When homeowners fell out of love with plastic laminate and fell in love with stone, the cost of remodeling with stone became a factor. But, our love for all things beautiful prevailed, so, the question has become: how can a homeowner make the biggest possible impact in their kitchen in an economical way?
The answer is to create an amazing backsplash as the focal point of your kitchen.
Using a backsplash as the focal point has some great advantages. First, it’s a limited amount of space, which means it can be really elegant without a huge capital outlay. In addition, the backsplash is near to eye level, which means the eye will naturally gravitate toward it because it’s in plain sight from almost every angle of the room. Low voltage lighting can highlight the accent designs of a backsplash, and portions of the backsplash can be framed or balanced with bullnose edges on all the walls, tiles, niches, and ledges.
There is an endless array of colors, patterns and types of stone from which a homeowner can choose when creating a backsplash. A backsplash can be created in such a manner that it will tie in all the colors of the room, from the cabinets to the floors to the counter and even the wall color. A backsplash can be used to create a minimalist effect, a french country kitchen effect, or an asian theme. In addition, some of the softer, more porous stone types can be utilized, because it won’t have to take the beating a countertop does.
The rustic beauty of this backsplash pulls the cabinets and counters together in a natural way.
If you have the opportunity to install the splash before the cabinets, you have much more precision and control over the design. However, a great stone designer can make use of an existing space and create a stunning design even without the additional element of control.
The other thing of major concern is the placement of outlets and switchplates. Unfortunately, because we need and want a tremendous number of outlets, and because those outlets must follow building code regulations, the home builder electrician is usually the one who decides where the switch plates and outlets go. And, the sheer abundance of these can really interfere with a more elaborate backsplash design, so placement of those has to be taken into consideration when deciding where to go big on the splash design.
Outlets and switches can clutter an otherwise lovely backsplash.
Creating a backsplash as the focal point of your kitchen makes a lot of sense, both aesthetically and economically. If you decide you’d like to pursue this idea further, give us a call. We’ll be happy to help!
