Stainless steel tiles (like on ceilings in Victorian houses), beadboard, glass tile, ceramic tile all the way up...or just painted wall.

There are many options and a lot of people on the forum have the most difficult time making choices, when it comes to the backsplash.

There are many threads (check the search at the top of the page) and looking though some of the older ones might give you ideas :)

I've been on here for years. Used to be "teachertile". This forum has helped me with a lot & now that I'm in this new space I've lost steam with coming up with ideas. I know I like porcelain & ceramic because they clean up so nicely. I just can't put my hands on something I like with the countertop. It probably stems from on "not in love" feeling I have for this countertop, but it isn't going to be changed for several years.

What is several years...2 or 10? That would make a huge difference to me. If it's closer to 2 years or so I wouldn't spend the money to do anything more than paint.

Realistically… 5-7 years. There is a lot of countertop & it will take a bit to save up the money to get exactly what I want. Plus there are SEVERAL projects around the house/yard that will come before the kitchen.

If you know you're going to change it in about 5 years....maybe do something fun and trendy for the backsplash?

I can see why you don't like the counter, to me it is a complete color mismatch to the cabinets. Warm vs. cool. It is a very nice kitchen! but the counter + cabs come off as busy enough, so my only advice at this point is to keep it simple. A very neutral (neither overtly warm nor cool) color.

I was thinking something like this mini brick, but I don't know if it would be right with the counter & the cabinets.

I like the one you have there, but it doesn't totally tie the two things together. The idea of doing something a bit trendy is kind of good since you will likely change it all out eventually. What about something like one of these? All from Home Depot. I think I would go with something in the lighter families because it will lighten up the room. This top tile wouldn't be my fave b/c it is three dimensional. A pain to clean, but I like how it has the browns and grays.

One more. This is an accent strip. You could do something like this to jazz up plain tumbled marble. All of this being said, since you said you are doing this to make yourself like the kitchen the way it is, find something that makes your heart sing!

I like the trendy stuff, but I don't think I could do it in my kitchen. Even though… maybe I would grow to hate it so quickly that my husband would agree to change it all quicker… haha. I need easy to clean & something that will blend the two looks & add texture.

I would keep it really simple or maybe no BS at all. Just paint the kitchen. In the photo of the kitchen to me it really doesn't look bad. Maybe it appears different in person.

Rachel- Now that's a good idea! :)

2011!!! Can you believe it?!? The house was built in 2011 & has great bones, 4034 sq ft, great yard & a wonderful neighborhood. All that said the builders made some weird choices & many things need to be changed. That is the theme around the entire house, "really nice, but could be amazing with some work". We already took out the cabinet & wall next to the double oven. That opens it up to the living room. Now just looking to add the backsplash till we can really make it the kitchen we love in the future.

I left a wonderful kitchen in our last house. Beautiful floors, BM paint, granite counters, perfect backsplash.... One day I will make this kitchen amazing as well. I'm just working on making the entire house functional right now, and I think a backsplash will help do that in the kitchen.... Sigh... So many projects. It's amazing & overwheming all at the same time.

So, here's the thing. It's not worth the effort to tile your bs right now, and it sounds like you have other fires to put out. Think of all the effort it's going to take to install the tile, only to pull it down and fix the drywall a few years down the road, just to tile it all over again.

Definitely, definitely paint the kitchen. It's the yellow paint that's killing you. If you can go for a greige (grey beige) you will notice the mismatch between the cabs and counters less, and you will eventually stop seeing the 4" bs.

This is Slipper Satin by Farrow and Ball described both as an off-white and a soft grey with no blue undertones. Another option would be something like Cornforth White below it that is a little deeper grey, less beige. You can color match in another brand if you like, but you see where I'm going.

The is Stone Hearth. Something like this? I do think changing the paint color will help, but I don't mind the idea of tearing out a backsplash after 5-7 years. To me that's not a big deal. If it was going to be a year or two, no.

I'm thinking the cabinets will be the focal point since I'm not loving anything else. The countertop is blah & I don't want to have a loud, crazy backsplash.

How about a small herringbone pattern in a pearly white?

Not the best rendering but to give you an idea?

I do like that! I think that will be pretty much the same look as my mini brick that I posted above. It would add texture & depth to the space. The backsplash will only go on the wall above & the wall behind the sink. So not much...

I agree with those who suggest adding crown molding and painting first. Then I'd get some colorful accessories and art. Like that green vase on top of the cabinet or some bright cobalt.

we went with a modern dichroic full glass backsplash.