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Design Dilemma Kitchens

How to end tile backsplash?

last year

The two photos are drawings of our new kitchen. There is a caddy-corner pantry between these two walls. I can see the obvious with the range wall - it will be tile from the countertops to the underside of the cabinets. But the other wall is my dilemma.

The right cabinet will likely be removed to open up the feel of the kitchen more. To the right of it is the door to the back patio. The left cabinet is actually much smaller than picture here (narrower). So should the tile follow the line of the underside of the cabinet? Or go up and around the window? And how to end it on the right wall?

The tile is a white subway-ish tile that will go horizontally.
Thanks!

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Comments (4)

daisychain Zn3b
last year
last modified: last year
I would tile up the wall to about the midpoint of the window to avoid a harsh line (like you'd get if you stopped at the bottom of the cab.

Are you sure you want to take out that upper on the right? It looks like you have very limited storage and it seems like it might look off balance without it.

ETA: once the cabs are installed, you can tape white paper up at various levels to see where the tile should end. Taking the tile all the way up will make it feel more closed in than taking it partway up the wall. Doing a mock up will help you to see just how far.
mxk3 z5b_MI
last year
I would go up around the window and over the top of the cabinets if you don't take the cabs to the ceiling.

Look at how "finished" these look:
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Thanks for posting the other photo, Willtv. When you say you'd do one or the other but not both, do you mean all horizontal or all vertical for the entire backsplash? Or do you mean you'd end one side or the other with a vertical row, but not both? (I'm sorry, I'm just not understanding because of the previous sentence that sounds like you wouldn't do a vertical row on only one side.) :) Thanks Co-Co. Pretty granite. Now, if the other side of that backsplash ended next to a doorway (with drywall next to it), do you think a vertical row of tile would look odd to end it (on only the one side)? Sorry guys, not sure if I'm explaining it well. I know Katieob (love her kitchen!) has a row of vertical tiles to end the backsplash. I'm attaching a link of her finished kitchen post. If you imagine she had only tiled that one wall, where the range is, how would you end the tile in the corner? Would you do a vertical row on that side too for symmetry? Or just have the vertical row on the one side and let the other side end into the corner? Here is a link that might be useful: Katieob's Kitchen
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daisychain Zn3b
last year
Tiling the whole wall can look great, but keep in mind it also makes the space feel more closed and limits where you can add paint. If there is no painted wall in that space, it can make it feel disconnected from the rest of the kitchen where there is paint.
littlewheel64
Original Author
last year
Very good points, thank you. The wall to the right is open to the rest of the room, and a door is right there to the back patio, which is why I thought removing that upper cab would help “transition “ the kitchen into the rest of the great room? I might add some open shelves there later. Also, the ceiling is vaulted, so it makes the space even more challenging.

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