What colour wall panel in kitchen (light oak worktop)?

11 days ago

Hi!

We are getting a new kitchen put in and I'm not sure what to do about the back panel colour and was hoping I'd get some suggestions here.

We are going to go with a light oak-effect laminate worktop.

The cabinets will be slab style and a very light grey, with a light sheen rather than full gloss (Wren's Pebble Grey Silk). We are looking at Lick Green 14 for the painted areas of the walls***

The floor tiles that we have right now will stay (for budgetary reasons) and are a mid-grey. These are not them but a reasonably close match: https://www.diy.com/departments/colours-slate-light-grey-matt-flat-stone-effect-textured-porcelain-indoor-wall-floor-tile-pack-of-6-l-590mm-w-290mm/3663602676140_BQ.prd.

We like the idea of a back panel instead of tiles as it seems like it would be easier to clean. However, we are stuck about what colour that should be. Wren can do us what they call a Tek wall in light oak to match the worktop. I think this would look nice if used sparingly, but I'm not sure about a wide expanse. Besides, the height they sell it in means it wouldn't quite reach our extractor hood so we'd end up with a small space between the top of our back panel and the hood which would get manky. I think that if we tried to get a light oak back panel from another supplier it wouldn't quite match and would look odd.

But I don't know what colour/effect to go with to complement the grey floor and cabinets, oak worktop and green walls. Any suggestions?

I have considered using light oak in a sort of skirting-board effect, about 10cm high, and then something else behind our hob. Maybe clear glass? But then this has the same issue as not getting an exact match for the countertop - Wren only do the Tek wall panels in one measurement so it would be quite wasteful to do it that way.

I'm using the term back panel instead of splashback as we want something a bigger than a splashback - we think food splatters from the hob in all directions so we don't want to get something that only runs the width of the hob.

***We are quite settled on the cabinet and wall colours, though we have not entirely ruled out the cabinets being a taupe with pink undertones (Wren's Cashmere Silk), or using Lick Pink 02 instead of the green. Green 14 would. work with either the grey or taupe cabinets, but Pink 02 would only work with the grey cabinets. So suggestions for those combinations would also be welcome.

Also, our kitchen is north-facing and doesn't get a huge amount of light. It's about 3.25 x 3.7 metres, so not very large (though not tiny).

Featured Answer

Lucy Smith
Original Author

10 days ago

Thanks to both of you for taking the time to answer.

Sonia, I know what you mean about tiles - they aren't that hard to keep clean really, but if you are lazy like me and don't always clean as you go the grout can get grotty quite quickly :-)

Isla, glass is my preferred option if budget allows it, I'm just stuck on what colour to go for. Maybe clear glass would be the best option for us - we don't need to worry about colour -coordination, we get a bit of sheen and our wall is protected. We're definitely not going for anything that doesn't reach all the way to our extractor.

Thanks agin to both of you for your time.

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Comments (7)

Sonia
11 days ago
I can’t help you choose a backsplash, but don’t discount tiles. They can add real character to a kitchen. People often state that tiles are difficult to clean behind a hob but I don’t agree. My backsplash behind the hob is glass mosaic so a lot of grouting but still looks okay after 14 years. Just wipe any splashes as they happen. Not saying choose mosaic but there are some gorgeous tiles about nowadays. I agree with you that using a wooden look backsplash could look heavy.
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Lucy Smith thanked Sonia
Sonia
11 days ago
My backsplash
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I think I would opt for a lightly textured white-ish worktop and something similar for the floor. Pure white in floortiles or worktops show every crumb, speck of dust and mark, and with your white metro tiles (which I love and specify often), runs the risk of being too "clinical". With a texture (marble or quartz effect), it will keep your room bright (you seem to have limited window for lighting) while being much more practical to live with. To include a slight "grey" tone would work well, and greys are very "now"! There are many lovely worktops (try looking at the Duropal website for inspiration) with a little pattern/texture which will mix white and grey tones and perhaps pick up on the tones from your wood. Why not pop into your local independent kitchen showroom - they'll have lots of samples for you to look at (probably more than the big "chains") and are normally more than happy for you to borrow sample pieces/swatches to try out at home. They'll be able to advise on the different makes/qualities and give you pricing to supply and/or fit. They'll probably have lots of tile and flooring samples for you to look at too! Have fun choosing! John @ Caldicot Kitchen & Bathroom Centre
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Isla Cherry
11 days ago
last modified: 10 days ago
As the backsplash you are considering will not reach the extractor I would not even consider it. Glass can look great if you get the right back colour. So easy to clean and would also add a bit of shine to the matt worktops. You could also consider a metal, stainless steel being very practical but brass, copper, zinc, etc could all work. Tiles are another good option. Zellige tiles are very popular now and really add character and a bit of shine. There are plenty of custom backsplashes available too. Do a ton of research for inspiration on all sorts of sites.
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Lucy Smith thanked Isla Cherry
Isla Cherry
10 days ago
last modified: 9 days ago
I wouldn't go for clear glass unless the wall behind it is perfect. Choose a subtle colour that you like.
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Sonia
9 days ago
Lucy, I’m quite lazy too but if you want a lovely kitchen a quick wipe down after dinner will keep it looking fab. Only takes a minute. Method glass cleaner is brilliant for that. Or get a cleaner, lots of people do! Some ideas that you may like.
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macbroom
9 days ago
Visualising your colour scheme, I would choose a soft white tile, perhaps Zellige as mentioned above— these tiles are different variations of the same colour . There is a trend at the moment for using quartz continuing up the wall, whilst this can work well, if you wish to avoid that blocky look of a solid slab, tiles can provide a softer finish. In terms of maintenance, if you have an induction hob there will be very little splashing of foodstuffs as this is a gentle way to cook. However, if you are cooking over a flame, I would probably not opt for tiles as there can be a lot of foodstuffs splashing back behind hob. I chose tiles over induction hob in new kitchen and am delighted with result.

What colour wall panel in kitchen (light oak worktop)?

Lucy Smith
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What colour wall panel in kitchen (light oak worktop)?

Lucy SmithOriginal Author

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Sonia

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Lucy Smith
Original Author