I’m not sure changing the backsplash is going to make a huge difference.

If you continue the color of the tiles up on the wall in an satin finish and change your pendant lighting,,,that might do it for the room.

Do you have under cabinet lighting? I think the backsplash looks quite nice. Under cabinet would help lighten it up. What really doesn't seem to work are the pendants. I think they are really expensive, but they look way too formal for your space?? Replace those with ones that give better light. Check your light bulbs and change to convertible, dimmable LEDS that will really brighten things up too.

Something like this might work. It will repeat your stainless features hardware and appliances.

Yeah, I think your best investment is to double the wattage of light in here -- better pendants, more cans, some undercabinet. A few shades lighter on the wall can't really fight all that black and dark brown.

Late there be light. Different finishes can only do so much in an under lit room.

Is that an island that the pendants hang over, if so, maybe lightening those cabinets and counter top would help. Also consider a window treatment that has a pop of color and pattern. You can still have the blind underneath. Concur with all the above advise.

I'd say have the cabinets re-painted in a furniture grade white spray on finish, this will make the biggest change to brighten up the room, imho.

All good comments above.

- Changing the back splash will not take away the feeling of 'darkness'.

- Change the light to simple, clean, light colored metal fixtures.

- Get rid of big blocky things on the countertop.

- Find a way to reflect light into this space via 'color washed mirror' placed in the living room or elsewhere.

Good luck.

Ritu Saheb, Architect, AIA

All the comments have been good so far. Here are some options you might have not consider for over the island that can really increase the amount of light in the room.

I agree with Cancork about the countertops...my very first thought. Hopefully changing the lighting can help some. Good thing you've got some stainless going on with the appliances. Black would really be a problem.

It is about the black granite counters paired with dark wood cabs.

I can see a light reflecting back splash making a huge difference here plus adding a style statement!

See how the light is reflecting off the twist in the hardware pulls? Take your cue from those.

Agree that improved lighting is a must!

Cancork has a good point about surface area. Another surface area is your walls. I realize gray is the "in" color, but it can be a bit of a downer and definitely contributes to the number of "my kitchen is too dark / blah / needs something" post that come here weekly. Wall paint can be the least expensive change - and very light, barely there grays are popular, and I am seeing a lot of creams these days too.

Have you changed your bulbs to LED daylights? Install under-cabinet lighting, repaint the ceiling to a faint light blue to give the illusion of sky and stop to access where you are. This can be like adding too much salt - you can't take it out. I'd do simple tweaks before I started tearing out anything.

And if I did anything with the backsplash it might be to put up antique mirror subway tiles, a little bling to make the kitchen sparkle and dance the light!

Some superimposed ideas from The Tile Bar

https://www.houzz.com/photos/san-anselmo-kitchen-traditional-kitchen-san-francisco-phvw-vp~2192467

Pearlescent narrow subway tiles - thumbs up or down?

https://www.houzz.com/photos/english-country-traditional-kitchen-phvw-vp~447119

note the textural quality of the back splash over the stove - it mimics the curves in your pulls plus reflects light.

Hmm, I concur with posters saying that swapping out the backsplash will only go so far. I would seriously consider keeping the back splash but swapping out the counter on the island for something lighter, then making some lighting changes.

Lighten up the backsplash and walls; that should help.

Love the options you have shown us Bell! TY!

Lighting is your answer unless you want to spend $5-10K. New lighting a couple thousand depending on what you have and how much additional lighting you can introduce.

One option might also be to change out the stone on the Island (if that is an island) to a lighter look. that would really help without messing with the existing backsplash and would connect with the current backsplash as well.

I agree with Flo. The back splash is fine. It is the black countertops that suck up all the light. The island countertop could be a solid cream/tan, and would really change the look of the space.

Install a Skylight if you can. A skylight should be architectural as well as functional in letting light in. I always enlarge the ceiling opening at least twice the size of the skylight. Alex Palo Alto

I agree with the others, backsplash is quite nice and is the brightest element on your kitchen. My choice would be to change the countertops to a light creamy quartz. it would look great with your backsplash. I noticed that there are some glass front cabinets with dark glass. Maybe switch to clear glass with interior lighting.

Under cabinet lighting

different brighter plainer light fixtures

light cream colors bowls and accessories on the counters/island

Painting your cabinets a lighter color and adding a lighter backsplash tile that goes full height will brighten up this room a lot!

Just have to chime in again - I don't see, at all, how the existing back splash makes a connection with anything in the kitchen: style nor color. To my eye, it was a miss from day one.

We have lost the OP.

In terms of actually brightening the kitchen, antique mirrors will actually make the kitchen darker because it will reflect the counters which are black, just as they do in the picture below

Did a little mock up to show you how you can brighten by changing island granite.

I would recommend changing the backsplash to a cream/reflective tile. A little tip for picking out colors for a low light room; check out the light index on the back of a paint chip. The higher the number, the more "light" that the color will bounce, or reflect, back into a room. So find a paint chip with a high reflective number, match it to a tile you like, and tile to the ceiling. If you find a tile that is reflective or pearlescent, under cabinet lighting will do twice as much work for you! Other then that splash in some bright or light decorations to bring your eye towards something other then the darkness. Hope this helps!

One last thing! If there is a wall across the room, opposite of the window, put up a med-large mirror. This will also help bring some of that natural light in.

Might also help to remove back splash and just add granite return at just the height of your corner raised section then paint out the wall in your lighter paint color. I agree with the current splash not complimenting every thing else.

Brenda: You never said whether the counter in the foreground is an island. Love your light fixtures and the lighter granite Flo mocked up made them stand out more.

What that mock up told me is your backsplash has more color than it looks like. So if you keep backsplash and put new granite on (is that an island? Or peninsula?) then the granite has to have a bit more of the color of the existing backsplash or it will really clash. But your existing pendants would look better in any event.

You've gotten a lot of good advice from the pros here... but before you spend a lot of money, I think if you add under cabinet lighting -- with halogen or incandescent lights (much warmer colored light), you'll see a huge difference. I have a dark kitchen and the under cabinet lighting (which I have on dimmers) makes all the difference.