The Best Backsplashes to Make a Small Kitchen Shine
Creative solutions are needed to maximize function and style in small kitchens. The backsplash presents a prime opportunity to inject visual interest, reflect light, and expand the feel of a petite kitchen. By incorporating the right materials, shapes, and clever design elements, backsplashes can enhance a tiny kitchen beyond expectation.
From protecting walls from cooking messes to serving as a blank canvas for personalization, a well-designed backsplash offers benefits that make a noticeable impact in a small kitchen. Let's explore how to choose, lay out, and appoint backsplashes to shine in modest square footage.
Benefits of Backsplashes in Small Kitchens
Backsplashes serve practical and aesthetic roles that can be particularly impactful in a compact kitchen.
Protects Walls From Splashes and Spills
No matter how careful the cook, accidents happen. Sauce splatters, oils spritz, dishes clank. A backsplash bears the brunt of these mishaps so the walls stay clean. Protecting walls preserves the fresh look of a small kitchen. Once walls get dingy from cooking stains and splatters, the space can start to look dreary and closed in.
Adds Style and Visual Interest
Backsplashes provide a blank canvas to add pops of color, artful patterns, and textural intrigue. From mosaics to painted tiles, the backsplash presents a prime opportunity to infuse personal style. A mmap of colorful handmade tiles or an abstract mural turn the backsplash into a work of art. For a small kitchen, the backsplash offers a relatively contained space to take design risks and express unique tastes.
Makes Small Kitchens Feel More Spacious
Strategic choices in backsplash materials, colors, and lighting effects can visually expand a petite kitchen. Reflective glass, metallic or light-colored tiles illuminate and open up the space. Extending the backsplash to the ceiling gives a cohesive, elongated look. Creative tile patterns, shelves, and glowing LEDs add depth and dimension.
Allows You to Customize with Color, Texture, Materials
Even the tiniest kitchens can make a personalized design statement with the backsplash. Mixing up colors, materials, and textures prevents monotonous surfaces. Warm wood shelving, cool stainless steel, recycled glass tiles, cozy stacked stone - the backsplash offers limitless ways to incorporate varied and meaningful elements.
Affordable Way to Update Look of Kitchen
A full kitchen remodel requires major time, money and work. Updating just the backsplash offers cost-effective revitalization. Swapping out backsplash tiles or adding a fresh coat of paint delivers visual impact without breaking the budget. For a small kitchen, even subtle backsplash changes make a noticeable difference.
Easier to Clean Than Painting Walls
Painted walls need frequent touch-ups as cooking splatters and spills accumulate. The slick, wipeable surface of backsplash tiles means quick clean-ups. Durability and easy maintenance are essential for active small kitchens. An updated backsplash saves time and hassle trying to scrub stains off painted drywall.
Considerations for Small Kitchen Backsplashes
To maximize backsplashes in petite kitchens, keep these considerations in mind.
Optimal Backsplash Height for Small Kitchens
Standard backsplash height ranges from 4 to 6 inches. But in a small kitchen, extending the backsplash higher draws the eye up and gives the illusion of a larger space. Backsplashes that stretch 2/3 or all the way to the ceiling make the walls appear taller. Floating shelves incorporated into an extended backsplash also optimize usable space in a small kitchen.
Avoid Overly Busy Patterns
Small kitchens easily slip into visual clutter. While backsplashes allow creativity, busy mosaics or distracting prints feel jumbled and overwhelming in a tiny area. Streamlined subway tiles, handpainted designs, or solid surfaces prevent a cramped look. Lean into simple patterns and let other features like shelving, lighting or decor make a statement.
Light, Reflective Materials Give Illusion of Space
Visually opening up a small kitchen comes down to light and reflection. Backsplashes made of glass, polished metal, marble or high-sheen tiles instantly brighten and expand the look of a petite kitchen. These surfaces bounce light around and make the space feel more open and airy.
Darker Colors Can Make Kitchen Feel Closed In
Deep hues like burgundy, navy or dark stone bring beautiful warmth to a kitchen. But in a smaller kitchen, darker backsplashes can overwhelm the space and make it feel shrunken down. Lighter neutrals, pale woods and reflective materials keep things visually expansive. To incorporate darker tones, use them sparingly in floating shelves, trim or other accent areas.
Extend Backsplash to Ceiling for Spacious Look
Running the backsplash from countertops all the way up to the ceiling can completely transform a small kitchen. The eye sweeps up vertically, creating the perception of height and space. Floating shelves seamlessly incorporated into a full-height backsplash optimize storage and functionality. Materials like colorful glass tile maintain an illuminated, open look on an expanded backsplash.
Mix Materials Creatively in Tight Spaces
Creative combinations unite the best of all worlds in a small backsplash. Mix durable glass mosaic with warmth of reclaimed wood shelves. Combine sleek metal with organic textures of stone. The eclectic look breaks up the space while the assorted materials let each shine. Using materials economically is key - wood for shelving, metal accents, stone or tile for overall backsplash.
Best Materials for Small Kitchen Backsplashes
On top of visual appeal, backsplash materials for a small kitchen need to check boxes for durability, ease of cleaning and illumination. Here are top options that look fantastic and perform beautifully in tiny kitchens.
Glass Tile
Brilliant glass tile radiates light, bringing gleam and depth to small kitchen backsplashes. Glass tile comes in a kaleidoscope of colors, shapes and designs. Arctic whites open up the space while jewel tones inject pops of color. From recycled glass to premium stone-infused glass, glass tile is easy to wipe clean and resists all the demands of a kitchen.
Metal Tile
The sleek, reflective properties of metal tile lend an elegant contemporary edge to backsplashes. Metal instantly modernizes a small kitchen. Brushed metals like nickel, chrome and stainless steel give an industrial feel. Copper and bronze add warmth and dimension. Metal tile creates a uniform, sophisticated look while standing up to knocks and spills.
Stainless Steel
A classic choice, stainless steel backsplashes pair beautifully with stainless steel appliances. The commercial look lends a lofty, polished feel - even in a cozy kitchen. Entire stainless backsplashes make a unifying impact. For a mix of materials, stainless steel floating shelves or accents add modern metallic gleam. Easy to sanitize and indestructible, stainless steel backsplash shines in small kitchens.
Stone Mosaic
A stone mosaic backsplash delivers natural texture and organic elegance to a small kitchen. Pebbles, gemstones and marbles mesmerize in intricate mosaic patterns. Stone material and mosaic style make a big visual impact while remaining easy to install and maintain. For small kitchens, mosaics feel more expansive than large stone slabs.
Painted Drywall
Nothing beats paint for wallet-friendly backsplash options. Swaths of color, hand-painted designs or faux finishes transform drywall into a work of art. Painted backsplashes work especially well extended to the ceiling. Gloss finishes allow for easy wipe-downs. For total revitalization on a dime, a painted backsplash refreshes a small kitchen.