Backsplash to lighten up a dark kitchen?
I'm looking to add backsplash to a kitchen that has dark cherry wood cabinets and black granite countertops, and for now, black granite backsplash as well. I hate how dark the kitchen is right now, so I'd like to find a backsplash that will lighten it up a bit, but I'm worried that it will be too stark if I go too light. Any suggestions for a backsplash for this kitchen that will lighten it without being too stark against the cabinets?
Picture of the kitchen as is. This picture is from when I bought it and the counters are much less cluttered now and I don't have a mat in there. I'm also changing the flooring, but haven't decided on new flooring yet.
I'm a fan of this tile in the white or the blue-green color, although I'm guessing that the chevron is expensive to install:
To go more simple, I also like these three:
(with a white grout):
Comments (15)
eam44
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoA backsplash can certainly brighten a bit, but you really need better lighting. The fluorescent light has to go. Consider a few can lights and a fixture that illuminates the ceiling and bounces light off of the walls as well. The images of tile that you like did not post. This is mother of pearl mosaic tile that does not need grout. It reflects light very well.
Susan Walker
8 years agoOoh I really like that backsplash! So pretty. I like that it's also not a stark white.
The lighting actually isn't as bad as it looks, it's just a terrible picture. The light at the top of the picture isn't a fluorescent light, it's a tray ceiling with uplighting around the edges, like a deeper version of the picture below. There are also lights under the cabinets and in the glass cabinet (not turned on in the picture), and a couple pendant lights that hang over the bar (the left side of the picture). The kitchen is actually open to the dining/living area on the left also and in person gets a decent amount of natural light.
The other ones I tried to post before were these:
(in white also):
(with white grout):
Related Discussions
Advice on dark-ish backsplash for white cabinet kitchen
Comments (8)I feel a little bit of a contemporary vibe, so I'd do something like eam's first photo. That's kind of interesting because it repeats the shape of the distant mountains. There are others shapes that undulate like that with a smoother curve. If you don't feel brave enough to do a shape, use an elongated subway to cut down on busy grout lines. I like 3x8s and 3x12s, which would give you a more flowing movement than 3x6s to mimic the mountains. I wouldn't do anything different under the hood because you have so little area to tile. You also don't want to stop the eye--keep it moving around the room to the windows and view. It looks like the uppers over your peninsula stop short of the end of the counter, so where will you stop the tile?...See MoreBacksplash for very dark kitchen
Comments (29)I think you could go with either tile. I would strongly advise you to remove that valance over the window. It makes no sense and looks as though you're trying to hide something. Bite the bullet and do it now. It takes away from your gorgeous kitchen and looks so strange that it's the first thing people will notice when they walk in as well as making the kitchen even darker....See MoreHelp! Did I go to dark on the backsplash in an all white kitchen?
Comments (49)Oh, I am just noticing your red mixer. Do you leave it out? Do you want red to be your accent color? A few bits of red judiciously placed would be marvelous without giving anyone a headache. Le Creuset makes all kinds of spatulas, scoops, etc with red silicone ends, and several in a crock with your other tools would look great. A floor mat in front of the sink a modern swirl of black, gray, white and a touch of red with dish towels and place mats with the same colors would be great, too. But not everything all the same pattern, that's too matchy-matchy. Or if the red all over is too intense, you could still do green as your accent color, that is very calming, and you still get to keep your mixer:) I do think the room need a live plant somewhere .Decide first what you want as your accent color and what you want to do in the corner. If you are going to do a wall unit like IKEA's you can put a plant in there. I wouldn't put a live plant on top of your cabinets, it will be too hard to water, and you run the risk of water damage, too. I was initially thinking of doing some sort of fabric valance on top of the window, but another thought was to have two big bushy hanging plants. They can be all green like swedish ivy or pothos, or have some color, such as coleus or tradescantia. The top of the pot should be at the top of the window or the top third of the pot should be at the top third of the pot should be above the window. Depending on how high that is, you can either reach them to water them, or you can get a special mechanism that lowers them to water them. I think should hang them low enough to be able to reach them, but not obstruct your view, and this way, you don't need a window treatment., and they bring life and color and oxygen to your room. You should lower the clock then closer to the window approximately 6 inches over the window so it relates to it, the way you hang art over a piece of furniture, and the plants on either side. You can purchase or make yourself sturdy but beautiful white macrame hangers, yes they are back. Keep in mind that you want the focus to be the plant, not the hanger. If you don't want to do the hanging plant, then think about a large floor plant if you can, or something in the wall unit if you get one, or a plant for the counter, or even some lucky bamboo (mix straight and curly stems) in a cylindrical vase with pebbles in the base on the counter....See MoreHusband says, "Kitchen backsplash going up over Thanksgiving week"!
Comments (32)Thank you all very much for the wonderful suggestions for us to consider! It is a work in progress so hopefully we will pull it all together in the end. Annette Holbrook: I love the color you proposed and have it in a lot of accessories for kitchen (not pictured) and elsewhere in decor so thank you! As for the layout - the only part not working to the fullest is the dishwasher location when unloading dishes that need to go directly above the dishwasher. However, we did not want to change the footprint involving moving plumbing etc. The island was added to provide more counter and storage space which limits space when unloading dishes to the cabinets above the dishwasher. So I unload to the counter first, then close the dishwasher door to put dishes in that cabinet. Small price for the storage and counter space gained. Everything else working out....See More
nosoccermom
8 years agoeam44
8 years ago
mayflowers
8 years agoWith so much dark cabinetry in a tight space, a backsplash may not do much to lighten your kitchen. You could put your money into a BS and not be much better off, but I think I'd take the long term approach and replace the shiny black granite with a lighter stone. I would use it as the backsplash too as you want to limit elements in a small space. If you want a tiled backsplash, I'd use a solid quartz for the counter.
Naperville IL Kitchen · More Info
Notice how busy this kitchen is with the raised panel doors, the glass cabinet display, patterned floor, stuff everywhere. Imagine it with a tiled backsplash. Too much! A new counter also opens up your options for new flooring. Those decisions should be made together if you're doing a tiled floor.
Kitchen Remodeling · More Info
Lily Spider
8 years agoloonlakelaborcamp
8 years agoSusan Walker
8 years agoThanks for all of the advice, everyone! I took some better pictures of the kitchen in terms of light (see below), although it has no flooring right now. The impetus for the slight remodel is a flood that started two floors above me and ruined all of my hardwood floors, so they're all pulled up and my condo is entirely concrete at the moment other than the kitchen and the bedrooms/bathrooms.
That being said, based on your advice, I decided to suck it up and get new counters. I'm going with quartz with a carrara marble look, and I think I'm going to go with a white/frosted white glass tile pattern backsplash. Here's a picture of a cabinet and counter that are similar to mine with the backsplash I'm leaning toward. I'm not totally married to this one, though, so I'd love some input! I'm also including a picture of the flooring I'm leaning toward (although it's a tiny bit redder in person). Now I just need to choose a paint color! Thanks again, everyone, for convincing me that it's worth it to do new counters!
Pictures of the kitchen now:
eam44
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoSusan Walker
8 years agolam702
8 years ago
Carrie B
8 years agoLily Spider
8 years agomayflowers
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Carrie B