With most of the functional work at the beach house wrapped up — like the walk-in pantry and the newly built bunk beds (remember when we almost had to tear those down right after we built them?) — we’re finally turning our attention to the bigger aesthetic projects that remain. First on that list: the kitchen backsplash.
sconces / hood / stools / hardware / shelves / pendant lights / faucet
The photo above is a few weeks old (taken before we swapped the mini fridge for more counter space), but it’s the image Sherry and I have been using to visualize the backsplash. For reference, the far end of the kitchen looks a bit different now — we added cabinet hardware last week but haven’t taken updated photos yet.
counters / cabinets / fridge / shelves
We’ve been leaning toward a simple white subway tile backsplash for a while (you may remember seeing a mock-up as far back as September). Anything too trendy or bold felt out of place in this older home, so we kept coming back to a classic, casual, and unfussy look — the kind of kitchen that reads as timeless in a 100-year-old house, like those old downtown restaurants that still feel authentic.
marble table / window blinds / white tile / blue tile / similar towels
That left one big question: how far should the subway tile go? A standard 18″ backsplash? All the way to the ceiling? Wrap the whole room? Into the pantry? We’ve favored floor-to-ceiling tile in past kitchens and love the dramatic, cohesive effect it creates. We tiled to the ceiling in both our previous homes and even extended tile around a garage door once because it tied the cabinetry together and made a bold statement.
faucet / woven blinds / hardware / similar tile
Before committing, we like to test ideas in Photoshop. I overlaid a repeating subway tile pattern on a kitchen photo and used perspective and skew transforms to match wall angles. We haven’t settled on grout color yet (probably a medium gray), so these mock-ups are close approximations.
Below are the main options we considered and the decision we ultimately landed on.
Option 1: No Backsplash
We included this largely for context. Early in our DIY days we skipped a backsplash in our first kitchen remodel and regretted it. It’s an easy way to add polish, and now that we’ve installed a few, we’re excited to add one here.
Option 2: Up To The Hood
Without upper cabinets, the natural stopping point for tile was tricky. A standard 18″ would sit low in the room’s 9′ ceilings and might look odd behind the taller range back panel. We briefly considered stopping at the bottom of the upper shelves, but that felt awkward too. Tiling up to the bottom of the hood looked clean but also a little unfinished, especially with exposed shelves above.
Option 3: Up To The Hood + Back Wall
Extending the tile along the back wall immediately felt more balanced. Those shallow storage cabinets would read as part of the kitchen, even if they won’t see much prep or splashing. It’s largely a visual choice that brings cohesion to the space.
Option 4: To The Ceiling
We initially assumed floor-to-ceiling tile would be our winner. It creates great impact and suits tall ceilings. But there was one thing bothering us that didn’t show clearly in the mock-up: how the tile would terminate on the left-hand wall, where the kitchen opens into the dining room. A vertical bullnose stopping partway down a long, open wall felt potentially awkward.
We like floor-to-ceiling tile when it’s contained within clear boundaries — corners, cabinetry, or other architectural edges. In this open plan, leaving one large wall partially tiled without a natural stopping point didn’t feel right.
Option 5: To The Ceiling + Stairway Triangle
We briefly toyed with tiling the underside of the back stair triangle as well. It felt bold, but also complicated to execute and a touch over the top. In the end, tiling the nook beneath the staircase reads more natural than covering the bump-out itself.
Option 6: To The Doorways
Surprisingly, stopping the tile at the top of the doorways felt like the best compromise. It’s more substantial than tiling only to the hood and brings tile behind the top shelves, while using the door frames as natural, tidy stopping points. That helps define the kitchen visually from the dining area without overwhelming the open-plan layout.
The final detail to decide is the exact tile. We’re leaning toward a basic 3 x 6″ white subway tile like the kind you can find at major home centers, but we’re picky about white undertones and will sample a few to make sure the tile complements the cabinets perfectly. If you have favorite subway tile suggestions, we’re all ears.
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