Tile Mural Ideas for Kitchen Backsplashes

Avente Tile welcomes a new perspective to tile on our blog. Guest post provided by Area Floors, providing personal flooring and counter top solutions in Portland, Oregon.

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Designing a tile mural for your kitchen backsplash can be overwhelming. With so many colors, shapes, sizes and materials to choose from, it's easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees. Yet it's also an opportunity to really let your creative side shine.

Of course, picking out a mural tile and putting a border around it is easy enough, but why stop there? The most show-stopping backsplashes combine a variety of techniques, textures and shapes to create a wholly unique work of art. Here are three design ideas to consider when planning a kitchen mural:



1. Choose a relief centerpiece.

Relief tiles - those with a raised design - add texture and dimension to your backsplash, creating a mural that pops off the wall. For example, when turned horizontally and finished in bronze, the Cumbria Mural from Sonoma Reserve gives this kitchen an Old World touch. To increase the impact of the mural, the designer added "matting" using 1x1 adobe-colored field tiles. A light-colored border helps the piece transition into the "quilted" field, which softens the effect and helps the relief centerpiece stand out.



2. Set your mural into the wall.

Another way to maximize the impact of your kitchen mural is to set it back into the wall, creating a shadowbox effect. Here, a gentle arch over the top provides a nice contrast to the 1x1 square mosaics, while the bottom border adds utility by creating shelf space for spices. The monochromatic framing around the inset - created with hemp-colored glass tiles - helps anchor the centerpiece.



3. Surround your mural with a basket weave.

Arched tiles in a broken joint pattern create a basket weave effect that adds texture and interest to the mural. When paired with 2x2 black onyx tiles in a modern design, these white arched tiles create a striking contrast in both color and style, drawing the eye to the center of the mural.

Designing a backsplash mural is about more than just choosing a color palette. With the wide range of artisan tiles available today, there's no end to the stunning combinations you can create.