Out of the Ordinary Backsplash Materials That’ll Make You Look Twice

It may not get as much press as the countertop or appliances, but your backsplash can have a huge impact on the look of your kitchen. Most homeowners opt for tile, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but if tile doesn’t suit your fancy, or you just want something a little off the beaten path, take a look at these unexpected choices.

From Elle Decoration, here’s a backsplash treatment I never would’ve considered, but one that’s as minimal and lovely as it is unexpected. Wrapping butcherblock from the countertop onto the backsplash gives the kitchen a seamless look, and adds warmth to a modern space.

I know a lot of people find mirrored backsplashes to be a little too 80s, so maybe I’m in the minority here — but I think the backsplash in this kitchen from Blakes London, made from antiqued mirrored tiles, is charming, and just right for this kitchen’s traditional-meets-modern vibe. Also lead image above.

If you love pattern, you don’t have to spend a fortune on tile to get the look in your kitchen. This kitchen in Sunset Magazine’s 2017 Idea House, spotted on Good On Paper, has a wallpaper backsplash protected by a layer of plexiglass.

In this Italian kitchen from Casa Vogue, a brass backsplash adds a little shine, and a lot of style, to the kitchen.

If brass seems a bit too spend-y, or a bit too fingerprint-y, but you still love the idea of a metallic backsplash, try pressed tin panels, which add a bit of an old-world vibe to this Australian farmhouse.

A chalkboard painted backsplash, like this one from Dove Drury Hornbuckle, makes for a very striking kitchen. Just make sure you use the dust-proof chalk.

Ok, this is tile, which isn’t really that unusual of a choice for a backsplash, except that these tiles, from Made a Mano, are really big oversized tiles, creating a colorblock effect that’s as beautiful as it is unexpected.

And then, if you are starting a build from scratch, bust your kitchen wide open with a window. This kitchen’s clear glass “backsplash” (seen on Trendir) looks out onto a vertical wall garden.