Where to Start and Stop Your Kitchen Splashback
Consider these designer tricks to work around cabinets, windows and more for a finished look in your kitchen
Wondering where to end your splashback? Never even thought about it? It can be a surprisingly complex question. These tips will help you find the right place to stop your splashback to get a crisp look in any kitchen.
From a designer perspective, the best time to stop a splashback is… never! After all, when you’ve chosen a beautiful material, why wouldn’t you want more of it? Taking a splashback wall to wall and worktop to ceiling makes for continuity of line and definitely a dramatic effect.
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Of course, in reality, it isn’t always an option to cover every inch of wall in a coveted stone. Even in this luxe kitchen by Abruzzo Kitchen & Bath, someone had to decide where the finish should end on the cooker wall. Above the extractor hood? Below it?
In your project, the decisions can be simple or quite complicated, depending on multiple factors.
In your project, the decisions can be simple or quite complicated, depending on multiple factors.
General Rule No. 1: Tile the cabinet walls
Opinions differ on this, but for a polished look, I typically tile just the main walls of the kitchen (those that back the cabinets), ending at the corners rather than wrapping around to finish the sides, if there are any.
In the case of an odd corner (like on the left in this kitchen by Spectra Design Build, where there’s probably a pipe in the wall), consider the whole corner part of the “back.”
Opinions differ on this, but for a polished look, I typically tile just the main walls of the kitchen (those that back the cabinets), ending at the corners rather than wrapping around to finish the sides, if there are any.
In the case of an odd corner (like on the left in this kitchen by Spectra Design Build, where there’s probably a pipe in the wall), consider the whole corner part of the “back.”
In some cases, a “sidesplash” on a non-cabinet wall can be functional and beautiful, but skipping it is the simplest way to avoid situations where elements don’t line up neatly. Typically, the worktop, wall cabinets and back wall all end at different places on the sides, leaving no definitive stopping point.
In this example, the tiles end at the corners instead of wrapping onto the small wall with the doorway. If it did wrap onto that wall, the two sides of the door would be hard to balance and probably a bit awkward.
In this example, the tiles end at the corners instead of wrapping onto the small wall with the doorway. If it did wrap onto that wall, the two sides of the door would be hard to balance and probably a bit awkward.
Small kitchens Fully covering the wall is usually your best bet in a small kitchen (or in a larger kitchen that has just a small area for the splashback).
This sort of layout, with just a single splashback area between the fridge cabinet and the side wall, is common in galley kitchens in flats. Tiling the entire area in one material makes for the tidiest finish, which can help make the kitchen look its biggest.
This sort of layout, with just a single splashback area between the fridge cabinet and the side wall, is common in galley kitchens in flats. Tiling the entire area in one material makes for the tidiest finish, which can help make the kitchen look its biggest.
Big kitchens In the case of a very large kitchen, or one with a dramatically tall ceiling, taking tiles to full height can blow the budget or completely overload the look. In a case like this, ending the tiles vertically at the same line as the wall cabinets gives a better finish.
If you use a darker colour for the tiles than the remaining upper wall, it can visually help to bring down the apparent ceiling line and make the room feel a little more intimate.
If you use a darker colour for the tiles than the remaining upper wall, it can visually help to bring down the apparent ceiling line and make the room feel a little more intimate.
In spaces with a taller ceiling, such as this project by KBG Design, a bulkhead is often used to fill in the void above the wall units. This also gives the tiles a natural place to finish, so everything looks pleasingly framed and there’s no empty space left to collect and dust.
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General Rule No. 2: Align wall cabinets, base cabinets and splashback edges
Knowing where to stop the tiles horizontally is easy if your kitchen runs wall to wall, but what if it ends partway across a longer wall?
In a case like this, where the kitchen cabinetry ends mid-room, the best option is to end the wall cabinets, base cabinets and splashback all in one crisp line.
Knowing where to stop the tiles horizontally is easy if your kitchen runs wall to wall, but what if it ends partway across a longer wall?
In a case like this, where the kitchen cabinetry ends mid-room, the best option is to end the wall cabinets, base cabinets and splashback all in one crisp line.
Notice at the right side of this kitchen by Cabri how the splashback aligns with the wall and base cabinets – while the worktop hangs out over that line a little bit – rather than extending to the end of the worktop and sticking out past the wall cabinets (which to me would be much less tidy).
