The right backsplash can pull your whole kitchen renovation together, acting as focal point, conversation piece, or a stunned-into-silence work of art. The materials you select for this signature piece of eye candy can say a lot about you and the feelings you hope to evoke as you cook and have family and friends congregate in the room that really is the heart of your home.
Here are 7 options currently catching the creative culinary eye and are great options to consider while working on your kitchen renovation:
1. Shiny metal and shimmering stainless steel
Panels of corrugated metal or sheets of 20-gauge stainless steel bring a bold and contemporary industrial look to the party. Sleek and reflective, stainless steel gleams and shines like a high-end commercial kitchen or state-of-the-art science laboratory.
Miniature stainless steel tiles offer a striking contrast against modern white-lacquer cabinetry and bring a warm luminescence to more stark surroundings. Stainless steel backsplashes are eco-friendly and a breeze to keep clean.
2. Vintage brick and stone
Natural stone is second only to tile in kitchen backsplash material popularity. Transport guests back to a Tuscan farmhouse with a concrete-based brick veneer. Quartzite sandstone, tumbled natural stone, and split-face limestone tiles inspire images of rugged archeological ruins with their antiquity vibe. Use traditional red brick for a warehouse feel, and for the truly extraordinary, look for translucent agate or volcanic rock quarried in Italy. If it was good enough for the roads in ancient Rome, it can work in your kitchen as well.
3. Retro ceramic tile
Tile is still the most popular backsplash material, and beloved subway tile is versatile enough to handle industrial, Victorian, or contemporary kitchens. Trend traditional with classic white subway tile and white grout, or choose an ocean blue tile to add popping contrast to a classic Cape Cod white kitchen. Think outside the linear box and lay your subway tile in an eye-catching herringbone, diagonal, or vertical pattern. The glass tile reflects light, offering the illusion of a larger space.
4. Personalized memories on display
Find a local mosaic artist and commission your own memory wall using vintage china, Cape Cod beachy items, or beloved family mementos. Think: Grandma’s china, a bucket of seashells collected over the years, beach glass from long walks at dusk, antique keys, a cream pitcher sawed in half, or a string of pearls. The more three-dimensional and quirky the materials, the better. Mosaic backsplashes can be applied directly to the wall, or created off-site on a hanging panel that can be placed later on during the renovation.
5. Funky pennies, wine corks, and chalkboards
Try to think outside the box when it’s time for your kitchen renovation. What quirky materials will showcase your family’s personality? What materials might serve a functional purpose?
Finally a use for the hundreds of special corks you’ve saved and a reason to drink some more wine. We recommend trying First Crush Winery located in Harwich to add some local corks in there! Build a small mosaic of wine corks for a stand-alone wall area near the bar or tucked under an overhead wine rack. Single corks spaced at random in a split-face travertine backsplash adds a dash of wine-lover whimsy to your kitchen.
Six thousand to 10,000 authentic pennies all laid out next to each other create a riveting design. Another way to get the gorgeous warm sheen is to cover ceramic tiles with a thin coating of copper.
How about a backsplash covered with chalkboard paint so you can scribble recipes while you cook, leave “honey do” notes for each other or jot down a quick note from a phone call when you can’t find a pen?
6. Reflective reclaimed glass
Reclaimed stained glass tiles sparkle when inlaid in recycled aluminum and pair perfectly with contemporary stainless steel appliances and crisp white cabinets. The highly reflective tiles infuse the kitchen with light. Or choose iridescent glass in seascape shades of blues, greens and browns to cast a dreamy beachside spell on your Cape house kitchen.
7. Keep it Cape Cod local
On Cape Cod we’re fortunate to be surrounded by many local artists, even those specializing in mosaics and backsplashes. In our showroom, we’ll show you the work of local artists that can give your traditional Cape Cod kitchen an extra, unique local flavor. Maybe it’s a seaside scene hand-painted onto ceramic tile, or hand crafted sea creatures on tiles placed randomly throughout your kitchen backsplash. Let Cape Cod inspire more than just your cuisine in the kitchen!
