 20% off if you use the code LABOR.

vivace72 Hi, we are getting ready to start demolition for a kitchen remodel. We have a craftsman house, so while staying true to the spirit of the home, are working on a more contemporary and slightly Asian look. Light oak shaker cabinets, granite countertop- but what for a backsplash that fits the classic/contemporary/slightly Asian feel? Any ideas?

ds design studio vivace72, I would do something horizontal and linear like this glass tile:
The style is contemporary and the horizontal lines have an Asian feel. You could do this type of tile in ceramic, stone or glass. Good luck!

sherrill11 what about copper with wood cabinets??

ds design studio @vwetzler, other readers wanted to see backsplashes with non-white cabinets, so I created another idea book for wood ones:

rosalief40 I'm surprised how much I like the country style since I have always been attracted to more modern designs. Remodeling our kitchen this summer and looking for references for a place where I can purchase (and hopefully they will install) granite countertops in NJ if anyone has suggestions for me!

custom-tiles.com My personal favorites are where a centerpiece (such as behind the stove) adds a unique touch to the otherwise attractive field tile. Express a personal family touch (as in the picture of Grandma's utensils) or bring a favorite outdoor scene indoors.

World Contracting LLC the backsplash absolutely has the ability to make the room. here is a dramatic example from last year, before and after.

missrandi We are having a granite counter installed and the backsplash is going to be a marble subway tile 2" x 4". We're going to use 1" square glass tiles that pick up all the colors of the granite in a double row as an accent. The question we have is at what height to put in the accent in the 18" space. The installer said to go 3 rows of marble up from the bottom, then the 2" of glass and then the marble up to the cabinets. Is that what most people do or should it be 3 rows of marble down from the top and then the glass tiles? Help!

Susan Jay Design How about exploring another option with your layout....something less expected from a straight row of accent tiles....
Utilize your 2 x 4 marble tile and every third or fourth tile place ( 4 ) of your 1 x 1 glass pieces....
stagger each row, so that they are not aligned vertically. This would be really interesting and fresh !

ds design studio missrandi, I tend to agree with your installer about placing the glass accent closer to the bottom of the counter, I also like Susan Jay Design's idea. The height of the accent row also depends on how it lines up with the metal back splash of the range or window sill (if any). Do you have time to post photos?

Elle R. This backsplash tile looks beautiful. From www.LascauxTile.net

Connie's Custom Creations This is a great back splash idea, find custom tiles at www.conniescustomcreations.net

embracegrace Susan Jay, when my husband and I were looking at kitchens in his native Netherlands, we saw a lot of glass backsplashes with photos or recipes behind the glass, like the photo below (found at http://www.dejongdreamhouse.com/2012/02/my-beautiful-backsplash.html). My favorite was a family photo. It kills me that I forgot to take a photo of it.

Ultimately, we decided on Solistone Mardi Gras in Carrollton.
You can see more photos here: http://www.dejongdreamhouse.com/search/label/backsplash?updated-max=2012-04-04T00:24:00-04:00&max-results=20&start=1&by-date=false

emilygreynolds Backsplash suggestions.....would like to add a little color and fun without being busy....

montyson Where can I get the Carreras marble in the blue/grey? I love it, but so far I can only find it in white.

Elle R. Beautiful Blue and White Backsplash Tile.

jacksonbeth @debra5801, Have you seen kitchen palette yet by Web Don? I'm thinking of doing this for my backsplash: http://www.web-don.com/our-products/adhesives-tools-misc/kitchen-palette/ its basically a new product that allows you to have more control over the backsplash. You can change out the photo that is actually embedded in your backsplash anytime you want.