Ceramic tile doesn't cost that much and comes in lots of colors...
...if you don't want the traditional grid - there are other ways to install it, such as diagonally or in staggered vertical columns.

Stainless steel

if budget is an issue I would suggest white subway tiles, they will not be too flashy and you can get them CHEAP at home depot...

You've done well -- need a little more info.....
What's the flooring....and what happens above the hood
to the ceilings - is there a crown moulding?? Is there an
island or a table in the space, and what materials are they?

I would just put up a simple stainless backsplash.

http://www.specialtystainless.com/images/backsplashes/ss_750.jpg

Maybe something with a little texture.

http://designinteriorideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/stainless-steel-backsplash-tiles.jpg

Side Question - Does anyone know where can I get one of those metal rack hot pads?

Tile is such a lovely way to introduce some colour. I think a cheerful cherry red would look amazing and complement your blue paint. I'd bring it up to the range, run it along the wall to the height of your cupboards and continue it under the cupboards. Ceramic tile is a lot cheaper, less flashy and easier to install than glass.

Stainless steel would look nice but is too clinical for my taste and might look dated in a few years. It also shows grease like anything.

I'd definitely go with some subway tile (you might even find a nice translucent glass to shake it up a bit?). Also, I LOVE YOUR KITCHEN!!!!!

Hammered copper tiles or sheets? It would look fab with your paint color.

Recently I saw a backsplash like the one on the right of the one on the right . The tiles were lighter more silver instead of grey, and there were more bronze tiles (so, kinda not like it at all, heh :P) but the combination of silver/bronze tiles looked fantastic. The home owner also grouped the tiles in fours to make the square tiles stand out more. looked fabulous.

@FLScott --

IKEA

i'll 3rd the white subway tile suggestion. we got the repro stuff from hd for our 2 baths, and we spent less than $300 total. we ended up with a bead board backsplash in our kitchen, though, i didn't want to overdue it with the white subway.

Stainless running from the top of the stove to your vent hood (you can buy outsized stainless sheets from a sign maker). White subway tile everywhere else.

I see something like this classic blue & white ceramic tile, one of the more simpler ones. This would be a nice balance for the very contemporary feel of your kitchen these have a european feel and classic.
http://www.artontiles.com/Bluetiles.html

Or this color blue tile like this kitchen-
http://www.houseofturquoise.com/2010/02/sleek-shiny-kitchen.html

this picture chokes me up its so beautiful-
http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/780925405_Na8r3-O-1.jpg

you might check and see if there are tile mfg. in your area...we got a ton of oversized white handmade subway tiles to cover up where we had removed upper cabinets for less than $100 by patiently visiting and re-visiting Pratt & Larsen's seconds warehouse. (i think actually they started to think i was stalking them.)

it sure would look lovely with subway title

LOVE your kitchen! we are in the same boat... we installed our ikea kitchen (adel white) over the summer (with black solid surface countertops, and the flooring is a med-dark wood laminate) but have taken forever to getting around to the backsplash and lighting due to budget and time...

i've been considering light glass subway tile, or ceramic penny tiles in a light color... i love white subway tile but want to add a little bit of color/pattern since the cabinets are already white.

your kitchen looks similar to this one with white cabs, wood countertops, and penny round tiles. i think it looks great, especially if you dont want something as shiny/sparkly as glass.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13135726@N05/3732989580/in/photostream/

I vote for the stainless steel. What brand is your stove and are you happy with it?

I think that the penny white tiles would look fabulouso!

I just installed Inhabit's Shangri La Wall Flats (http://www.inhabitliving.com/detail.aspx?ID=850) for our kitchen backsplash, and painted them with a few coats of paint. My application was a little different since we have inside corners on all four sides. You would have to come up with a way to start and stop the Wall Flats. I know the directions say not to install as a kitchen backsplash; but once the wall flats were painted, it is just the same as having painted gyp walls behind there, which is what we had originally. So far, it has been very easy to wipe up food splashes. It was a very inexpensive project overall, and we have gotten lots of compliments, especially because it is so different. Good luck!

what about the peel & stick that looks like tin ceilings? i think that would be lovely in this room.

call Ana at theglassmosaicoutlet.com....she has stainless, ceramic, glass, at great pricing....and she will give you some suggestions too. :)

When I saw your photo, I thought someone had taken a picture of MY kitchen: I've got the GE Cafe range, a stainless hood, and wood countertops, and I have no idea what to do for a backsplash. I'd love to be able to use the Ann Sacks Gotham tiles, but they're $26/square foot.

Probably I'd go with inexpensive white tiles and maybe an accent line or two of something expensive and beautiful.

those blue glass pebbles layed out and pour the self levelling resin over the top and fix it to the wall with glue and screws. it would look gorgeous!

