Rethinking Backsplash: Unique Patterns for Standard Tiles
If you thought the cabinetry and countertop decisions were stupid, just wait until it’s time to choose your backsplash tile and pattern. You can find yourself in endless loops of indecision without the right guidance. This is especially true for those of you who don’t go down the single color and basic layout route.
However, choosing a new tile pattern for a kitchen backsplash can be overwhelming, especially with so many options available. This is where professional kitchen remodeling services come in handy. They understand the ins and outs of kitchen design and can help you select a pattern that complements your kitchen style and architecture.
2. Shifting squares into rhombuses
Another option is to use these square tiles or subway tiles but orient them diagonally – making a diamond shape – and then offset them a bit for added interest. This is an example from our Kitchen Magic design gallery.
3. Make the chevron bold
Chevron patterns have been a favorite of artisans for millennia, and they keep coming back to home design and textiles. Take a look at the backsplash of this traditional Brentwood kitchen where beautiful blue and green tiles are displayed in a herringbone pattern. The chevron layout is eye-catching and works with both plain and multi-colored tiles (as we’ll see in the example below).
4. Use a combination
You don’t have to limit yourself to laying out one wall tile. In this traditional San Francisco kitchen, the homeowners chose a linear setting for the body of their backsplash and a vertical chevron pattern for the area behind the stove, framed by rounded trim pieces.
5. Same tiles in different sizes
Take a look at this Mediterranean kitchen design and see how different sizes of the same tile can be stacked to achieve a patterned effect, including the use of focus. You can set the center design once, or repeat it multiple times throughout the backsplash if you wish…great for longer kitchen layouts to break the monotony.
Must read:Â 3 Key Elements of a Rustic Kitchen Design
6. Include squares and rectangles
Just as tiles of different sizes add interest, so do tiles with slightly different shapes. The combination of wider squares and narrower rectangles makes the backsplash in this modern kitchen design a piece of geometric art.
7. Tie the apron with ribbon
When plain white subway tiles feel a little bland, consider adding a strip or two smaller, coordinating tiles. In the Barnwood kitchen pictured below, the homeowners decided to do just that. The mix of neutrals in a thin ribbon of tile matches the colors of the cabinet and countertop and ties the whole design together pretty well.
8. Pattern by color
Considering all the many ways to tile backsplash in patterns, remember that color can have the same impact as shape. You can use different colored tiles of the same shape, combining them into patterns by color. The Washington, D.C. kitchen shown below uses earthy greens and browns in an eye-catching chevron pattern that instantly becomes the center of attention for anyone who looks at it.
9. Think vertically, not horizontally
Most of the time, homeowners associate backsplashes with horizontal layout – and that’s wise for those of you with smaller or narrower kitchens. However, with today’s open-plan kitchens, a vertical layout can be more inviting. We love how the vertical tiling in this contemporary Chicago kitchen gives the design a smooth, multi-tonal movement.
10. Cascading color with combs
Scalloped tiles offer many backsplash options. Not least in this contemporary Vancouver home, where white tiles dazzle, blend and then cascade into the turquoise sea. Scalloped tile may not be considered a “regular” shape, but the concept can work with a variety of tile shapes. For example, square and vertical rectangular tiles will look great in this configuration style.
