I could see it being a concern. Anything can happen. Mixing could spray food on wall, opening a can could too. Guest/child could *fill in the blank*. If you had plaster walls, I'd say no problem, they can handle stuff like that. But dry wall can't near as easily.

So, all that said, I'd do the BS all the way around. ;)

I have a modern, minimalist kitchen with quartz countertops and a quartz backsplash very similar to what you described. It goes up to the ceiling behind the range and up to an interior cutout behind the sink. There is also a short 3” strip of quartz around the rest of the countertops. I think the tiling-every-wall-up-to-the-ceiling thing has gotten way out of hand, although I know that is a minority opinion. The walls are painted semigloss, so any splatter, of which there is very little, is easily wiped off.

Good luck with your project, and keep us posted.

I have not had a backsplash for 25+ years. We use a good quality paint (on drywall) that is easily washed and last time it was painted was 10 years ago. The stovetop is on the island At first I was waiting to find the “right” tile but as time passed I realized I disliked tiled back splashes as they so often look dated. When we renovated the kitchen at our vacation home I simply painted the backsplash area. The stove is in a corner and the walls get dirty but are easily scrubbed and are still holding up after 7 years. No water damage in either kitchen.