LoriSF--

That 3rd photo is gorgeous!
Any idea who makes that tile?

I second the tin ceiling look... you could install them rotated 45 degrees for a diamond pattern.

Also, I know you were hesitant about glass tile, but I think it would be an excellent idea. Perhaps some longer tiles in a more matte tone...you could even install them vertically. I like these colors for you, but I'm sure others would work well too... http://www.theglassmosaicoutlet.com/tsunami.html

I also think stainless steel for your backsplash.

Also, this has nothing to do with your question but when I first saw the picture, I immediately imagined a mirror placed somewhere between the top of the stove to the bottom of the hood. I have seen this on an apartment therapy post before and I thought it looked absolutely gorgeous. My friend has a mirror hanging up above her stove too and it looks great.

Mirrors are a lot easier to clean than stainless steel. Just make sure you'd like to see whatever is placed across from the stove.

I have to agree with Lori SF's 2 choices: either the pale watery blue back-painted glass or the gorgeous variegated glaze subway tile.

Where does one get that subway tile Lori? Presumably there's a way to contact the owner of that picture? I've looked around trying to find it, but no luck. It really is breathtakingly beautiful, I agree with you!

As for the backpainted glass, the topic has come up before on AT... it's expensive if done professionally, but check into it.

In either case, I would do the entire wall from the right side of the exterior door(is the left inside a corner, or is there more wall space there? Your pictures are too close-up to be able to tell), from counter to ceiling. It's not so bad because you have that huge window, so will cut down on materials there. As well, you should do that small area on the other counter (since it is so small, and looks like it ends in a wall).

With respect to that funny little window in the middle of your smaller backsplash area... have you thought of getting a little awning window (in wood) to replace the slider? The window is so small, that the white vinyl frame takes up a disproportionate amount of space, especially because it is configured as a slider. We had a similar problem, and found that by going to a wood awning style window we got a lot more light, and really tidied-up the clutter of the window. And it wasn't very expensive either. If you are thinking of doing it though, it must be done before you install a backsplash.

Goodluck!

How about one solid piece of glass? Easy to clean, easy to change out. I'm planning on using a think piece of green glass as a back splash.

Hello Sarah,
I´ve put glass in my kitchen, there are two big pieces. They finish approximately 90 cms from the countertop. In my blog there are two images of it:
http://ministryofdeco.blogspot.com/2010/02/azulejos-como-soporte-en-la-cocina.html
http://ministryofdeco.blogspot.com/2009/12/china-en-la-cocina.html
It´s easy to clean and has a vinyl in the rear, so you don´t see the wall but the plain suface of the white vinyl.
I hope I´ve explained myself well

no to stainless, yes to subway tiles or glass. stainless just reminds me of fast food restaurant kitchens, ew..

My first option would be a ceramic subway tile, it is timeless, simple, economic and would go great with your "simple elegance" style. If you really want to splurge check out these: http://www.soliusa.com/productPg_ceramic.html

I agree that the sparkliness of glass moisac is not appropriate, expensive, a sooo burned already! In any case use flat subway glass tile.

Third option would be a plate of glass. In any of this options please make sure you select a beautiful tile border , metal reveal, or glass edge. It will make all the difference.

Lovely kitchen!

I like erinpearce's suggestion of the penny round tiles. They're a little different from the usual subway tiles.

OTOH, I think inexpensive beadboard would also look nice.

And, I agree with mschatelaine about replacing the little sliding window with an awning window. We did this with a few of our windows and we get so much more light.

Tin ceiling tiles! Used one for my bathroom splashback & it looks great. Cheap as chips on ebay!

Sarah:
here is one "V-CH-S" (Very-CHeap-Solution):

1. Put a Long Vertical Profile Wood (in the color of your cabinets) - or narrow Shelf - ABOVE your Counter ...

2. Either you have a LAMINATOR (or go to some COPY SHOP - and let them to LAMINATE) - some colorfull Photos / Prints / Posters or Part of Posters / Fabric ....

3. Size 11"x8.5" for a Regular page - or 11"x17" for Double page ...

4. ... mount your Laminated pages on Top UNDER your she shelf - Vertically between individual pages with a little overlaps on the sides ...

5. ... HEIGHT of your NEW shelf / Profile could be 11" (Vertical) or 17" high above the Counter.

Advantage - if you do not like it - you can replace them with no problem .... doing this for years ...

Xandra

I don't have a backsplash, and am not sure a backsplash is always necessary. I bought some black frames and fun prints, and hung them in a row down my counter & over my stove. Every few weeks I clean up the frames and the wall when I am doing regular kitchen cleaning. (I used some kind of "easy to clean, meant for the kitchen" paint on the wall.)

