The kitchen splashback is becoming increasingly central to modern kitchen design.  With the splashback being such a focal point in your new kitchen, it’s important to put some consideration into what sort of splashback will work best in your space.

Here are three factors to consider when selecting your new kitchen’s splashback.

• Budget

As with all renovations – budget is king and will dictate the type of splashback you end up installing.  If you are on a budget, stainless steel or marble splashbacks may not be an option! As a rule of thumb, anything that needs to be applied in a single sheet (such as steel, marble, glass etc.) will need to be custom made to allow for cut outs (for electricity points and the like) which will add to your costs. Tiles on the other hand involve less fore planning and can be selected to suit although intricate tiling patterns could then push up pricing.

• Design

Your splashback is a key player in the overall design of your kitchen so if you have a clear theme or style of kitchen that you are working too, then this will dictate the colour palette and materials you ultimately use.  For instance, a Hamptons style kitchen will draw upon a neutral colour palette and most likely utilize finishes such as marble or tiles.  Industrial designs might look at surfaces such as steel or concrete look stones or laminates.

Bright splashbacks are surprisingly popular, so if you are after bold colour then you might want to consider glass which is particularly suitable for colour.

• Practicality

Ultimately, your splashback needs to practical – it is there for a purpose after all!  Each splashback material will require a different level of maintenance.  Glass is great for wiping down oil and general cooking spills while tile grout as an example, can require a little more attention.  Porous materials such as marble or timber will also require an extremely careful approach to stains and cleaning.

To ensure that your kitchen is a show stopper, consider these simple design strategies:

Utilise a pattern in your tiling.  From herringbone to geometric patterns, an interesting tiling pattern is an easy way to add interest to your splashback.

Go for greenery.  If you are considering a window style splashback, ensure it becomes the focal point but adding lots of lush greenery in the immediate area behind the splashback.

Consider Stone or Laminate surfaces.  We’ve seen some really interesting splashbacks created using Laminex and Caesarstone.  Both materials offer great designs from concrete inspired looks to marble veins allowing you to instantly achieve varied design effects.  They will also allow you to match your splashback with your benchtop for extra design appeal.