Kitchen Splashbacks That Look Good With Wooden Worktops
Enhance a solid timber worktop with a splashback that brings out its beauty
Anna Tobin
5 January 2016
Houzz UK Contributor. I am an experienced lifestyle journalist, interior stylist and editor. I regularly contribute to all the UK glossies and the national press and international press and I run www.dontcrampourstyle.com, the blog for people who live in homes that they've physically outgrown. Follow me on Twitter @theannatobin or contact me via www.annatobin.co.uk
Houzz UK Contributor. I am an experienced lifestyle journalist, interior stylist... More
Both traditional and contemporary kitchen units look great topped with a smart wooden worktop, but it can be difficult to visualise what kind of splashback to choose to complete your dream scheme. For a little inspiration, check out this selection of successful combinations, which prove wooden surfaces can look wonderful with a variety of splashback materials.
Show off with tiles
It doesn’t matter whether you opt for minimalist metro tiles, like these, or vibrant patterned designs, ceramic and wood naturally work well together, so tiles are the perfect splashback for wooden worktops. And while wooden flooring might have been too much in this scheme, porcelain floor tiles finish the room off elegantly.
It doesn’t matter whether you opt for minimalist metro tiles, like these, or vibrant patterned designs, ceramic and wood naturally work well together, so tiles are the perfect splashback for wooden worktops. And while wooden flooring might have been too much in this scheme, porcelain floor tiles finish the room off elegantly.
Pick out tongue and groove
Panelled walls finished in a contrasting colour to painted wooden units can look very effective, especially in traditional farmhouse-style kitchens.
Here, simple duck-egg blue units topped with a pale wood worktop sit serenely beneath a cream-coloured tongue-and-groove wallcovering. Just ensure you use paint suitable for a steamy kitchen environment.
Check out these cool ways to use wood cladding
Panelled walls finished in a contrasting colour to painted wooden units can look very effective, especially in traditional farmhouse-style kitchens.
Here, simple duck-egg blue units topped with a pale wood worktop sit serenely beneath a cream-coloured tongue-and-groove wallcovering. Just ensure you use paint suitable for a steamy kitchen environment.
Check out these cool ways to use wood cladding
Mix it up
To create a relaxed, bistro-style setting, team wooden worktops with a mix of splashback finishes. Here, chunky surfaces sit alongside tiled and mirrored walls. This look is well suited to large kitchens with high ceilings, but would perhaps look a little too fussy in a smaller space.
To create a relaxed, bistro-style setting, team wooden worktops with a mix of splashback finishes. Here, chunky surfaces sit alongside tiled and mirrored walls. This look is well suited to large kitchens with high ceilings, but would perhaps look a little too fussy in a smaller space.
Play with heavy metal
If a material has protective properties, won’t be damaged by water and can easily be fixed to a wall, you can turn it into a splashback, as this edgy scheme demonstrates. Here, corrugated metal undulates across the walls and becomes the star of the show, leaving simple wooden units and worktops as the vital supporting cast.
If a material has protective properties, won’t be damaged by water and can easily be fixed to a wall, you can turn it into a splashback, as this edgy scheme demonstrates. Here, corrugated metal undulates across the walls and becomes the star of the show, leaving simple wooden units and worktops as the vital supporting cast.
Go back to brick
Raw materials tend to sit nicely together, so wooden worktops and simple brick or stone will work like a dream. Here, vibrant blue-painted units have been combined with a mix of wood and stainless-steel worktops to give this welcoming kitchen a clean industrial feel.
Raw materials tend to sit nicely together, so wooden worktops and simple brick or stone will work like a dream. Here, vibrant blue-painted units have been combined with a mix of wood and stainless-steel worktops to give this welcoming kitchen a clean industrial feel.
Add some sparkle
Brightly coloured, back-painted glass splashbacks contrast gracefully with both light and dark wooden worktops. Alternatively, you can place a clear-glass sheet over a wallpapered wall; just make sure it’s sealed properly to prevent condensation creeping in.
Brightly coloured, back-painted glass splashbacks contrast gracefully with both light and dark wooden worktops. Alternatively, you can place a clear-glass sheet over a wallpapered wall; just make sure it’s sealed properly to prevent condensation creeping in.
Opt for custom-made
With the latest digital imaging you can create your very own bespoke splashback to suit your wooden worktops. The funky glazed design here sits like a unique piece of art behind the sink.
With the latest digital imaging you can create your very own bespoke splashback to suit your wooden worktops. The funky glazed design here sits like a unique piece of art behind the sink.
Call for copper
Many light oak worktops have a coppery tinge, so this iron-glass splashback gilded with copper leaf to give a marble-like effect is ideal for this kitchen. The splashback has been overlaid on a wall painted with olive green paint, but you could experiment with different background colours.
Discover 10 ideas for weaving copper, gold and bronze into your kitchen
Many light oak worktops have a coppery tinge, so this iron-glass splashback gilded with copper leaf to give a marble-like effect is ideal for this kitchen. The splashback has been overlaid on a wall painted with olive green paint, but you could experiment with different background colours.
Discover 10 ideas for weaving copper, gold and bronze into your kitchen
Take your worktop up your walls
If you have wooden units, too, this look could be overkill. However, if your units are in a contrasting material, such as the white cupboards seen here, using the same wood on the walls as the worktops can create a very striking and streamlined feel.
If you have wooden units, too, this look could be overkill. However, if your units are in a contrasting material, such as the white cupboards seen here, using the same wood on the walls as the worktops can create a very striking and streamlined feel.
Create a mirror image
Mirrored splashbacks complement any worktop – they simply reflect the room back at you. And they are very effective in narrow galley kitchens with a single natural light source, as they help to bounce the light further into the room.
In this kitchen, a mirrored splashback sits alongside simple handleless units and makes the centrepiece wooden worktop appear to double in size.
Browse 10 fabulous ways to work magic with mirrors
TELL US…
Have you found the perfect splashback match for your wooden worktop? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
Mirrored splashbacks complement any worktop – they simply reflect the room back at you. And they are very effective in narrow galley kitchens with a single natural light source, as they help to bounce the light further into the room.
In this kitchen, a mirrored splashback sits alongside simple handleless units and makes the centrepiece wooden worktop appear to double in size.
Browse 10 fabulous ways to work magic with mirrors
TELL US…
Have you found the perfect splashback match for your wooden worktop? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
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Some people like to try and keep their timber pristine, but my favourite timber bench tops are those that are really well used so all the marks, burns, scratches and stains blend into one stunning patina, with worn, rounded down patches, and the timber is just kept healthy by periodically re oiling with food grade oil. Timber bench tops, like timber chopping blocks have natural anti bacterial properties too