Kitchen Backsplash and Lighting, Designed Together

Choosing and laying out a backsplash

The backsplash usually runs between the countertop and the upper cabinets, a span of typically about 18 inches. Behind the range, many people take tile all the way to the hood or ceiling, which creates a focal point and protects the wall from grease. Full-height backsplashes on a window wall or open shelving wall give a cleaner, more continuous look.

Tile choice changes the whole kitchen. Glossy ceramic subway tile reflects light and is easy to wipe. Handmade-look tile has variation that hides small imperfections. Large porcelain slabs or stone give an almost jointless surface behind a range. Busy patterned tile works best against a quiet countertop; a heavily veined stone counter usually wants a simpler tile.

Layout is where skill shows. The installer finds the center of the range or window, sets start lines from there and plans how the pattern meets outlets, the window trim and the end of the counter. Edges are finished with a trim piece or a clean mitered return rather than a raw cut tile.

Layering light in a kitchen

Good kitchen lighting has three layers. Ambient light, usually recessed ceiling fixtures, lights the room generally. Task light puts brightness directly on work surfaces, and in a kitchen that mostly means under-cabinet fixtures. Accent light, such as pendants over an island or lights inside glass cabinets, adds warmth and character.

Recessed lights should sit over the front edge of the counters, not in a grid across the middle of the ceiling. Otherwise you stand between the light and the counter and work in your own shadow. Under-cabinet fixtures belong toward the front edge of the cabinet so they shine on the counter instead of glaring off the tile. Putting each layer on its own switch, ideally dimmable, lets you go from bright prep light to a soft evening glow.

Code requires GFCI protection for countertop outlets, and these can be placed in the backsplash or tucked under the upper cabinets. Deciding this before the tile goes up is far easier than cutting tile afterward. If the backsplash is part of a larger project, the complete kitchen remodeling process explains the order of trades. Pendants over an island are sized and spaced as part of island design and installation.