Of course, this requires the wall and base cabinets to align crisply, which can take careful planning when laying out the kitchen. Using filler panels and adjusting the spacing around a window can help to make cabinets end at the same place on the top and bottom, even if the widths of each cabinet don’t match perfectly above and below.
Other tiling considerations
Peninsulas What about times when the wall and base cabinets don’t align? A common place for this to occur is in U- or L-shaped kitchens where the wall units end over a peninsula. In this case, I would suggest ending the splashback in line with the wall units, so you still get a crisp vertical line.
Peninsulas What about times when the wall and base cabinets don’t align? A common place for this to occur is in U- or L-shaped kitchens where the wall units end over a peninsula. In this case, I would suggest ending the splashback in line with the wall units, so you still get a crisp vertical line.
Windows Sometimes, there will be very small areas of wall between windows and a worktop or cabinet. It may be tempting to leave these areas empty (and it’s often easier on the tiler), but the overall effect will be subtly tidier if you imagine the window doesn’t exist when planning where to end the tiles.
In this space by Jill Cordner Interior Design, the tiles continue to the end of the worktop, as ending at the wall cabinet would be far too early.
In this space by Jill Cordner Interior Design, the tiles continue to the end of the worktop, as ending at the wall cabinet would be far too early.
In this kitchen by Sagemodern, the tiles continue all the way to the corner and up to the height of the upper shelves, so that from a distance, the line of the wall cabinets is unbroken. It’s a subtle difference versus simply ending at the window, but these little details can make a kitchen feel much more finished.
Modern slab splashbacks
In a kitchen with modern styling and a cool slab splashback, it’s extra important for the elements to align pleasingly, or the look can become sloppy. Here, the cabinets and worktop are sized to line up perfectly.
When installing a peninsula with an overhang, you can also add or subtract three or four centimetres of worktop to make the maths work out just right.
In a kitchen with modern styling and a cool slab splashback, it’s extra important for the elements to align pleasingly, or the look can become sloppy. Here, the cabinets and worktop are sized to line up perfectly.
When installing a peninsula with an overhang, you can also add or subtract three or four centimetres of worktop to make the maths work out just right.
Traditional slab splashback Going for a more traditional or farmhouse-inspired look? A charming slab splashback like this benefits from having some negative space left around it and doesn’t really need to line up with anything – in fact, it can almost be better if it doesn’t.
Edgy tiles If you have an interesting tile shape, such as a playful hexagon, you can consider ending the tiles with a messy edge to give a more relaxed appeal.
This can apply to the horizontal ends and the verticals. These tiles fade slowly to white vertically so the vibrant blue doesn’t have to carry all the way to the ceiling, and it makes for a unique feature.
Cabinet-free walls In L- or U-shaped kitchens that have large areas – or entire walls – with no wall cabinets, you can tile the empty wall full height or simply continue the upper line of the splashback around the entire room, as shown here.
Ending the splashback with a shelf, even a shallow one, can give it a nice cap on walls where there are no other particular ending points, such as a window or cabinet.
Differing heights In a kitchen with many items at different heights, I’d still use the bottom of the cabinets as a main stopping point, with possibly a little exception at the hob for a taller splashback up to the extractor hood. Ending at the windows would leave an awkward sliver of space below the cabinets.
In more traditional kitchens, sometimes the tiles will run even a little above the bottom of the cabinets, which gives a pleasing overlap that feels more relaxed and reduces the need to cut tiles into tiny slivers.
Another way to solve any splashback height conundrums is to use an elegant upstand, just a few centimetres tall. This way, you can run it around the entire worktop at one unbroken height and leave the rest of the wall a uniform colour.
You can also pair an upstand with a second splashback material, so you have one style (usually the more high-end material, such as a stone slab) run continuously and then a second material in pieces where necessary to fill in.
One last (cost-saving) idea
Keep in mind, a full-height splashback may not be as budget-busting or as visually overwhelming as you might think. Classic porcelain tiles, with an optional contrasting grout, can give a sophisticated, classic look for just a few pounds per square metre, meaning it can actually be a more luxe-looking option than a higher-end material used in a conservative dose.
Tell us…
Do you have your own personal splashback solution? Post it in the Comments.
Keep in mind, a full-height splashback may not be as budget-busting or as visually overwhelming as you might think. Classic porcelain tiles, with an optional contrasting grout, can give a sophisticated, classic look for just a few pounds per square metre, meaning it can actually be a more luxe-looking option than a higher-end material used in a conservative dose.
Tell us…
Do you have your own personal splashback solution? Post it in the Comments.