Backsplash, a Functional and Aesthetical Feature of Your Kitchen

©Shutterstock

The time for a kitchen to be seen only as a service area is over. Nowadays, a kitchen is a prominent part of a residence and is increasingly set as a main feature of a house, which is why the design and elements should be well thought-out. One of the elements in the kitchen that becomes a major consideration is the backsplash.

What is a backsplash?

To put it simply, a backsplash is the wall surface behind a dish-washing sink or behind a cooker. Backsplash can be regarded as an extension of a kitchen countertop. Some kitchen has their backsplashes only covering several tens of centimetres above the countertop, while some others cover the entire wall.

©Shutterstock

What is the function of a backsplash?

A backsplash functions to protect the wall from dirt or stains, especially the liquid ones. While cooking, a backsplash covers your wall from splashes of oil, soup, etc. When you are washing the dishes, this kitchen feature keeps the wall from getting wet and damp.

©Shutterstock

On top of its practicality, a backsplash can also bring an aesthetic value to your kitchen. With the right choice of material, a backsplash can accentuate your kitchen so you may need to pay more attention to it during the design. Here are selected materials for your backsplash choices.

Ceramic tiles

©Shutterstock

Ceramic tiles are the most common material for a backsplash. Ceramic tiles are available in a wide variety of colours, textures, and are often affordable. You can simply choose the type of ceramic tiles that goes well with the overall theme of your kitchen. Octagonal patterns that resemble a beehive shape or a vintage subway tiles, for example, are currently in trend.

Metal

©Shutterstock

Some backsplashes are of metal. The choices of material vary from stainless steel, aluminium plate, copper to brass, all of which you can use as long as the metal is waterproof and corrosion-free.

Glass

©Shutterstock

Glass can also be an alternative material. For those of you who like a modern minimalist kitchen design, glass is the right choice. You can choose frosted glass, coloured glass, transparent glass, or even mirror glass. However, for safety reason, always make sure you choose the high-performance tempered glass that is sturdy, resilient and heat resistant.

Wood

©Shutterstock

Wooden material can also be used as a backsplash if you would like to create a warm and natural impression. Make sure that you use a water-resistant high-quality wood, such as teak, merbau, ironwood, or others of the similar type. To accentuate the grain and texture of the wood, you can apply a clear coating product on it.

Marble

©Shutterstock

For a more elegant and natural backsplash material, you can always consider marble. In addition to the elegance, marble also brings out a classy impression in your kitchen, as can be perceived from its high price. Another choice of natural stone for backsplash is granite or even travertine to create a Tuscan style kitchen. If you choose to use marble as backsplash, make sure you regularly apply coating to prevent the marble from absorbing water.

There are indeed many other materials for backsplash that are not mentioned in this article, but one thing for sure is that you need to check all the boxes in your design requirement form to be able to choose the right material. Therefore, it is important to hire an architect or an interior designer for home renovation or building. You can visit Archify to check the choices of architects and interior designers in Indonesia, as well as a variety of kitchen products and materials as references.