Here’s a Brilliant Chic-but-Cheap (Under-$100!) Backsplash Hack
Renovating a kitchen comes with a million decisions, and an endless loop of Well, if we spend on this, we have to cut back on that. The trouble is you can quickly run out of things to cut back on.
Not so for Jennifer Maxcy, who renovated a 1958 ranch outside of Los Angeles with her husband. She thrives on being as resourceful as is humanly possible, thanks to a very clever mind that can spot some inexpensive wood paneling at a hardware store and conjure up a vision of it serving as a Scandi-vibed backsplash.
True story.
While many would immediately (and exclusively) think of tile for a backsplash, Jennifer wanted warmth and something to connect to other wood elements in the light-and-airy open-concept space. She also didn’t want anything that was too kitchen-y. (One of her many smart design tips when it comes to an open floor plan.) And so she went with the ever-so-trendy DIY material pole wrap.
See the full before and after:
Before & After: An Uninhabitable 1950s Ranch Gets a Cool, Scandi Kitchen Reno for $12,000
Out of the entire kitchen reno (and it was a doozy!) using the pale wood paneling for the backsplash was her favorite decision. It was inexpensive (especially compared to trendy tile). It’s got major Scandi appeal. It’s warm and earthy. And it sets this kitchen apart from so many that all look alike.
“It elevated the design,” Jennifer says, and besides costing less than $100 for an eight-foot-sheet, it was easy to install as a DIY project, saving even more money. You’d never know by looking at it that it cost so little … or that it wasn’t meant to be backsplash.
This post originally ran on Kitchn. See it there: This Scandi-Style Kitchen Redo Features a Brilliant Chic-but-Cheap Backsplash Hack