The kitchen is the heart of the home where friends and family gather, putting their Masterchef aprons on to cook together amidst banter and laughter. Because it’s such an important place, we’d want our kitchen to be nicely-designed just like the rest of the house.
While features like cabinets and countertops are what we think of most during kitchen reno, let’s not leave out the kitchen backsplash, the layer behind the stove that protects the walls from cooking splashes. Practicality aside, it’s also a feature we can get creative with to jazz up the space.
So, here are 7 kitchen backsplash ideas that’ll be the garnish to beautify your kitchen.
1. Scallop-designed tiles
Image adapted from: Herringbone Kitchens, Decor Pad
When we think of using tiles for the kitchen backsplash, the popular subway tile design will instantly pop into mind. Classic as it may be, try out these scallop-designed tiles, its whimsical cousin with curvy edges and a glossy furnishing that’ll give an elegant pop to the space.
To dial up the fun, you can even have these tiles in bright tones depending on the colour scheme of your kitchen. If not, keeping it in darker colours would make it easier to clean, although its porcelain or ceramic material already makes it rather stain-resistant.
Shop at: White Horse Ceramic’s Fish Scale Series, and Hafary’s Scale Boho Taupe
2. Vintage or Peranakan-inspired tiles
Image adapted from: @materiallysg, A Blue Cube Design
To those with a penchant for the old-school Joo Chiat shophouse aesthetic, manifest it in your kitchen backsplash with vintage or Peranakan-inspired tiles.
As eclectic as the designs may be, the timelessness of this style has proven that it’s highly versatile. It can blend well with different kitchen decors, from wooden farmhouse to luxe and sophisticated.
Shop at: Peranakan Tiles Gallery, or Soon Bee Huat if you fancy more modern designs
3. Printed designs with watercolour effect
Image credit: Synergraphic
You’d expect to see Chinese shui mo hua paintings in museums, or at least hung up on the walls of your living room at home. For a twist, have it as your kitchen backsplash, with these watercolour-inspired designs that’ll give you some bite-sized travels while you’re cooking.
Though it may sound gaudy at first, these designs can be pulled off quite sophisticatedly with the right colours used for the surrounding cabinets and countertops. Plus, these backsplashes are made with tempered glass, which is heat-resistant and less likely to scratch.
Shop at: Synergraphic’s ATMOS collection
4. Herringbone & chevron
Image credit: Hafary
In most geometrical patterns, piping shapes a few degrees to diagonal can already make a design more dynamic. Likewise, kitchen backsplashes are the same, with the Chevron style being a favourite that many use.
Image credit: Etsy
Even better, there’s the Herringbone style, which takes a step further by playing around with the alignment of the tiles. Either way, both styles are versatile, as they add an urban edge to whatever theme you’re gunning for, as well as a sleek twist to more minimalist ones.
Shop at: Hafary’s ChevronWall tile collection, FUNLIFEHomeDecor on Etsy, or Soon Bee Huat’s Rombo collection for colour variations
5. Matte quartz finishing
Image credit: Parallelogram Design
Typically used for islands and countertops, dark Matte quartz can be used for kitchen backsplashes too. One could say it’s inspired by the dark industrial design, which champions the “unfinished” look, and boasts an exterior that’s both natural and edgy.
Also, the very material it is made of allows this design to score high points in practicality. Matte quartz is known for being durable and low maintenance, and its absence of shine allows it to conceal smudges and fingerprints, so you won’t feel the urgency to clean up everytime you cook.
6. Mosaic-looking tiles for overseas vibes
Yohen Border and Safi mosaic tile collections.
Image adapted from: @hafary, Hafary
Seen in churches and children’s art alike, mosaics are colourful shards of glass pieces coming together to form a beautiful design.
Same thing for kitchen backsplashes, where mosaic-looking tiles create refreshing aesthetics to the space, whether it’s a traditional Japanese-inspired look from Hafary’s Yohan Border collection or a Tuscan farmhouse aesthetic from the Safi collection.
Shop at: Hafary’s Safi and Yohen Border mosaic collections
7. Colour-blocking
The Diarama collection by Mutina has tones ranging from pastel to monochrome, depending on the colour scheme of your kitchen.
Image adapted from: Mutina
Colour blocking is a trend that’s been picking up steam these days – we see it in things like fashion and interior design, like in this quirky Queenstown resale HDB.
Especially if you plan to have a fun colour scheme in your kitchen, having bold tones accented across your backsplash adds that cheerful oomph to an otherwise plain-tiled design.
Shop at: Mutina by Rice Field’s Diarama collection
Fun & practical kitchen backsplash ideas to jazz up your space
Even if you usually eat out and don’t cook your own meals everyday, you’d surely want to put good thought into having a beautiful kitchen in your home.
With these kitchen backsplash ideas, you’ll be able to hit two birds with one stone, giving yourself a cooking space that’s easy to clean, and one where happy memories are made.
More inspiration for your own kitchen reno:
- HDB kitchen ideas
- Common kitchen renovation mistakes
- Top kitchen cleaning tips
- Flooring for renovations, including kitchens
Cover image adapted from: Synergraphic,Herringbone Kitchens, A Blue Cube Design
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