Choosing a Backsplash: What's Your Personality Type?

Denise Vilim LOVE this ideabook! As someone who has been consistently redecorating and/or renovating my home over the past decade (from age 30 to 41 - this Friday) it amazes me how drastically the rooms and overall feel of the house have evolved as my personality and perceptions have progressed and matured (at least I hope and like to think so, haha) through the years. I guess every house and space reflects the personality of someone though. Personality and emotion in design is so very interesting. I appreciate this thought-provoking topic and would love to see more ideabooks like this. Thanks!

kandy smith VERY clever ideabook!
Thoroughly enjoyed this one!!

scottysgal All of these backsplashes so in vogue now give me a headache. What ever happened to classic stuff????

ktaylor89 I think that most of them just look hard to clean! Mirrored backsplash! Yikes!

Debra Carrillo Great mirror tiles!!

schoolhousekat Very clever. I wonder what my backsplash (glass tile behind the sink paired with reclaimed cedar) says about me?

Anita Lewis Design Concepts Great and accurate analytics!

Jason Ball Interiors, LLC @schoolhousekat - maybe complex and practical? Just a guess. I like the idea of the wood very much. In our first house I installed a bead board backsplash in our kitchen for a vintage feel. Eventually I ripped that out and replaced it with a metal-like tile. Styles and design personalities definitely change over time.

Reena hmnn, for me, this idea book of backsplash is hard to maintain. I like something attractive and yet easy to clean. I like to cook a lot, and the thought of oil splashing on those mirror tiles when I fry ? I don't think so. This is only nice for the looks.

Libby Wilkie at aneyefordetail Some of these are fun, and oh so very different, but yes, I stay with something clean and simple! We have never (would you believe..) had backsplash before so in our new kitchen I have opted for a white subway tile. They have a beveled edge which makes all the difference!

lmcdonald56 some awesome ideas for my new kitchen ... thanks !

dancingfish With black granite countertops and oak cabinets what color do you choose for a back splash.. I couldn't go as dark as picture #2... I am always stumped.

kbumgar totally agree with scottysgal... all of these back splashes are way too busy for my taste.

piloshirly I went with my stainless steel appliances and choose a stainless steel back splash.
goes perfectly with my white kitchen

claudiao I agree with CooCoo. Many of the backsplashes are beautiful, but impractical; cleaning nightmares for sure.

Audrey Hennefer I agree that some of these lack practicallity. Beautiful for a magazine or in a kitchen belonging to someone who doesn't cook, but not in mine, where I cook everyday. I went with classic white subway except behind the stove. I used stainless steel small subways there.

Jason Ball Interiors, LLC Thank you for all the great comments about the practicality of these more intricate backsplashes. Next time you're considering changing out any tile, consider using an epoxy grout. This type of grout is stain resistant, water proof, mildew proof, etc. It's way more durable than standard grout, which is usually the problem for most tile work (except for the mirrored one - that would become a big greasy mess in my kitchen).

chickadee The more I see the different varieties of backsplashes, the more I realize I like a subdued subway tile.

potchergirl Oh my gosh, that basketweave one looks like a nightmare to clean. Must be for a non-functional kitchen!

mousemaker nightmares for sure :) also migraines :)
maybe there is a disconnect between picking out something fun and colorful and actually living with it.
we just put in Jerusalem tile, large 12x12 pieces. it's not for everyone, but in our kitchen it looks wonderful.

vent3717 very different ...too much going on for me.

Sassy Sunshine the basketweave one would be a nightmare to try & clean

Lisa Gouget_Wigman we have mirror backsplashes in our kitchen (came with the house) and they are a nightmare to clean, if you're not a clean freak, then your kitchen always looks a mess, no matter how tidy or clean the counters are!! thank God we're going to remodel and those freaking annoying mirror backsplashes will be history!!!

Alicia Any image can be transferred onto tiles to create a tile mural for your kitchen backsplash.

