How to make your kitchen backsplash design NOT look DIY, even if you did do it yourself

Know what these two images have in common? No, it's not the subway tile.

Click through to my new blog to see more about what I'm talking about.

Click HERE.

Where to end a kitchen backsplash?

This one ends perfectly. Read more.......HERE.

Backsplash Tips - Don't Do This!

No.

One of my pet peeves with kitchen backsplashes is this side backsplash hanging way up in mid-air for no apparent reason.  This is a bad detail.  You see it in many builder homes and it's primarily the tile guy just making a decision on the job site of where to stop and start the tile.

No.

The only reason to have a side backsplash like this is if there is a water source close by where the wall will get repeated dousing on a regular basis.  Of course the other reason is if the countertop installer was not very good and didn't scribe the counter to the wall so that a tight joint sealed with a small caulking is impossible.  Many contractors use this side backsplash to "cover" the large gap between the counter and the wall.  Even if the wall is uneven or is tight at one place and wide at another, a good countertop installer should be able to cut the counters to butt tightly to the wall. 

Yes.

If you MUST have a side backsplash for any of the above reasons, make sure the tile is the color of the wall so that visually it doesn't call attention to itself and please use either a tumbled tile with a rounded edge, or get the tile guy to bullnose the edge pieces for a finished look. 

Perfect bullnosing of the tile at the unfinished edge.

Otherwise....DON'T do it!  My basic rule (which sometimes has to be broken) is to always try to die two different finishes in an inside corner. See how this works with backsplashes?

One of my "Before" kitchen remodels. See the backsplash on the left hanging in mid-air?

Close up.

"After" - See how there is no need for a backsplash on the far left and how neat and tidy it looks?

I don't have many hard and fast "rules" that I use, but this is definitely one of them.

Backsplash Tips - Part 2, Dealing with Outlets and Switches

You can have the most beautiful, expensive tile with a fabulous pattern for your kitchen backsplash and ruin it with a few missteps. Not dealing with the outlets and switches in a splash can render it the biggest eyesore in the room. Doesn't this above just scream, "You forgot about me!"

Each project is different and has different circumstances so there are no hard and fast rules except one, you don't want them to stand out or contrast with your material. You don't want outlets and switches to take the thunder away from the star, your beautiful backsplash.

The best way to do that is to blend. I usually recommend having the electrician change out all the electrical in the splash to a standard color that is as close to the backsplash field color as possible. Then, you are really only paying for labor, outlets are not that expensive. Standard colors are white, light almond, ivory, brown, and black. Stainless covers are also available and can blend in to a lot of materials. If you are using travertine, a light almond is good. Ivory for a more yellowed color of tile and brown is good on wood, like on an island. It doesn't have to be perfect, just not such a high contrast. It's not just the plates, the receptacles need to be changed too, that's why you need an electrician.

These dark outlets really distract from the pattern of the backsplash in this kitchen. A light neutral would have helped hide them.

The white outlets here interrupt the pattern and have a high contrast with the gray tile. Your eye goes right to the bright white spot. A gray color and a horizontal mounting at the base of the splash would have been a good solution.

Simple white outlets on this white tile would have blended in.

Lutron controls have a great color selection to choose from. They are somewhat more costly than standard outlets and switches, but you can really get a good match and a very sophisticated look for your backsplash.

Some contractors and designers like to put a plug strip directly under the upper cabinets. While it can create a clean look, if you plug anything in, the cord is highly visible.

If you are going to use your outlets a lot on that wall or leave items plugged in, the trailing cord can be more unsightly than the outlet. It's also a pain to bend down and look under the cabinet to see where the outlet is every time you want to plug something in.

Here is a standard light almond color outlet on a neutral tumbled limestone splash. It blends in really well.

The outlet above is mounted horizontally and blends with the backsplash colors. This is a Lutron greige color and is as inconspicuous as possible.

The outlets here are mounted horizontally and fit within the size of the tile and just underneath the inset. The expensive handmade glass tile mosaic is uninterrupted. This takes careful planning when locating the outlets on the wall.

A beautiful kitchen with unobtrusive outlets and switches. You notice the marble tile, not the white switch plates.

Careful planning and attention to detail are essential to making the most of your backsplash. You don't want to spend all that money on beautiful tile just to ruin it with an ill placed, contrasting outlet.

