Need help for my kitchen back splash

13 years ago

I have a kitchen with cabinet in poplar English Leather color, kitchen counter granite is Graphite Brown (caledonian) stainless steel appliance. What should I use for my back splash? and what should the kitchen paint be

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PRO

NexTrend Design

13 years ago

Try to keep the backsplash a solid color that you can pick out of the countertop. Because your counter seems to have considerable pattern & color variation in it, choose a "quieter" backsplash with little to no pattern in it so that it doesn't compete or clash. A taupe or warm gray or cement/greige color could work well, depending on how conservative or dramatic you want it to look. A dramatic choice would be black or charcoal since that's also in the counter, but I wouldn't try to match the brown of your cabinets or floors because it could potentially be too much brown.

Walls could tone into the backsplash color, either darker or lighter. You could also create a feature wall in a contrasting accent color... let's say you love turquoise or have dreams of a yellow kitchen. You may want to consider painting just one wall in the accent color you love and then bring in accessories to repeat that accent color in the space.

Does that help at all? Do you know what your preferred design style is?

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Comments (22)

Natalie
13 years ago
Hi---what type of flooring do you have?
stvu
Original Author
13 years ago
I have Oaktown #42 Oak Cherry, very light color
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stvu
Original Author
13 years ago
Natalie, what do you think of grayish white tumble marble? or mixed stone, glass in shade of white, silver, and grey "Luna Melange Silver white", I am worry that I choose a wrong granite color for this new town home.
stvu
Original Author
13 years ago
Here are few example as per your suggestion, is any color good for the granite?
Natalie
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
Hi---excellent choices-cabs, counters, flooring! Paint colors for you---all Sherwin Williams SW 6073 Perfect Greige, SW 6080 Utterly Beige, and SW 7031 Mega Greige... Some options for backsplashes---your selection above is wonderful and would look fabulous---I like the 2 on the right best. :) I hope this is helpful info for you. Do keep us posted with your progress. Good Luck!
[houzz=
Mosaic Tile · More Info
][houzz=
Roosevelt Petite 1 · More Info
][houzz=
BACKSPLASH Collections by Keramin Tiles - http://www.keramin.ca/ · More Info
]
stvu
Original Author
13 years ago
Natalie and NextTrendDesign and all,
I stop by the tile store to day, and find some quieter, gray but when I put them together, it look dark. My kitchen has no window of it own, it open to the living room and across the living we will have 2 big window. Would it be too dark?
ellie0149
13 years ago
This is the backsplash I picked and contractor said to add stainless tiles to tie in with appliance. My floor tiles are similar color to backsplash tiles.
stvu
Original Author
13 years ago
Nice pattern on the backsplash Ellie,
At the store today I found the following combo
1. DaleTile M744-4T and Misty Grey 5/8 x 2 Glass TRBGD101- THis is grey on grey with grey glass
2. Dale Tile HL01-6 10111 and DT SA505/8 Random 8.12 with HL01-6 tile
The white and silver turns out to be too white
Natalie
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
Hi---well I'll be honest-I don't really care for any of the three-if I had to choose one-it would be the second one-installed vertically. I recommend you keep shopping as you do need something light, reflective, and/or has a light pattern againt a dark background. Trust your instinct---the minute you see it, you'll know. Hope this is helpful. Good Luck!

Hope this is helpful. Good Luck!
PRO
NexTrend Design
13 years ago
last modified: 13 years ago
Of your 3 samples, I think the upper 2 would be too dark given your comments on little light in the space, although the plain quieter design is heading in the right direction for your countertop. The bottom one is too busy, too high contrast, but the beige tones look like they're the right color direction.

What I see too often is competing countertops and backsplashes. Too many different designs & colors next to one another creates competition & visual discord. Keeping the backsplash a plain solid color with perhaps a slight tone-on-tone speckle in it or very subtle design will add the feeling of texture without competing with the countertop. Don't get discouraged... it's worth the hunt till you find the one that says "AHA!"

Here are some photos of some of my staging projects...
Notice the upper 2 photos of the same kitchen. One wall has cream beadboard backplash instead of tile, a creative alternative for areas of the kitchen that don't involve much food prep.

