Grab Attention in Your Kitchen With Creative Backsplashes Above Stoves
The backsplash area above a stove gets splattered with ingredients during cooking. An eye-catching backsplash protects the wall while adding flair to your kitchen. With so many colors, textures, and materials to choose from, you can create a true focal point that reflects your unique style.
Read on for ideas that will make you want to grab your apron and get cooking in a kitchen you’ll be proud to show off.
Backsplash Materials: Function Meets Beauty
Selecting the right backsplash material involves balancing practical factors like durability, ease of cleaning, and cost along with the look you want to achieve. Here are some top options:
Ceramic & Porcelain Tile
Glazed ceramic and porcelain tiles are affordable, easy to clean, and come in endless colors and styles. The high-fired clay is water-resistant and stands up well to stains and heat. Subway tiles with their rectangular shape laid in straight rows create a classic backsplash. Intricate patterns, 3D tiles, and glossy finishes are also available to match any decor.
Pair white ceramic tiles with dark grout for a crisp, clean farmhouse aesthetic. Warm up a minimalist kitchen with organic earth tones. Or make the backsplash the star with vibrant colors and geometric designs.
Glass Tile
Few materials reflect light and brighten up a kitchen like glass tile. Metallic, frosted, and translucent glass in every hue come in squares, long rectangles, and tiny mosaics. The reflective surface amplifies the amount of light in the kitchen. Glass tiles are completely non-porous for easy cleaning.
Create visual depth by stacking glass tiles and using bold colors like cobalt blue on the lower portion of the wall. Iridescent glass tiles paired with downlighting will make your backsplash shine. For a more subdued effect, use neutral tones like white or soft gray.
Metal Tile
Metal backsplashes lend an industrial vibe, perfect for contemporary and modern kitchens. The innate brilliance and sleekness of metals like stainless steel, copper, bronze, and tin create a polished, reflective surface. Emulate metal ceiling tiles or corrugated roofing in rectangular sheets or opt for small mosaic penny tiles.
Copper backsplashes will patina beautifully over time, developing a lovely greenish hue. Stainless steel provides a brilliant mirror-like look to amplify light. Pair metal backsplashes with unfinished wood or concrete for an ultra-modern statement.
Marble & Natural Stone
For timeless elegance, marble and other natural stones like travertine, limestone, and slate simply can't be surpassed. The veining patterns and swirls make each piece unique. Stones come polished, honed, or tumbled for different finishes. Compared to ceramic and porcelain tile, stone is more porous and will need to be sealed periodically.
Carrara marble is the gold standard with its white background and gray veining. Go bold with emerald green serpentine or purple marble. Stacked slate in black, blue-gray, and rustic brown has a lovely layered texture. Hone your inner geologist and create a stone mosaic mixing various material shapes and sizes.
Mix & Match Materials
Why choose only one backsplash tile when you can have them all? Combining materials like ceramic, glass, metal, and stone allows you to take advantage of each one's strengths. Contrasting textures like glossy and matte provide visual interest.
Group mosaic tiles within rectangular fields of ceramic tile for an orderly yet artistic look. Use marble on the lower half and delicate glass mosaics on top to differentiate cooking and display areas. Let your creativity run wild - as long as you maintain a cohesive overall design, the mix and match options are endless.
Backsplash Patterns: Rhythm & Repetition
The arrangement of backsplash tiles creates enticing patterns for the eye to follow. Layout possibilities from traditional to avant-garde include:
Brick & Subway
The most recognized backsplash layout uses rectangular tiles stacked in offset rows like bricks. All one color or alternating tones create rhythm. Pair with any kitchen style from farmhouse to contemporary. Subway tiles laid in a straight line are a close cousin for minimalist appeal.
White tiles with thin grout lines give a crisp, orderly look. Run colorfully handmade tiles vertically for an arts and crafts vibe. Stack longer planks horizontally to make the kitchen feel wider.
Herringbone
Rows of rectangular or square tiles pointing in alternating directions form the recognizable herringbone pattern. The dynamic energy draws the eye along changing angles. Favored in transitional and contemporary spaces, herringbone backsplashes add lovely texture.
Achieve contrast with light and dark tiles. Metallic tiles reflect more light when set on the bias. Make a statement with boldly colored tiles. Tip: Avoid tiny tiles which get overly busy in herringbone.
