Celebrating National Backsplash Month – Part 1

This backsplash: Emser Ancient Tumbled Beige 4 x 8 travertine tile with an accent strip of Emser Confetti Metal blend mosaic tiles. (Illuminated by LED undercabinet lighting.)

Did you know September is National Backsplash Month?

That’s right: much like National Wear a Fanny Pack Month (October) and National Riverdancing Month (March), it’s an unusual monthly designation. Nevertheless, here at kitchenCRATE we’re always up for a celebration. So to honor NBM, we’re running a 4-part blog series on this underrated-yet-critical part of your kitchen design.

This backsplash: Daltile Matte Arctic White 3 x 6 tiles accented by Emser Lucent Morning Fog 3 x 6 glass tiles. (Illuminated by LED undercabinet lighting.)

First some basics:

Your Backsplash Has Two Purposes

First, it protects your wall from splashing (hence the name).  Ever fried anything in a skillet or made a huge pot of spaghetti sauce?  If you’ve done anything of the sort, you’ve likely “splashed” oil or food on the wall behind the cooktop.  With an effective, well-selected backsplash, these splashes are easily resolved with the wipe of a sponge or a rag when the cooking is complete.  Without it? Well, you’d likely have a few months worth of build-up in no time…

Second, it provides an amazing opportunity to spice up the look of the kitchen.  The wall above the counters and below the upper cabinets is a perfect near-eye level location to add personality to your kitchen design.  By alternating materials, tile configurations and accents, the backsplash truly has an endless number of design options.

One last point to bring up: our first two commandments in our 10 Commandments of Backsplash Design are critical.  They are:

1. Thou shalt not use identical material on your countertop and backsplash. (Granite countertops and the same granite backsplash! Egads! Interior designers across the nation shed tears over such a proposition!)
2. Thou shalt not stop thy backsplash until thee intersects thy upper cabinets. (No 6″ backsplashes, please. Spend another few bucks and take it all the way up!)

This backsplash: Emser Cream 3 x 6 glass tiles.

Now that we’ve heard from the great beyond, here’s what’s coming up in the following three parts of this series:

Part 2 – Backsplash Material (Natural Stone, Glazed Tile, Glass/Metals)

Part 3 – Backsplash Design (Monochromatic, Field Tile with Accent Tile, Decorative Frame at Cooktop, Mosaic)

Part 4 – Backsplash Installation Best Practices

Check Out Part Two of Our Series to Learn About Backsplash Materials!

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