Style Spotlight: Add New Impact with Backsplash Tile

In the ever changing world of interior design trends, the austere, blank canvas of the white kitchen and bath has had its due moment, and now color is on the way back in. The style created an open space with room for creative inspiration, and now it’s time to bring back the hues and shades of life’s palette. This means moving away from the uniformity of white spaces and stainless steel and moving toward flashy, stand-out colors and metals like black gold. Light surfaces aren’t all that make things bright; the emerging trends bring in accent colors and keep the clutter to a minimum, with calls to embrace the hygge without sacrificing the bold style. An easy way to liven up any room with today’s design movement is to add a tile backsplash over the kitchen countertop or even along the wall, especially behind the bath or toilet.

Why add tile backsplash?

The backsplash is the area behind a sink, bathtub, or other moisture-exposed area that offers a barrier to protect an unsealed wall. This can be an extended, seamless, raised edge of the countertop, or it can be a layer of tile, stone, or wainscotting to create a more decorative space. Unless you’re already planning to replace the countertops or bathroom vanity, the raised edge backsplash can be an involved, expensive project. Adding tile backsplash to the wall is a quick, simple home improvement that can make a huge visual impact without denting the budget.

An added benefit for tile backsplash is that tile is more hygenic and easier to keep clean than wallpaper or paint. Cooking can be a messy project, with pasta sauces bubbling and vegetables sizzling in the wok, and splatters and grease particles can sit unseen on the wall, collecting dirt and staining the paint. Wallpaper can be soaked and wear away over time, and cleaning is only partially effective when the wallpaper fibers absorb the grime. With tile backsplash, food debris and other moisture messes clean away with soap and water, and the tile seals against staining so the room looks fresh for years to come.

What Is In

Everything you do in your home should be something that adds to your enjoyment of your space. Adding a tile backsplash is one of those projects that can add to the home value, too. Staying on-trend with the design can only help. So then what popular styles should you work into your kitchen or bath?

Shapes & Patterns

Variety is the spice of life, so the saying goes. It’s the same with decorative tile. Backsplash tile is a favorite ready upgrade because the smaller tiles are available in unique shapes, rather than the simple squares and rectangles popular with field tiles. From the contemporary waves of the Marque shaped tiles, the diamond grids of the Harlequin style, to a basketweave or honeycomb, the types and shapes of tiles used can be different. Mix river rock with brick fronts, or glass with stone, as long as they can be placed in an orderly layout that creates a recognizable design. The key is to be interesting to look at, and subtle changes or drastic lines can inspire curiosity when used appropriately.

Colors

Don’t be afraid to add color. Whether you want gray with blue accents, or a vibrant Tuscan blend of reds and browns, the backsplash should incorporate the other colors that you want in the room. The days of a single accent wall have passed, so any color introduced on one wall should be repeated or complemented on the next. The backsplash is a good place to introduce both the color of the walls and the colors of the trim together.

Inset Designs

Repeated patterns are all well and good, but they aren’t the only thing that can be done with tile. With enough space to work with, the tile can be used to create or frame an intended focal point by going purposefully against the repeated layout. Decorative or painted tiles can be placed inside the area to help emphasize the change in pattern and create an intentional design to the tile organization. Creating a tiled box around a specific area works to separate it from the flow of the layout, and calls attention to the design inside, just like a picture frame.

Alternative Materials

A return to natural elements is a big trend right now, so a backsplash can be made from tile in greens, tans, or other nature designs, or it can be made from other materials, such as beadboard, wainscotting, or glass.

Timeless but Perhaps Overdone

There are a few home design choices that are reliable go-tos for those tricky spaces that we don’t quite know what to do with. The problem is that those dependable fixes have been used so often that they’re seen as unimaginative now. A little creative planning with a backsplash can revitalize even the most familiar design shortcuts.

The Problem: White Subway Tile

While the look of pristine white subway tile offers a cheerful reflection of daylight, it carries a rather cold, impersonal style. Row upon row of squares or rectangles can be a little boring. The look is classic and isn’t going anywhere, but it has managed to find itself almost everywhere in the meantime.

The Solution:

If you are really attached to the simple, durable tile, and the easy care and maintenance, use this design sparingly. Keep it fresh by breaking it up with the occasional color tile pattern. Another trick to stay ahead of the Joneses is to arrange the tiles in a herringbone pattern, creating criss-crossing diagonal columns rather than visually bland horizontal lines.

The Problem: Marble Countertops

Marble is one of those design fixtures that will never go out of style, but in today’s world of modern conveniences, there are other things in your home to call attention to. Whether the kitchen counters or the bathroom vanity, the countertop shouldn’t be the most interesting feature, and marble countertops have been around long enough that it might unintentionally age the look of the room.

The Solution:

Keep the marble and elevate the focal point. Create an ornate, intricate backsplash by using marble slabs or large marble tiles with complementing inlay. Well-chosen marble can have the same impact as a piece of art. A marble backsplash is an opportunity to add interest to an otherwise plain wall and protect it at the same time.

What Is on the Way

Upper cabinetry is on the way out in favor of seamless, open spaces, creating a larger area for backsplashes. Tiles can be extended higher up the wall, and over a wider area, offering protection against any potential mess or water damage. As the variety in design expands, however, so too can their purpose.

A trend gaining momentum now is backsplash shelving, with the tile or slab backsplash topped off by a narrow, finished plank, creating usable shelf space. This trend pairs well with backsplash materials from stone to beadboard, not just thicker tile or slab. The narrow shelf can be mounted to the wall above the tile, or to the tile itself from below as support. It can be used to organize small containers like spices or utensil holders, flower vases or decorative bottles. The taller backsplash helps break up the visual space along an empty wall, and the shelf mounted to the top becomes useful as well as interesting.