45 Splashy Kitchen Backsplashes
Kitchen backsplashes no longer simply protect walls from spills and splatters, a wide array of eye-catching materials like glass, wood, metals and stone make the backsplash the focal point of today's kitchens.
Reflective Finish: Antique Mirror
The antiqued mirror backsplash in this 19th Century Japanese kitchen has just enough reflective qualities to brighten the small space without being too distracting. The mirror's vintage finish pairs well with custom wood cabinetry.
Photo By: Izumi Tanaka ©Izumi Tanaka
Budget Friendly: Tin Sheets
Once a traditional ceiling adornment, tin is now making its way into the kitchen backsplash arena. The tin backsplash in this white kitchen is a budget-friendly fix that also adds visual interest. White cabinets and countertops keep the small space feeling light and open.
Photo By: Jill Wolff
Soaring Subway
Want to make a statement with a classic white subway tile? Take it all the way up to the ceiling for a super clean finish like this kitchen from the HGTV Urban Oasis 2015.
Photo By: Sarah Dorio
Embossed Concrete
Intricate but hardworking, an embossed concrete tile backsplash in an interlocking hexagonal pattern creates a sense of formality in the kitchen when paired with traditional cabinetry.
Photo By: Sarah Barnard
Textured Tile
This neutral kitchen is anything but vanilla where a sculptural limestone backsplash adds texture and depth to a space filled with smooth light wood cabinets and white quartz countertops.
Photo By: Antonio Martins
Metallics: Penny Tile
This contemporary kitchen takes a sophisticated approach to a penny-tile backsplash. Round metallic tiles pop against black walls, black door, cabinets and shiny black countertop. The hanging lights echo the backsplash's geometric design.
Stone: River Rock
Although the most common use of these river rock pebbles is actually shower floors, photo stylist Chris Walker and her husband came up with the idea of using them as a kitchen backsplash. They asked their kitchen designer John Petrie, CMKBD, president elect of the National Kitchen and Bath Association, to install it on the walls. "The one-of-a-kind, free-flowing edges of the pebbles not only mimic the flow of soft teal veins in the dark green soapstone countertops," says Walker, "but also balance the vertical lines of the Shaker-style cabinet doors." Lesson learned: when you're shopping for backsplash materials, ask the vendor to show you floor tiles, as well. While not every product will adapt well to vertical application, you may hit upon an unusual — and easily implemented — idea.
Photo By: Photography by Carl Socolow
Stone: Quartzite Sandstone
This textured, rustic backsplash makes it look as if this kitchen by Hamilton-Gray Design is fully constructed of stone. But, in fact, the quartzite material actually comes in pieces that are applied just like tile, making it a viable choice even in a home with plaster or sheetrock walls.
Photo By: Photography by Scott McKay
Unusual Materials: Recycled Glass
Another great example of design that reduces, reuses and recycyles: The backsplash and counters in this Bay Area kitchen by Massucco Warner Miller are Icestone terrazzo, made locally in Berkeley, CA, of concrete with flecks of recycled bottles and glass. In addition to being eco-friendly, Icestone is extremely durable — a great material, MWM's Julie Massucco notes, for houses where there are avid cooks, small children and messes in general. Because of its sea glass colors, this terazzo would be especially lovely in a beach house.
Photo By: Photography by David Fenton
Colorful Glass Tile
The glass in this blacksplash was chosen to complement art-glass pieces in the homeowners' collection. To achieve the look, large sheets of glass were cut into tiles and laid individually. "The challenge in working with glass is getting the best colors and control," says Risë Krag, LEED, AP, who designed this kitchen. "There is a natural flow of pattern that is not consistent in color. And the variances are beautiful but need to be implemented skillfully."
Photo By: Photography by Dean J. Birinyi
