I have been stuck on back splashes before but never more than the last kitchen I just wrapped. Sigh.
We went with a horizontally textured cabinet in a putty colour which was going to be the statement of the space – one statement per space especially when the space is on the small side and open to related spaces. We opted for simple, clean hardware and crema marfil limestone countertops (sealed, sealed and sealed again as limestone is mega-pourous). Which left the backsplash.
Our list of criteria was clear:
There was only one run that required backsplash – the rest of the kitchen was floor to ceiling cabinetry or an island – so we had a small space to contend with that could easily be overwhelmed.
It couldn’t compete with the stand alone, star of the show cabinets – it had to provide the right balance of contrast and compliment.
We considered the options:
Itty Bitty Tiles
Mosaics are ever available now and are chic. I love the colour, texture and finish play and the interest and focus they can create. We already had a focus so….moving on.
More of the Same
An easy go-to for a kitchen backsplash can be using the same slab as your countertop. This is most successful with a quiet stone – granite can be especially loud with heaps of movement and variegation. Some marbles and limestones work esthetically but function needs to have a say. Limestone behind a stovetop in a cook’s kitchen would be tougher than a flat vertical surface to keep clean. Nope.
Pattern Play
Larger tiles – probably 4×4 at the absolute max – work but have always felt “builder home” to me. They just aren’t that special and you can do a lot better if porcelain is the ceiling of your budget. Consider the mosaics.
Drum Roll….Glass
We found tempered glass that we could paint the back of to suit our scheme. Easy to keep clean, a slick esthetic that wasn’t competing with the show stopping cabinet finish and worked with the countertop but offered a polished finish and obvious surface change. So smart. You can generally only get these sheets of glass in 8 feet runs but a little sweet talking (and the signing of a waiver that said we were responsible if the glass snapped during install) and they added the extra couple of feet so we were seam free. Stunning.