Timeless Kitchen Tile Splashback Ideas

Renovating or building a new kitchen is certainly quite the investment into your home. Being a rather costly exercise, it is not necessarily a project you want to be revisiting every few years as trends change so selecting from a range of timeless design solutions and materials is the key to ensuring your new kitchen’s aesthetic appeal over time. Kitchen splashback tiles are available in a vast range of options, from elegant and traditional subway tiles, stylish glazed ceramic options as well as classic porcelain kitchen tiles, each of which providing endless appeal as well as a low maintenance surface finish for the kitchen.

Subway Kitchen Tile Splashback

Subway tiles are a wonderfully timeless option for the kitchen splashback, offering a range of exciting design solutions that will introduce colour, shape and pattern into your interior design scheme. The traditional elongated rectangular shape can be laid in a variety of ways to create a distinct style and pattern in your kitchen design, from the classic brick bond layout, vertical or horizontally stacked formats or the modern herringbone tile pattern as pictured in the colourful kitchen below. Each of these tile layouts creates its own unique look in a design; for example, laying your subway tiles running vertically up the wall will create a greater sense of height in the space, making this style especially ideal for rooms with lower ceilings. Laying subway tiles with the longest length of the tile running horizontally across the wall however, will increase the perception of width in the room, making the space appear as if it is longer. The ability to create a different look using these visual tricks or illusions make subway tiles an excellent choice, especially in spaces where you are looking to emphasise the dimensions of the room itself.

Caption: Colourful subway tiles make for a stylish yet timeless feature element in this luxurious and modern kitchen. Laid in a classic herringbone pattern, the emerald green tiles create the perfect focal point in the space.

Subway tiles are available in a vast range of material and colour options; there truly is a tile design to suit just about any kitchen style! From classic ceramic or porcelain tile options to luscious marbles and even terrazzo tiles, you will find an impressive range of solutions to suit your own unique interior style.

Pressed Tin Style Ceramic Tiles

Pressed tin panels create an elegant and romantic atmosphere in the kitchen, being most popular in vintage and period style homes thanks to their old world charm. In the messy environment of the kitchen however, pressed tin can require a little extra maintenance as they can scratch, discolour or even rust when not treated with care and properly maintained over time. Glazed ceramic tiles provide an excellent alternative option for the kitchen, being much simpler to care for and maintain. These types of ceramic tiles are made using a combination of natural clays and water that is formed into the desired tile shape and etched with patterns or designs. A glaze is applied to the surface of the tile before it is baked in a kiln at extreme temperatures to remove any moisture from the product.

Caption: Glazed ceramic tiles offer the perfect alternative option to traditional pressed tin panels. These elegant and timeless tiles are simple to maintain, needing nothing more than a simple wipe down with a damp cloth to keep them clean and tidy.

The firing process hardens the glaze, creating an almost glass-like finish that is impervious to water, making glazed ceramic tiles an excellent design solution for the kitchen. This moisture resistance means that the tiles themselves will not be prone to staining or discolouration, making them an exceptionally low maintenance option that will never require sealing. Traditional unglazed ceramic tiles are porous and can absorb liquids and moisture that can potentially lead to staining and discolouration. Selecting from a range of glazed ceramic tiles however, means that you will not have to be concerned with sealing your new tiles every few years as would be the case with unglazed varieties, as the glaze itself acts as a protective barrier.

Classic Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain tiles have long been a favourite choice when it comes to selecting kitchen splashback tiles thanks to their incredible durability and ease of maintenance, as well as their heat and moisture resistant qualities. These tiles can withstand extreme temperatures (making them ideal for a cooktop surround), scratching and staining, making them a very popular choice in achieving a low maintenance kitchen design. As with glazed ceramic tiles, porcelain options should not require more than a wipe down with a damp cloth to keep clean. Unlike natural tiles such as marble for example, porcelain products will not require sealing as they are non-porous. These tiles will not absorb liquids, making them an excellent solution for the kitchen.

Caption: Porcelain tiles are available in a large range of options, from decorative patterned tiles to stunning handmade-look varieties. These sorts of designs offer all of the earthy charm of a handmade product at a fraction of the cost, making them a stylish and timeless choice for the kitchen.

Another benefit of porcelain tiles is that they can be designed to simulate the look and feel of a variety of different materials such as timber, marble, limestone and even concrete, allowing you to make use of these exciting materials in spaces where they have often been avoided as they can be more susceptible to staining or marking.

Choosing a range of timeless materials and colours in your next kitchen renovation or build project will ensure your design stays on trend and can be enjoyed for many years to come. Porcelain tiles, glazed ceramic tiles as well as traditional subway tiles each offer a wonderfully timeless aesthetic in the home, making them the perfect choice for a new kitchen while also providing a low maintenance surface finish that will not require the same level of care as more sensitive materials would.