See an extensive collection of images.

http://www.AliciatappDesigns.com

ajnz833 I like the mirrored tiles (different shapes) for a laundry room which is free from cooking/food splatter and would add animation and provide lots of light reflection and make the room larger and cheerier. The other tiles are also gorgeous and I was wondering it they would benefit from a piece of glass covering them? You would still get the design and relief of the tile with an easy clean up solution ..... hmmm. I didn't really see "me" in any of the designs shown, I'll keep looking 8*D

ajnz833 I also like fresh cut flowers in the kitchen and love to stand them in front of mirrors which reflect any bouquet and "double" it in size! A neat trick.

DesignDivaa An eye opener...........

custom-tiles.com Modern technology allows you to express your personality in a very "personal" manner by avoiding stock designs and images. Using photos or artwork, have your tiles custom printed. Our printed tiles are washable with typical household tile cleansers and are stain resistant. Dense tile bodies, such as glass and porcelain, can be used for immersion and wet service (showers, steam rooms, fountains) due to low moisture absorption properties. Digital manipulation in Photoshop and Illustrator permit high resolution enlargement, editing, and tile printing.

amycecchi I love this idea book. I bet your kitchen tile indicates a clever, creative and light-hearted personality;)

Jason Ball Interiors, LLC thanks amycecchi. The backsplash in my kitchen is actually a porcelain tile meant to look like rusted metal. There was some type of manufacturing mistake and they polished the surface of the tile. So it has a rusty undertone, but with a slightly silver and reflective face (not mirrored, just reflective). Plus, I live in a house built in 1908 so I love the mix between the old, vintage feel and the slightly industrial feel. That's where my light-heartedness comes out - mixing styles and eras.

amycecchi Perfect:). I have (rusty metal look) ceramic tile in my kitchen, on my fireplace and one wall in my powder room. I think I can picture your tile- yes- clever, creative and not too serious!

jacksonbeth Here's a new one for those of you trying to decide what backsplash design you need to live with for the next x amount of years. I am a new home builder and we just got word of this new line from Web Don called Kitchen Palette. This is so amazing because it allows you to change the look of your tile backsplash whenever you want. It is an interchangable piece that fits perfectly into your backsplash, looks like it was just tiled in with everything else. Meanwhile, per year or season, you can remove and replace this picture any time you want with another image or look. Visit their site at Web Don to view it. Its amazing and highly recommended.

ajnz833 I just looked -I'm not impressed.

pamc321 Ok I am old cranky and achey! The words 'back splash' indicate that the key word here is splash... Things are going to get wet, greasy, soiled, stained, and spilled! All those tiny decorative, beautiful grout lines in tiles, in glass, intricate patterns, etc etc etc are going to require CLEANING! People when you have achey breaky necks, shoulders, hips, knees. One of the last places that you want to try to clean is a 'back splash'! And where is the back splash located... eye level! So you are gonna see the grime, before the beauty! I say keep it simple... perhaps I would be most happy with a camp fire!

Jason Ball Interiors, LLC pamc321 - with the advent of new technologies in grout (epoxy grout mainly), the problem with dirty grout lines has almost completely gone away. As a designer, it is my responsibility to not only make a space beautiful, but also function well. We're always looking for new building products that make our clients' lives easier, not more difficult. Don't let the grout scare you away from having a beautiful backsplash.

pamc321 @Jason Ball, just was reading some comments on This Old House regarding epoxy grouts... seems there is a difference of opinions regarding the ease of care and benefits of installation in relationship to the costs. I guess when my simmering pot of pasta sauce, has an unexpected volcanic eruption all over my tile backsplash, you gonna be the first guy I call for cleanup. LOL @Jason, I really am a positive person, and I try to embrace new and better and change. It's just so much life experience, i.e. too many pasta sauce volcanic eruptions to count makes me very wary. But it is damn fine pasta sauce! LOL