I would just paint the walls.

I agree with painting. You've already got that little 4" self splash. If you were going to do a full backsplash you should have left that piece off.

How about wallpaper? Laundry and powder rooms are great spaces to "step out of the box".

Oh! I love it!!! Good Idea! Wait...is wallpaper timeless?

"Wait...is wallpaper timeless?"

Of course not--it's paper!!!

More importantly--It's not an art gallery; it's a freaking laundry room!!!

This is sort of a long thread but the final result is a really nice use of wallpaper in a laundry room. Bland to beautiful. Near the end of the thread she posts her before-and-afters. [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/sad-and-ugly-laundry-room-dsvw-vd~3792622?n=243[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/sad-and-ugly-laundry-room-dsvw-vd~3792622?n=243)

Very few decorative things are "timeless", including some tile and it's a whole lot easier to remove wallpaper than tile.

If I were you I'd put in paper. So much more interesting and you don't need the utility of the tiles.

Can you show us your floor tile?

idaclaire.... if the OP already had a definitive notion of what they wanted for the laundry room, i'd not knock them. but when you don't know what you want, its ok to just paint the backsplash area in the laundry room. the day will come when the OP sees something they can't live without for there, and that is the time for them to do *that*. not after they've spend money on something that was neither here nor there for them, suggested by folks they dont know, just to fill the space.

as England Dan and John Ford Coley said, 'its sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along'.

heck, it took me 3 years to find the right backsplash for my kitchen.

wallpaper can be expensive.... way more than tile. be forewarned.

Hey, nini - just sharing options here. The OP can decide for herself what works best. :-)

You already have a backsplash so I think wallpaper is an awesome idea especially in a laundry room you could have some real fun but maybe for now just a fun wall color.

@IdaClaire and @nini great advice! I created a mood board with the different tiles I have liked and I agree it may take me a little longer to find “I cant live without” tile. :-)

@Partim here is color scheme for the house. The vinyl behind the carpet will be floors in the laundry for now. I plan to install a very neutral tone tile.

way too safe and boring.

anyway, thats me. don't do stacked stone, it would be covered with lint.

following- at some point I will be looking for the new build/laundry room too :)

Agree with nini. Stacked stone would be a bad choice for a laundry room. I can't quite tell what the other tile is, but I'd personally not do the thin mosaics as they have always seemed to me best as accents and are entirely too busy as an entire backsplash. I do like the Arabesque tile.

That said, I'm a devoted subway tile girl myself. Even though it's trended lately, it's a tried-and-true classic. But that might be a little too much "on the safe side" for you.

Going back to your original post, you want -

Neutral Cool & chic Something that will bring "life" into the space

All of the examples you've shared fit only one of those wants - neutral. The stacked stone (IMO) has texture, but does not bring "life" into the room. It could also be a cleaning challenge. The wood-look arabesque tile might work. Re mosaics, none of the designers I work with are using mosaics now and pulled away from grey a while back.

Will you have any color in your house at all? Accents, etc.? Is there any color you really like? If not, focus only on creams, browns, taupes, etc. Also, are you only decorating behind the sink?

I've posted a few more LR pics, but my last piece of advice - you've got a brand new house and have likely had many decisions to make. Live in it for a while. Take your time and wait until you find something that you truly can't live without.

Love this tile....

Neutrals, browns...

Encaustic cement (and EC look tiles) are still going strong. You can find wallpapers that have the same look.

More neutral..

And here is something lively!

Out of the two you've posted above, I'd go with the geometric and I'd do the whole room. Whether you DIY or have an installer hang wallpaper, please make sure they size the walls prior to hanging.

yes I agree>>>Geometric and the whole room

This really has me thinking that I should do wallpaper in the new laundry area also....humm pretty sure hubby will not like that idea .. need to start mulling this room over

https://www.houzz.com/user/shannen247

I do like #4 tones :), would you use a white subway with it ?

our room is empty so far ... but I will prob purchase Ikea cabinets for the laundry room/area here >> we are in BC/Canada, on a island off of an island. The laundry/dog room outside door will lead into a fenced area for our 2 German wired haired pointers & only be used by hubby to come & go to his shop area or get wood for wood stove. The W/D will be recessed in to a wall, with overhead cabinets that open up & then along the other wall, 2 store cabinets/towers with a sink in the middle below a window.

https://www.houzz.com/photos/new-build-gabe-phvw-vp~123160286

for other photos you can check out my profile page under new build gabe Shannon

great idea.... :)

I cannot imagine that peel and stick wallpaper will turn out well, especially if you are doing more than a small backslash space. I just wallpapered a hallway and using real wallpaper. It wasn't that bad. But in order to line up the pattern you need the paper to slide on the wall a bit which isn't going to happen with peel and stick. Do the real stuff or don't bother.