Back Splashes in the Bathroom

How about a small tiled back splash for the bathroom sink? In addition to being practical in the way all back splashes are, they provide an opportunity to use some more decorative or high end tile in just a small area, making a slightly more adventurous (or expensive) choice a bit more possible without the giant leap...

... of design faith or final bill. Also a small job like this is one that more of us would take on as a DIY, even if we haven't attempted tiling before.

A few examples:

Rough tiles contrast with the frilly mirror shape and floral accents.

Very ornate tiles in plain white (like the rest of the bathroom tiles and fixtures) make a big statement in a small space.

Classic subway tiles with a modern sink and faucet - plus a great looking oversized map on the wall.

We also decided to include this one, which is not an official tiled back splash, but has a bit of the same feel created by hanging the large mirrors down very low over the sink.

We're thinking this is more of a trend in Europe since the source of these photos is Living Etc., but we have seen it from time to time stateside as well and like the look. Has anyone tried this? Let us know in the comments or send us in a photo or two...

Photos: Living Etc.

Comments (20)

Am I the only one who thinks that these look like unfortunate afterthoughts?

IMO, the tile should come up from the floor behind the entire sink and along the entire wall, like wainscoting.

posted by bepsf on March 25th 2008 at 2:45pm
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They all look really diy; unbalanced and awkward...

posted by paulinet on March 25th 2008 at 2:46pm
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Yes, they look like they're in the middle of a tiling project and trying to figure out what to do next. I like the mirrors, though.

posted by oakland on March 25th 2008 at 2:52pm
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Ditto--bad idea in so many ways.

posted by southender on March 25th 2008 at 2:54pm
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I agree. Just say no.

posted by DesignHole on March 25th 2008 at 3:37pm
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I think they can work (have one myself) but these are way out of scale so they appear awkward.

posted by Indy Jeffrey on March 25th 2008 at 3:50pm
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It looks a little like they had a few tiles left over and didn't know what to do with them.

posted by judy in TO on March 25th 2008 at 4:13pm
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They all look unfinished.

posted by martita on March 25th 2008 at 5:01pm
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I like the last three.

posted by harmonyfrance on March 25th 2008 at 5:43pm
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Definitely has an unfinished look to it. Not a fan.

posted by suzy8track on March 25th 2008 at 5:48pm
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I ditto most of the comments above and think this looks very unfinished and like a diy project gone bad, which was stopped midway.

posted by 4ddh on March 25th 2008 at 5:50pm
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I have to jump on the bandwagon and say I hate most of these. The only one that works for me is the one with the world map -- I think because of the shape of the sink, the fact that the tile comes exactly to the edge of the sink and also the height of the tile mimics the area of the sink.

Otherwise, bleh.

posted by purplemonster on March 25th 2008 at 6:21pm
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could be a nice way to use tile that is vintage, salvage, etc - but i agree that maybe it needs to be done a little better? it seems like it would make most sense for a sink that's in a narrow space that is more 'framed' out than an open bathroom, where it looks kind of random.

posted by cocokelley on March 25th 2008 at 10:07pm
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agreed- awkward. and it's putting the mirrors way too high, in my opinion. scale is way off.

posted by marisajane on March 25th 2008 at 11:11pm
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gosh, just how much sloshing and slathering and spitting do these folks do to need such large and hefty back splashes?

posted by *heather leaf* on March 26th 2008 at 4:10am
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DIY gone bad

posted by Daily Nuance on March 26th 2008 at 5:24am
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I think that it's a good idea, but none of these in practice work. They need to be more complete - these are just awkwardly slapped above the sink.

I generally get water all over the walls going from sink to hand towel, so I totally see the practicality of this, but... yeah, either wainscotting-like, or... just, more tile. =/

posted by any such name on March 26th 2008 at 5:29am
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As an alternative to "wainscotting," I've also seen a vertical strip of tile from floor to ceiling in line with the sink work well.

posted by tommymiller50 on March 26th 2008 at 6:37am
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this has to be executed more completely to really look good - i.e. a floor to ceiling swath (per tommymiller50) or at least from floor to bottom edge of mirror. it also works well if the sink is just in a niche.

posted by colellis on March 26th 2008 at 8:02am
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start all over.
That pedestal sink is useless.
With a blank slate the options open up immensely.

posted by paulmuscat on March 26th 2008 at 10:52am
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