Does this help with ideas?
PRO
RoManTone Mosaic Tiles
13 years ago
our glass mosaic tile can give you a good idea, i think.
feeny
13 years ago
I would not do a dark backsplash as both your cabinets and counters are already dark.
I would keep the backsplash very simple, using one of the light colors taken from the granite. Your granite is busy, so you don't want a comparably busy high-contrast mosaic backsplash competing with it for attention.
Personally, I would choose a light-colored glass subway tile in a solid color. Or, if you are pursuing a more traditional look, a light ceramic subway tile. A light travertine is another option.
PRO
Susan Jablon Mosaics
13 years ago
Hi stvu!
Your cabinets and granite are both pretty dark, so you do need to be careful with your backsplash that it isn't also too dark. You want to create contrast, and also brighten up the space. Pulling out the lighter colors in your granite for your tile is a very good way to match color. The tiles below are from our site. The subway tile is in a shade of off white called Vanilla Bone, that would match your granite well, and you could install these vertically or horizontally. The mosaic features a light off white, and brings out some of the grayish greens from your granite. These are darker colors, but the majority of the mosaic is the light color, and the darker tiles have an iridescent finish which captures and reflects light beautifully. Just some ideas for you, good luck with your selections!
stvu
Original Author
13 years ago
Which of these do you think go better with that dark brown cabinet and grayish granite
dawnmarilynn
13 years ago
Hi stvu- One idea I've done in past kitchen remodels, (my husband is a general contractor) is to have our tile setter take a 4" x 4" tile of the same granite on the countertops and use the tile saw to make an accent tile (that looks like it is actually 9 little mosaic pieces) and incorporate it into the design of the backsplash! In your case, I would choose a creamy tone in a matte texture and let your granite accents stand out!! I would place these accent granite "tiles" roughly 18" apart about halfway up from the granite. I put mine on the diagonal (diamond shape) and got many compliments. When you get to the area above the cooktop, you can have fun with the design-- Good luck!!
stvu
Original Author
13 years ago
DawnMarilynn, I like the idea but unfortunately, my builder send me to the design center to find the ready made tile. not willing to do the extra stuff.
At builder's design center today, I can not find the two colors which Susan Jablon suggested, but I found these, any of these OK? The last resort may be just an insert Ion metals IM02 2x2 with 6x6 tile
I appreciate everyone give me suggestion, even though I am a little frustrate for choosing the difficult granite to work with but I enjoy this process very much.
dawnmarilynn
13 years ago
Hi again~Sorry your builder is not very helpful. Designing and building are two very different skills. After looking at your 4 pictures above, I would go with the light grayish glass tile if your style leans more toward modern/contemporary, and the 4" x 4" if you prefer a more traditional style. Either way, you have picked 3 that are quite good!! :) If you go with the more plain, matte tile on bottom right picture, you could still purchase some "bling" in a black, glossy, small subway for a thin deco strip!!
PRO
NexTrend Design
13 years ago
The bottom right tile would probably suit your granite the best. I has that quiet look and tone-on-tone slight speckle that I mentioned earlier. Keep the grout in the same color tone. I think it will bring all your finishes together well. You can add excitement & bling with accessories rather than adding too much more color and pattern to the backsplash. If you look at my 4 photos again, you'll see these high end kitchens didn't have any embellishments added to the backsplash and kept the grout color close to the tile, which makes a lovely backdrop to show off eye catching items on the counter. How does that sound?
PRO
Susan Jablon Mosaics
13 years ago
stvu,
We sell 1x3 Vanilla Bone tile on our site for $13.99/sq. ft. it also comes in frosted or glossy finish, and in a running brick or stacked layout. You can order a sample of this tile and receive free shipping. The tile comes in sq. ft. sheets with a back mounted mesh, so it would be just as easy for your builder to install as anything from Lowes or Home Depot. Here is a link to the tile: http://www.susanjablon.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=1106
Judy Bumbles
12 years ago
I would choose a colour from your bench top in a subway tiles or a glass back splash but definitely no pattern. Keep it plain and simple as your granite is very busy. Good luck.
Jeanne Seefus
8 years ago
I think both of those glass samples look great it just depends on whether you want to go gray (more modern) or beige (more traditional).