Hexagons
The six-sided hexagon tile naturally pairs with kitchens boasting sleek modern or retro flair. Set closely together, the interlocking honeycomb pattern feels organic, artistic, and just a bit funky. Mix with rectangular subway tiles for an added dose of geometry.
Petite handmade ceramic hex tiles in earth tones exude homespun charm. Oversize marble hexagons create movement. Hexagons using multiple colors, shapes, or materials design eyecatching mosaics. Go all in on the hexagon shape or integrate creatively as accents.
Geometric
If you love order and angles, a geometric backsplash design delivers. Combinations of lines, shapes like triangles and rectangles, and 3D tiles in formations like stacked or fanning create visual harmony.
Make a bold statement with a zigzag herringbone or starburst pattern. Echo architectural details with triangular tiles laid in rows. Move from retro to modern vibe by changing up the tile colors. Geometric backsplashes require carefully planned layouts for a cohesive look.
Artistic
Maybe meticulously straight grout lines aren’t your thing. Freeform artistic backsplashes let you channel your inner Matisse with handmade ceramic and glass tiles. Ombre colors, abstract shapes, graceful curves, and designs mimicking things found in nature make these backsplashes anything but ordinary.
Work with a mosaic tile artist to create a custom design with personal symbolic meaning. Use a combination of ceramic and glass tiles for added depth and radiance. Swirling colors and organic shapes exude free-spirited style in boho or eclectic kitchens.
Design Concepts: Creative Backsplash Solutions
You have endless options when it comes to backsplashes. Here are some inspired ideas:
Match Cabinetry
Tying your backsplash to cabinet colors and finishes ensures an integrated look. Contrasting grout lines differentiate backsplash tiles from solid cabinet faces. For white cabinets, choose white subway tile with dark grout. Wood cabinets pair well with beige and brown toned tiles.
Alternate tile colors to echo two-tone cabinetry. Coordinate backsplash and cabinet hardware finishes for continuity. A marble, quartz, or granite backsplash brings out similar speckles and veining in countertops.
Accent Cooking Zone
Focus bold backsplash tile with intense colors, shiny finishes, and visual patterns solely behind the stove. Transition to more subtle neutral tiles like ceramic brick on surrounding walls and across from countertops. This technique highlights the cooking area.
Black glass mosaic tiles behind the stove pop against white subway tiles on other walls. Place an ornate decorative tile medallion above the stove. The goal is to visually define the functional workspace before shifting to a calmer palette.
Shelving Integration
Take your backsplash functionality up a notch by incorporating recessed shelving directly into the design. This provides a place to proudly display treasured pottery or glassware. Open shelving also eliminates upper cabinetry to create an airier look.
Stagger floating glass or wood shelves atop a marble subway backsplash. Recess a long metal shelf into a sleek stainless backsplash to hold spices and oils. Leave a portion of wall empty to mount utensil hooks and bars.
Extend to Ceiling
Most backsplashes stop at the lowest point of the upper cabinets. For a bolder look, take the backsplash all the way to the ceiling. This makes the kitchen feel taller and defines the backsplash as a true focal feature.
Make a small kitchen appear bigger by using glossy penny tiles from counter to ceiling. Contrast a colorful mosaic backsplash with white upper cabinets and ceiling. Be sure ventilation is adequate, as extending backsplashes can trap heat and steam.
Personalize
Backsplashes provide the ideal space to infuse personality into your kitchen. For a nostalgic homey vibe, attach favorite vintage kitchen tools like rolling pins or measuring cups. Preserve memories by using kids’ ceramic handprints as accents. Display logo tiles from a cherished university or sports team.
For a playful jewelry-box feel, dot glass tiles with pearl or crystal accents. Work with a mosaic artist to design a backsplash featuring your family name or meaningful symbols. The options to personalize your backsplash are as unique as you are.
With so many beautiful and functional backsplash possibilities to explore, you’re sure to find your perfect accent wall material, color, and design. Use backsplashes to infuse your cooking space with light, add appealing texture, and showcase what makes you happy.
The area above your stove sees a lot of action. Protect it in style with a backsplash that makes you eager to start cooking. With a creative backsplash as your kitchen’s crowning jewel, your space will truly reflect the beauty of you.