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6 Stunning Alternatives to Tiled Kitchen Backsplashes

Need some inspiration for your backsplash? Check out these creative alternatives to tiles

Amanda Pollard
Amanda Pollard20 March 2021
Senior Editor at Houzz UK and Ireland. Journalist and editor specialising in interiors and architecture.
More
There’s more to kitchen backsplashes than just laying a few rows of tiles along the top of a work surface. If you’re looking for a more creative way to line the walls of your cook space, consider these chic alternative options to tiling.
Martins Camisuli Architects
Reflect a little
Mirrors are great for creating a feeling of light and space, and the wipeable surface is perfect for a kitchen. If you prefer a more muted finish than a standard mirror, choose antiqued glass for your backsplash.

This wall of patinated glass brightens up the kitchen, while the dappled texture gives it a softer feel.
Lucy Harris Studio
Give it some steel
For a sleek, sophisticated look, add some steel to your kitchen walls.

In this chic cookspace, the gleaming stainless steel worksurface continues vertically as a backsplash. The brushed texture is smooth rather than glaring, but the reflective finish still lifts the room.

Find a designer to design your kitchen
MATT architecture LLP
Mix things up
Rather than ditching tiles altogether, mix things up by adding another material to the wall above a sink or cooker. Here, plain square tiles have been broken up with a rectangle of marble above the basin. The marble adds a luxurious touch and helps to showcase the sink and tap.

To keep the look cohesive, the tiles and marble share similar colour tones.
Copper by Design
Coat it in copper
The earthy tones of copper have been at home in our interiors for a while. Its antibacterial properties make it perfect for a kitchen, particularly as a backsplash.

Go for a smooth, gleaming finish, or a patinated version like the one used here. A copper surface adds texture to walls and its beauty will intensify with age.

These 4 materials are ideal for kitchen backsplashes
ProjectGuru Pte Ltd
Warm up with wood
Bring a cosy feel to your cookspace with a wood backsplash. Choose solid wood by either continuing your worktop material or using sheets of timber. Alternatively, opt for a high-quality wood laminate to create a similar effect.

If you go for real wood, make sure you protect it with oil in the same way you’d protect your wooden worktops.

Wondering between lacquer, varnish and polyurethane wood finishes?
Sustainable Kitchens
Be bold as brass
Don’t fancy copper? Try brass instead. This brushed brass backsplash provides a warm contrast to the dark blue units, while the strip of lighting along the top emphasises the metal’s honeyed tones and helps to tie it in with the oak trim.

Read more:

10 Stunning Kitchen Countertop & Backsplash Combinations

Tell us:
Will you be using any of these backsplash materials on your kitchen walls? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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