Hi,

I do not have the sources for the tiles in the pictures I posted above. I emailed the owner of the third picture and if I hear back I will post the source for the tile.
here is her blog-http://decordeprovence.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-07%3A00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=10

Waterworks has beautiful glass tiles in similar colors-
http://www.waterworks.com/products/surfaces/glass/2?page=2

In our old house, we used stainless steel look Wilsonart laminate countertop material. If you like the look, it's cheaper than real stainless, but you need somebody who knows how to install it -- our guy wasn't too great at cutting and measuring, and we had to paint tiny quarter-round molding silver to cover the edges, which kind of undermined the streamlined look we wanted.

In our new house, we got 2 inch square slate mosaic tiles at Home Depot, $11 a square foot. We had them mounted (professionally) on a diagonal. I think they look great (slightly shiny earth tones). Be sure to have them sealed if you cook a lot!

(I didn't want anything too over-the-top contemporary, like glass, it wouldn't fit our house. But I didn't want anything like glossy ceramic tile, either. I might have chosen stainless, granite to match the countertops, or some other stone.)

If you go with the white subway tiles, I suggest adding some colored subway tiles also, to break up all the white. Adding a few randomly placed tiles would make it more interesting, and not add too much to the cost. We did a similar thing in my son's bathroom and it looks very cool. We used large format subway tiles and added a couple of navy blue tiles just to break it up.

Stainless steel behind the stove (only the width of the stove, from stove top to hood bottom).

Pale blue subway or thin rectangular glass tile between countertops and upper cabinets. Since there's so little of it, you can splurge and/or get a little sparkly.

OR

White subway tile on the entire stove wall, from counter top to ceiling.

I love my subway tiles in tumbled stones. After sealing its really easy to keep clean. Its a neutral color and it wasn't terribly expensive. got it on line @ www.travertineexpert.com

The tile from this first picture!!!!
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/kitchen/stove-top-vignettes-110469

And seriously, even with budget an issue, you don't have a ton of mileage to cover... and tile (relatively speaking) is cheap.

Find and wait for what you Love.

okay... i have the same issue but i'm also stumped on where to start/end the back splash. see how the splash would run into the door jam or the switch plates... where does one end? should it go right to the jam? help, help.

The jam issue is a typical problem of non-professional renovations. DON'T do that! Please do some homework. You should have at least a 12" clearance from the door jamb, for comfort, handicapped acces, and to avoid problems with finishes and such as this one. That being said I would take it as close to the door jamb as I can, using a small profile metal tile trim.

If the tile is white, don't use the trim, white caulk is just fine.

I recently put in a lexan backsplash behind our stove. Painted the back side of the lexan sheet, screwed it to the wall with nice finish screws and washers, then a quick bead of clear caulk to finish the edges.

It's VERY durable and easy to wash. Gives the same appearance as a sheet of tempered glass but can be cut to fit (especially nice when trying to work around an outlet). As an added bonus, I live in an 85yr old house so there is some warping of the wall behind where I put up the backsplash. I was able to lay the sheet of lexan pretty flat over top of the warping so the wall is now nice and flat.

You can get large sheets of it at lowes/homedepot for around $50. Make sure you get the flexible kind that can really take a serious bending... not the brittle kind that has to be scored and snapped... the flex kind can be cut the brittle stuff is very hard to work with.

I also found that 2 coats of normal, latex, interior wall paint will cover the backside of the sheet very effectively. We painted ours a solid color but you could also be as creative as you'd like behind the lexan (different paints, designs, stencils, decals, wallpaper, decoupage, whatever... if you're brave, you could even try some etching) or just leave it clear. Regardless, all of this is happening on the back side of the lexan, so it's completely protected from spills/splashes and cleanup.

It worked out REALLY well in our kitchen and only took me a couple of hours to do (much easier than laying tile.)

Those that were interested in the source of the tile I posted above the owner was kind enough to email me the source-
http://cptnrin.smugmug.com/photos/780925405_Na8r3-O-1.jpg

Lori,
Thank you for your sweat compliment on my home. The tile is from the "Ann Sacks" collection and the color is called "ice". You will absolutely love this tile, it has so much texture and dimension. Give yourself four months or so for "Ann Sacks" to ship your order, the reason for this is because each piece is hand made. The wait is all worth it!!! I wish you all the best!

Desiree' - Owner

Hadn't made it through to the end of the comments, but was going to post that I was checking again through Ann Sacks, and thought it could be this one:

http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=268104&prg=272004

in "twilight gloss bb18"...

Checked again, but couldn't find an "ice".

IN any case, we all have enough info to find it from Ann Sacks -- thanks Lori and Desirée!

FYI- not everything is on Ann Sacks website, best to visit an actual showroom.

Here is an idea for your kitchen backsplash: hand painted tiles incorporated with subway tiles. A small expense with big impact.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45627723@N06/4482783090/