I’d be nervous about that too

I’d probably find out if you can waterproof the Sheetrock and paint over it with exterior paint - which withstands rain regularly.
But obviously I haven’t done this and have no clue what I’m spewing
🤗

How tall is your faucet? Old school backsplashes are 4" and many old wall hung or vanity top bathroom sinks have no backsplash. Just try it out for a while and maybe repaint occasionally. It's a kitchen sink and unless you are very messy and get water everywhere, it might hold up okay...it's not a shower. Maybe you could use exterior latex behind the sink.

Thank you both for the input! I think paint can work as well but I also have no real world experience in this department :-)

It was very common years ago, not to have any backsplash, just a painted surface. I have had many kitchens like that through out the years. Never had any of them get damaged, but....kitchens were always painted with semi gloss paint years ago, and that isnt used very often anymore. Satin may be a better option for you.

Is your kitchen built yet? Having extra deep counters will leave a little extra safety space behind the sink.

Another really good option is to use an undermount sink with a built-in faucet deck. The faucet will be below counter level and all the associated faucet drips will roll into the sink. (These are hard to find because mounting faucets in the counter has become the norm. It's a shame. They really are superior! Here's one: https://www.elkay.com/products/ectrud31199rdbg0.html)

Raising my hand as the only homeowner in USA who does not like backsplashes and doesn't have one in my kitchen. I also do not play in the water in the sink *~) so it doesn't splash all over. As needed I wipe down the wall behind the sink. I repainted last year after 20 years and the paint looked the same behind the sink as everywhere else.

That is good to know. For some reason I couldn’t respond to a previous comment, but why satin over semi gloss? Aesthetics?

Cabinets are already in…you can see there is a piece of quartz backsplash ready to be installed but I don’t like the way it looks and it doesn’t provide that much protection. When I splash something, rarely does it hit protected areas…thanks for the input. Feeling much better about the paint!

Phooey there's not enough wall there to put in a backsplash. Stick the quartz in the garage and don't worry about it!

Thanks Fori. 👍

If you want another semi-experienced, semi-knowledgeable opinion - that piece of backsplash won’t help you. My mom never had a splash in her 1940s home, cooked three meals a day x 40 years and no problems. Me, I like a backsplash. Your space is beautiful without one. Enjoy it !

Just make sure the window sill is a durable surface.

One thing that I have done before is to do a very short backsplash: I did 1.5" in soapstone because I did not want a joint at the wall with horizontal countertop right against drywall.

In my current bathrooms, which do have tile backsplashes, I have Corian countertops with coved back and side edges of about 1/2" so the tile joint is not next to the horizontal surface.

The suggestion was made for satin, because, many do not like semi gloss on their walls anymore. I do like semi gloss and I still use it in bathrooms, and usually in kitchens, although in this house, the walls run into the dining room, so I used a lower gloss.

Satin would work just fine. I would go with a high quality paint. If you go with SW paint I would stick to Emerald or higher. Make sure your drywall is in great shape or it will highlight any imperfections.