For more info on backsplash design see this post.....Walls of Tile

Check out my new blog, Designed w/Carla Aston. See you there!

Backsplash Tips - Part 1, Overall Color and Design

You've found your countertop and cabinets and now you're stuck. You can't decide what to do with the backsplash. Many people get hung up here. They tend to overthink it and make more of it than it really is. The reality is, most of the time a backsplash is covered up with kitchen items, small appliances, etc. The stuff on a counter left out most of the time is visually becoming part of the backsplash. The pattern that you carefully laid out is interrupted.

Take a look at all the stuff out on your counter now. Chances are it will be there after you build/remodel. Most people don't want to acknowledge that but it's true. I like to keep things out on my counter. It just makes cooking more convenient. As long as it's good looking, a crock of utensils, a pretty tray of oils and vinegars, a bowl of fruit, I don't see anything wrong with that. Add in a busy backsplash though and things can start to look cluttered. Keeping a simple design can make a nice backdrop for objects you keep out on the counter.

When you look at a kitchen wall, with lower cabinet, counter, backsplash, upper cabinet, then maybe wall space and crown moulding, there are lots of elements to consider. So many things on a wall in a different color or tone are busy looking and not visually strong. I usually like to blend the backsplash with either the counter or the cabinets or have it recede by matching the color tone to the wall color it's on. It needs to relate to something.

Lastly, if everything in your space is toned down or all one color and you want your backsplash to be the stand alone element in the room, go for it. Get some bold pattern or color going, just make sure everything else is subdued and plays a supporting role.


This red tile doesn't relate to anything else in this space. It looks out of place and maybe like the homeowner added it at the end of the job.

Decorpad

I usually prefer simple backsplashes where subtle variation is the pattern.

House Beautiful, John Oetgen

I love subway tile, especially here because it goes to the ceiling.

House Beautiful, Michael Berman

I think this is such a strong kitchen design. Simple and straightforward, it's all about the integrity of materials. The backsplash and counter are both the same color....unifying color in different elements to make a stronger statement.

House Beautiful, Frank Roop

This project also blends the backsplash with the counter for a bolder statement and high contrast with the white cabinets. That dark turquoise is beautiful!

This backsplash, counter, and hood of the same color and tone bring great contrast to the medium oak cabinets.

Traditional Home

If you like pattern, try some mosaics all over the backsplash. They appear as a wonderful texture from a distance and still provide a solid appearance.

Traditional Home

Traditional Home

This tile has such a small repetitive pattern that it reads as a mosaic. Beautiful.

House Beautiful, Jay Jeffers

The overall repetition in this pattern is showcased here. The same pattern is repeated in the chair backs.....great design! That pattern stands out even though it's subtle because everything else is a soft tone on tone scheme.

Elle Decor

This bold pattern is the showpiece here. Nothing tries to outshine it. Not that it could....love it.

House Beautiful, Marshall Watson

I love this blue glass tile. Everything else in this kitchen is toned down and allows the blue tile to become the star! It's like the ocean has come into the house.

To recap......KEEP IT SIMPLE if you have a lot of items you keep out on your counters, RELATE the backsplash to something else to create a stronger look (i.e. same color as an adjacent element), or MAKE A STATEMENT with some stand out tile and nothing else around for it to compete with.

To read another post about backsplash design...go HERE.

I've Moved! Visit my new blog at Designed w/Carla Aston.

Jazzing Up a Kitchen Backsplash

Boring backsplash, right? Would that beige tile make you want to cook at that cooktop? I don't think I'd want to spend much time there.

The homeowner loved glass tile and wanted to reuse the existing countertops, white cabinets, etc. with a minimal update in the kitchen.

Jazzed!

Beautiful, handmade glass tiles are expensive, so I didn't go all the way up the side walls. I used a larger solid green glass tile at the base all around the cooktop to protect the walls and make it easy to clean. I bordered that with the same glass listelle to end that tile and then did the mosaic above on the back wall only as a feature. The dark green at the base marries the granite and tile together visually and sets off the mosaic. It really added some life to this kitchen and made it an inspiring place to cook.

Tile from Walker Zanger, http://www.walkerzanger.com/